John McCain in an interview with Katie Couric today has stated that he is opposed to the Reinvestment Bill partially due to the fact that it contains multi million dollar smoking cessation funding.
McCain, the erstwhile GOP nominee for president, and now defacto leader of the centrist wing of the GOP, is coming out in opposition to Obama's plan to invest in America to stem the riptide of unemployment and devaluation of property. Apparently one of the main points of opposition to the proposal is the inclusion of smoking cessation programs.
Apparently McCain doesn't think getting people to sign on to giving up tobacco will lead to short and long term improvement of public health and increase in productivity by American workers.
What is wrong with this man?
If you are against the idea of borrowing money from your grandchildren to sponsor current present day spending programs, then come out and say so, and I will understand your argument. But to come out and criticize the bill because it contains spending that encourages people to stop polluting their lungs, and making themselves sick, dragging down the rest of society with their innumerable smoke breaks and sick days, not to mention their lung disease, and cancer, and Medicare drain that they cause, is just patently unbelievable. Who does McCain think he's impressing here? Does he really think that a majority of Americans support the idea of society subsidizing a minority of it's members engaging in self-destructive addiction like cigarette smoking? I haven't heard any other politician come out in support of smoking lately, especially not any who are themselves cancer survivors.
But while I'm at it, I should give a shout out to senator Collins of my own state of Maine, who has apparently come out in opposition to funding of anti-pandemic research within the so called "stimulus bill". I guess it is beyond the ken of even blue state Republicans to grasp how scientific research could be a form of work, one that would benefit society.
Someone please tell me what you have to do to convince a Republican that long term health is a worthwhile goal? I guess that to a Republican like Susan Collins or John McCain, if they see someone smoking a cigarette, and that person doesn't drop dead on the spot, then everything's copacetic. No problem here. And if no massive bird flu erupts this year, we should just scrap the whole influenza preparedness program, because obviously it isn't doing any good...
As a former smoker, I don't want to come across as someone who thinks that people should be forced to quit. But I do think that it should be subsidized by society, if they do want to, just like all kinds of drug rehab should be. For God's sake, who would seriously want to put an obstacle up, or criticize efforts to help people who want to quit? It's just asinine! But that's McCain for you, I guess...