Hospital Won’t Hire Smokers

31 March 2010 in Cigar News

So Walt from StogieReview.com sent a tweet about a hospital in his area that has decided that it will not hire smokers. Article is here.

I have added a few comments here and there and it is amazing how people are missing the point. Its not about a company not allowing smokers to work there or wanting to dictate what their employees do in their off hours. Its about what right does a company have to say what personal activities you can or cannot do in your own time.

Many commenters said this was great, smoking is bad and unhealthy. But would they be ok if they said we don’t hire people who drink, or eat fast food, or are overweight, mountain bike, ride motorcycles. When I posted that, one lady who said she was a nurse said that riding mountain bikes was a healthy activity and that I was missing the point. Again its about them dictating your personal life.

One of the more entertaining comments asked if I would be ok if a teacher was in a bar having a drink and a smoke and my kid say them and wanted to do the same. My question is why is your kid in a bar? Yes I am ok if a teacher does that, but I will be a parent to my child and tell them the dangers of drinking and smoking. I will let them know when they are an adult they can make their own decision and encourage them to understand the pros and cons.

Other comments said the hospital was doing this to lower their health care costs… hmm well I really doubt that not smoking is going to make that big of an impact. I would think there are other things that would lower your costs. But again, no one will target the real problems, just the things that some people don’t like.

Maybe one day people will realize all the other bad stuff that we do to ourselves and make a change. I think people eat more bad food, and more food, than those that smoke. Our kids are overweight, yet we have this thing to stop smoking, not make our kids healthier.

Can people get their heads out of their asses and start fighting the bigger problems.

UPDATE: I do support a company banning smoking on their property, I do NOT support them banning from my life.

Jon in the comments made a good point about NYC wanting to ban salt in food. Yet again we don’t go after the problem.

Another article on the issue here

31 March 2010 Cigar News

4 Comments to Hospital Won’t Hire Smokers

Right on target. Smoking is only the first of many steps to come. NYC recently proposed a ban on salt in all foods. I’ve seen articles on a potential soda tax. Where does this stuff end? Personal responsibility for our own lives starts with us and not government bureaucrats.

jonsiddle on 31 March 2010

Great rant Justin. This is just another stage in the pussification of America. The biggest offenders are parents. It’s easier if the govt. protects the kids at everyone’s expense.

Everyone jumps on board to a ban that doesn’t effect them. IE smoking, which generates a lot of revenue for the government and economy. If that is taken away, “They” will be coming after your vice. Perhaps it is alcohol, or fast foods.

America – Stop being pussies!

Tom on 31 March 2010

I totally agree that the point is about legislating OTHER people’s personal rights and freedoms. People have a right to eat fast food and become fat, to drink alcohol and become an alcoholic, or to work 16-hours a day and develop stress-related syndromes and diseases. Of course, they may have to live with unpleasant consequences if they are unlucky, but each of these are an example of legal practices that can lead to unhealthy consequences. And they are examples of personal rights and freedoms. It’s not an unreasonable leap, once you start legislating freedoms based on negative health effects, to start disqualifying job applicants based on blood fat levels and stress hormones.

Doc on 29 April 2010

I agree 100%. The funny thing is my g/f used to work for ‘City of Hope’ an internationally renowned cancer research and treatment facility in Duarte, CA. and employees(Doctors, Nurses, and Researchers alike) would trek out to the edge of the property to smoke.

Mark on 4 June 2010