Comments: Smokers should get public health service

Nov. 26, p. 27

Debate has been rife over whether smokers can receive state-paid healthcare benefits, which I argue they should. In light of Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo’s proposal to exclude smokers from free healthcare in Jakarta, it is timely to review the reasons why this plan can’t be justified.

One of the most cited justifications for the governor’s proposal is an economic argument. Smokers, proponents of the plan say, are not poor or can’t be considered poor and therefore do not deserve benefits intended for the poor.

But how do we define and measure poverty? Can smoking be included in the measurement? (By Panji Hadisoemarto, Boston, Massachusetts)

Your comments:

Respect us to make our own decisions, man. It is a slippery slope. First, its the government’s fault that we are smoking. Next thing we know we’re blaming the government for its lack of enforcing religious tolerance, its inability to stop corruption, its hypocritical enforcement of pornography laws, crony capitalism, exploitation of non-elites and traditional peoples, riots over BlackBerry sales and the over-publication of Maria Sharapova pictures.

 Chimbawamba

This argument is ridiculous. As a smoker, I know that I live a lifestyle with increased risks and I also know that I should be responsible for these risks. To blame the government is moronic. Are people so stupid that we can’t make decisions and take responsibility for these decisions? The author of this piece obviously has no respect for people and their capacity to act with dignity in the world.

Mike Hawk