Organizations dying out

[Allen]

The internet doesn't help either. A lot of people stay on line a lot chatting on FaceBook, Twitter, email and other chat sites plus they phone text.

Covid obviously didn't help either. People had to get away from each other physically and made up for it with the phone and internet contacts.

My .01 worth.

[Merc]

PA passed a non smoking law for public establishments several years ago. Unfortunately, private establishments like the American Legion, VFW, Eagles, etc. are exempt from the state non smoking law. So, declining interest in joining these organizations is only part of the story in PA. I’ve been in a local VFW for a meeting in Carnegie, PA a few years ago and this non-smoker was not happy. Totally different situation in Ohio. Their non smoking law does not permit smoking in any public or private establishment. I belong to the Eagles in a small rural town in OH and it has a large membership and is well attended. But - most of the people who go there are over 60.

[Vern Humphrey]

Smoking is a turn-off for me. I see people in their 60s and 70s smoking and I think, "There's no fool like an old fool."

Then I see some kid covered with tattoos and with every possible part of his anatomy pierced and I think, "Hmmmmm."

[Allen]

Smoking is a turn-off for me. I see people in their 60s and 70s smoking and I think, "There's no fool like an old fool."

Then I see some kid covered with tattoos and with every possible part of his anatomy pierced and I think, "Hmmmmm."

I only believe in smoking if you're on fire.

If vaping had come about before all the smoking bans it would be normal to smell that crap everywhere you went. Going into a typical restaurant, smelling the vanilla, banana, coconut and cherry vaps would remind you that you are smelling and breathing everything others are exhaling and distributed by the vapor.

[Merc]

Lung cancer has taken 8 of our family members over the years. All were heavy smokers and all were dead by their 50s or early 60s except my grandfather was the youngest at 49. I have 8 very good reasons to hate tobacco.

Then there’s the cost to consider. A pack a day is nearly equal to a monthly car payment.

[JimF]

. . . . .Then there’s the cost to consider. A pack a day is nearly equal to a monthly car payment.

yup! . . . . .I quit smoking when the price went to 70 cents per pack!

I bought a lot of loading components with the money I saved since then!!

Saving even more now . . . .what does a pack sell for now?

[Allen]

what does a pack sell for now?

Ditto, I'd like to know too.

Lost my Father to lung cancer @ 57.

Lost my Grandfather to lung cancer @ 64.

Both smoked, though not heavy. Both grew up in times where smoking was encouraged and taught to be the normal way of life. During this time, as all of you remember, all cars had cigarette lighters and ash trays, all motels and restaurants had ash trays and complementary matches usually.

[Vern Humphrey]

I only believe in smoking if you're on fire.

If vaping had come about before all the smoking bans it would be normal to smell that crap everywhere you went. Going into a typical restaurant, smelling the vanilla, banana, coconut and cherry vaps would remind you that you are smelling and breathing everything others are exhaling and distributed by the vapor.

I've got great nephews who "vape." They say, "It's only vapor" and I point out that right on the package it says nicotine is addictive.

My mother smoked and died at the age of 51.

[Vern Humphrey]

yup! . . . . .I quit smoking when the price went to 70 cents per pack!

I bought a lot of loading components with the money I saved since then!!

Saving even more now . . . .what does a pack sell for now?

When my wife had Home Health Care, we had a student nurse who also had other clients. She took care of a family of people on disability -- husband, wife and mother-in-law. One of the things she did for them was to make out and handle their monthly budget. Their combined disability payments amounted to $2,700 a month. The FIRST item on the budget -- at their insistence -- was $900 for tobacco!

Hell, if they had saved and invested $900 a month, in a few years they wouldn't have needed disability payments!

[Merc]

https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/cigarette-prices-by-state/#:~:text=Cigarette%20Prices%20and%20Taxes%20by%20State%20%20,%20%20%244.25%20%2047%20more%20rows%20

The price of a pack of cigs varies from state to state with New York leading the way with $10.53/pack.

[Vern Humphrey]

https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings...more%20rows%20

The price of a pack of cigs varies from state to state with New York leading the way with $10.53/pack.

Of course, what New York has done is to create a Black Market in cigarettes.

[dryheat]

Smoking. It's an interesting subject. Remember when everyone smoked? When the soldgier was dying in a movie, he'd ask for a cigarette. I actually saw an old time ad of Santa taking a break with a cigarette. "Doctors" recommended certain brands. I smoked with the guys when I was younger but never got the point of it. A good friend that I grew up with got on board with smoking right off. He swiped them from his mom. Salems. They were menthol. Come up to Kool. He was from people, who when they ran out of cigs they got worried. Don't forget the cigarettes. He mentioned one time; I don't know why we buy these things when we know it's bad for us. I haven't heard from him in a couple of years. My brother started when he was about fourteen. But when they got to $8 a pack (in Alaska) he got mad and quit. Just like that. That was twenty five years ago. He's never smoked since. I like that about my brother. None of that, I wish I could quit these things.
Vap. Once in a while when stopped at the light I'll see a six by six foot cloud of smoke come out of a car window. At the gun show you'd see someone holding on to one of those things like it was their dick. About every thirty seconds they hit it. Ametures.

[Vern Humphrey]

In 1969, when I was a company commander in Viet Nam, my company was issued C-Rations dated 1944. They included cigarettes. Some of the guys tried them -- they burned like gunpowder!!

[Merc]

I quit in 1964. I was in the USN in Morocco and cigarettes cost 11 cents a pack at the Navy Exchange. We got ration chits that allowed us to buy up to a carton a week. My fear of the health consequences far outweighed the craving of that next cigarette. The Surgeon General said smoking caused heart disease and lung cancer. That was enough to convince me to quit. I gave the ration chits to my buddies until I discovered they were selling the extra cartons they bought on the local black market which was highly illegal. They never got caught as far as I knew. Luckies and menthols were the favorite.

These days, we compare the cost of everything unnecessary or bad for us that we could avoid buying (it used to be cigarettes) to the really important things in life like a case of German NA beer for me, a nice bottle of wine for the wife or a gallon of gas. How many cases, bottles and gallons could we buy with the money we saved?

[fguffey]

Smoking is a turn-off for me. I see people in their 60s and 70s smoking and I think, "There's no fool like an old fool."

I quit in 78, I thought quitting was the nicest thing I could do for the people I love. Before I quit I decided cigarettes' were killing me.

F. Guffey