Positive idea gone up in smoke

In My Opinion

others a little less difficult.

KATIE CLARK

A&E EDITOR

KAC729@CABRINI EDU

As someone who has been recently trying to quit smoking cigarettes, it is difficult plenty of times to see people everywhere, especially celebrities, having a smoke. It just makes my craving for that one drag skyrocket.

When I first heard about the idea of movies cutting out many scenes with smoking in them and put habits like chewing gum or biting nails in their place, I was relieved. It would make the process I am going through as well as many

The excitement I had for this change quickly came to an end, once I actually read up on more information about the topic. The extents that some studios are going through to meet these limitations on smoking are simply ridiculous. Basically all studios are cutting out any reference to or relative action towards smoking in all G, PG and PG-13 films with maybe some exceptions here and there.

After reading about this more in depth, I have many harsh feelings towards the studio companies. Even though they are definitely not the healthiest habit to endure, cigarette smoking is a part of many societies all around the world. It may cause cancer or some sort of disease or illness to the lungs but it is how many people today relieve stress, boredom, etc. To cut something like this out of movies is just the simple way of avoiding the problem.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not think G rated movies should have smoking in the movies, but how many do you actually see that promote smoking to begin with? If anything we see little scenes where smoking is prohibited or looked down upon.

It is not until PG movies where smoking should be introduced. I am not saying introduced with peer pressure, however, with education on the matter.

Children need to be educated on the dangers of smoking and the consequences it entails. Like I said before, smoking is a part of life, children are going to run into it no matter where they turn. It is a matter of whether or not they are properly educated about it. Movies are the best way to get through to many children, not a class in school. They pay more attention to movies than they would ever do in school.

PG-13 movies are a care, and I think the efforts and ideas that are pushing America towards it look fairly promising, but it can’t work through the SCHIP program. People who get swept up with the idea of helping poor children are blind to all the facts about the bill. Many have not questioned where the $35 billion will come from.

The proposed plan is to increase cigarette and cigar tax by up to $1 per pack. This is a huge amount, and according to Professor John F. Banzhaf the director of Action on Smoking and Health said that smoking is “the highest among those in the lowest economic classes.” It clearly is not a good idea to increase the cigarette tax, which would effect the lowest economic class families the most.

The bill has now been challenged, and the challenge is being heavily pushed by the Democrats. It has been delayed for two weeks now, and radio and television ad des have been made to campaign for the override. I believe that this override, if its successful or not, is really strengthening the campaign for Hilary Clinton and her ideas about federal health care.

The veto is going to be one of the biggest lasting memories of George W. Bush as his presidency comes to an end. The idea of turning down a seemingly innocent bill marked to help poor children is turning those people who already despise Bush to get sucked into a snowball of anti Bush and blind support for this bill. People will pick at anything Bush does now, and when he now does something right, its hard for people to stand by it.