Why do 33 percent of people living in Government Assistance Housing Smoke Cigarettes?
If a person smokes one pack of cigarettes per day, the average total cost in Illinois is $2228 per year. The poverty level in Illinois for 1 person is $12,140. This means he or she may spend 20 percent of their income because they have become addicted to nicotine.
The Chicago Tribune article titled, Smoking ban to take effect July 30, reports that a government program is being started to inform occupants of the public housing about the hazards of cigarette smoking because beginning on July 30, they will no longer be able to smoke inside any public housing. In other words, in order to have the Right to live in Government Assisted Housing, they now have a responsibility to not smoke inside the dwellings.
As for using 20 percent of their income because they have become addicted to nicotine, the government did not force them to make the choice to smoke, it was their Right and decision. It was not wise though, because smoking is medically proven to affect health. The question is though, would they have made the choice if they had known the truth about nicotine is an addictive substance that is very hard to break away from once you start smoking?
The purpose of this post is not to berate the thought processes of the people in public housing or poverty. It is to relate what the Government and News Media should be doing in my opinion, to educate, and call out in public in every “town square” to everyone in the USA to reduce foolish choices that result in criminal actions, poor health, and poverty. While it may never result in totally eliminating human folly, it will reduce folly.
In other words, same as every successful business understands the saying of “it pays to advertise.” Government and mass media should advertise Wisdom, Rights, and Responsibilities to help reduce folly
King Solomon ABC’s of Wisdom
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; (Proverb 1:20)
I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! (Ecclesiastes 1:13)
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (Proverb 22:6)
What’s My Point?
In a previous post titled, King Solomon, Chicago Gang Killings Main Arteries, I suggested the exact same remedy that is being reported in this news article.
In other words, instead of continuing to allow a known harmful action to take place and then have to deal with the results of folly, government and media is taking an active role to advertise “ in every public square” to make known to the public their responsibilities if they want to continue having Rights to live in government assisted housing.
Government advertising is nothing new. Posting notices in public squares to inform people of Rights and Responsibilities has been used by Governing authorities since the beginning of recorded history.
What Government Should Do
Government issues licenses for airway broadcast rights to every broadcast media. Congress should pass a law to mandate in order to obtain a broadcast license, that free public interest government messages be extended to make listeners and viewers aware of their Rights and Responsibilities to their communities.
For example, people who buy illegal drugs from Chicago gangs should be told the truth that they share in the guilt by their actions being responsible for the gang shootings taking place in Chicago Communities as explained in a previous post.
Is es every one in the USA aware that sixty million Americans that presently have an STD, Sexual Transmitted Disease? That there is a high risk and a personal responsibility they have to others once they become infected because they do not follow CDC safety guidelines and use of STD preventative methods.
In other words, the government should advertise wise advice, Rights, responsibilities, and truth to Americans to prevent the harmful effects of their actions. Why? Because of the converse, if you give Rights to someone, with it come to both the responsibility of the person to make use of their Rights within the boundaries. Also, if Government grants you Rights, it is their responsibility to set limits and maintain boundaries so as not to allow for burdens be allowed to be placed on other peoples shoulders,
Giving Rights to one group at the expense to another group is not fair, just, equitable, wise, prudent, or responsible Government policies or management, in my opinion.
In My Opinion
Wisdom, Rights, and Responsibilities should be a taught as a mandatory separate subject course in every school year to students same as the ABC’s.
If you discern the above three King Solomon proverbs in relation to the message of this post, life is indeed both a blessing and a burden of responsibilities to be born by every living creature in the world.
What the world needs now in addition to love is Wisdom. Wisdom to help us find the path to true love, peace, and joy in our lives, and our world.
If Interested
Citizen Tom is posting an interesting series about Rights which many do not or never have been taught or understood and contributing to the current political divisiveness occurring in our Nation. I recommend you read his series in the Source Links below.
Regards and good will blogging.
Source Links
https://www.gumauctions.com/average-price-of-cigarettes/14/Illinois/
https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/phprog
https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/federal-poverty-levels
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/ecclesiastes/1.htm
https://rudymartinka.com/2018/07/01/king-solomon-usa-political-divisiveness-parallel/
My guess is that they we find their smoking prohibition unenforceable.
I think the idea of posting notices in public squares to inform people of Rights and Responsibilities is a decent idea, but I doubt the wisdom of having the government do it.
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Tom, “You said”
“My guess is that they we find their smoking prohibition unenforceable.”
A-I believe it will be as you state nonenforceable only because no one will probably enforce the prohibition. I doubt any judge will allow a search warrant be issued to search an apartment for cigarettes and someone will complain about a neighbor for fear of some reprisal.
“but I doubt the wisdom of having the government do it.”
A- Only government agencies that have responsibility now to make people aware of present hazards that threaten them in their communities on health or safety issues that are foolish to engage in and why.
In my opinion, it is governments should have a free “open square” on the airways to help maintain order by education and making citizens aware to prevent folly from happening after folly occurs.
While it may never end all the madness and folly, it may help reduce it by making available good, wise, and helpful directions to follow in their lives.
Same as what a person listens to when they go to Church on Sunday, or in ancient times go to the town square to read the postings on the wall.
Regards and good will blogging., .
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Ok.. I’m back to following you now, Rudy. I’m in the middle of re-organizing my own blogging world and had to re-construct my follow list.
Anyway.. you wanted immigration..
https://findingpoliticalsanity.com/immigrants-are-not-refugees/
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Doug
Thanks for your comments. I read over them a number of times.
I believe the only real suggestion you made that is any different from what is different than the present methods is e No 2., which is to have people apply for asylum in USA consulates rather than sneak over the border.
However, I doubt Mexico would allow camps to grow in their country to accommodate the millions of people who will eventually accumulate while waiting for a hearing.
There is a present backlog of 800,000 now and four years.
I also doubt Congress would approve the costs to accommodate them as you suggest because there would be a lot of need for that money to be used to accommodate the homeless in our Nation. I believe California is now the leading state of homeless people.
Your ending statement that it will take a long time to solve is very accurate. It already has taken 35 years. The question is no longer when, it is ever.
Sadly, if you worked for President Trump, or any Executive in a private business given a contract to solve the immigration problem, and presented your plan to him, I believe they would either fire you or reassign you to work as a spokesman for the Democrats.
Incidendtly, I know you still find it hard to understand, the Democrat party just got fired by voters in the last election for the same reason, no plans, open borders, etc. etc.
Regards and good will blogging.
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From your reply, Rudy, it’s apparent you are one of the many knee-jerk conservatives who enjoy doing that school-yard justification for everything Trump does as being defensible “because Obama (Hillary, insert-anyone-here) did it worse or caused the problem” nonsense.
I also know you love the Trumpian banging away with this idea that “Democrats want open borders”. There is not one person I am aware of… anywhere.. who seriously considers open borders. That kind of pompous remark is just made for emotional reaction by Trump for his base minions.
First, by international law any embassy and consulate from any nation anywhere is a place to which anyone can go for asylum.. refuge.. etc. That’s not new. Of course Mexico would agree to some idea of a limited containment “camp” at their southern border… rather than having people sludge their way across their country. But the point being is that such a facility would be in place until such time the numbers diminish from politically stabilizing the region. People are looking for safety and security until their application is determined. Of course, the application process , which would include court hearings, needs big improvement, But such a facility provides immediate help in their needs… and if necessary they can be transported through Mexico to the U.S. depending on their case. The “camp stay” is/should be very temporary for each person.
Interjecting the nation’s homeless into some immigration debate is apples and oranges. The vast reason for homeless is due to mental health.. not some guy who just ended up out of work and he can’t find a job (in this improved economy???). It’s a mental health issue… it always has been. You want to fight for a national mental health program I’m all with you. But being homeless is not about just “bad luck” that can be cured with an influx of money.
I have absolutely no issue with someone having a different opinion of my idea… gawd knows I am as much a nobody on the political scene as anyone with a blog. So.. please tell me.. with everything I have suggested here… how this relates to being “democrat”?
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@doug You said
“Interjecting the nation’s homeless into some immigration debate is apples and oranges.”
A- Your statement points to the core problem of illegal immigration plaguing the USA?
Just compare how the present USA political conversation keeps focusing on immigration. We all know the biggest reason everyone wants to enter USA is jobs and opportunities.
We have great empathy for their plight and it costs taxpayers billions a year to feed, care, house, and educate.
Meanwhile, back on the farm in the USA there are millions of homeless wandering around the streets which you state mental illness is the core problem.
What’s My Point?
Why are we spending billions on apples and not oranges?
If you don’t know, it is because the borders are open, have been and both political parties as well as the media and politicians do what I do every day in my backyard.
I feed the birds with my dollars, and by doing so, the birds keep coming into my backyard.
I believe it is time to spend our tax dollars to help the homeless wandering the streets all over the USA.
Perhaps, though, if we just take a timeout, close down the borders. and use the billions of dollars to help the homeless in the USA, something good will come about to solve the homeless problem.
Yes, the problems are apples and orange problems of the USA. We seem to prefer (choose) to spend our tax dollars to put the apples in our shopping carts of problems to solve, and not the oranges which we let rot on the shelves.
Why is all the empathy focused on illegal immigrants debate and not the homeless and poverty plights in our Nation?
Regards and good will blogging.
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