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Ban on Tobacco urged in military

Is banning tobacco products within the military going to far

  • Yes

    Votes: 37 90.2%

  • NO

    Votes: 4 9.8%
  • Total voters
    41
aps said:
Read up on ALL the benefits they get while in service and once they get out of service. Paying for their bad habits SHOULD not be one of them. And as I pointed out, VA no longer pays compensation benefits for smoking-related illnesses, which is the right thing.
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I disagree. Personally, if someone is going to fight and die to protect me and the rest of my countrymen they can do whatever the hell they want. I'm not a fan of smoking either. I quit almost 4 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made. However, there are definitely things I miss about smoking so I can definitely empathize with someone who smokes. I honestly don't see what the big deal is here.
 
Dr_Patrick said:
I disagree. Personally, if someone is going to fight and die to protect me and the rest of my countrymen they can do whatever the hell they want. I'm not a fan of smoking either. I quit almost 4 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made. However, there are definitely things I miss about smoking so I can definitely empathize with someone who smokes. I honestly don't see what the big deal is here.
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No one is denying their ability to smoke.
 
Reverend_Hellh0und said:
Most people who serve and have not been shot at are uneligable for va coverage.
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That's a factually incorrect statement.





doing so is illegal. if smoking were illegal i'd see your point.
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You instigate a fight (which is not illegal) and get your nose broken and you seek VA compensation benefits for residuals of a broken nose, you're likely going to be denied due to willful misconduct.


a better comparison would be someone who serves and gets breakfast lunch and dinner at the base mcdonalds.....


should the va deny him lipitor and coverage?
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I dunno.
 
aps said:
That's a factually incorrect statement.
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I am a Veteran. I am very familiar with the VA system.


Determining Your Eligibility (VA Health Care Eligibility & Enrollment)




You instigate a fight (which is not illegal) and get your nose broken and you seek VA compensation benefits for residuals of a broken nose, you're likely going to be denied due to willful misconduct.
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:lol: i didn't...... but this was during active service..... ;)





I dunno.
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Really? Don't you think that we owe some of these Veterans? Now I made it through without any lasting damage, and I am of means, so I don't need or think anything is owed me... But when I look upon some of my brothers and sisters, including some who have been maimed, I think we owe them a bit of lattitude..... As I alluded somewhere else. I have a bud who lost both his arms, he smokes two packs a day.... I abhor cigarettes, but I'm happy to light them for him if he asks......
 
Reverend_Hellh0und said:
I am a Veteran. I am very familiar with the VA system.

Determining Your Eligibility (VA Health Care Eligibility & Enrollment)
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I don't see how your link disproves/refutes my statement. I inferred from your statement that those who do NOT serve in combat (haven't been shot at) are NOT entitled to VA health care. Did I infer incorrectly?


Really? Don't you think that we owe some of these Veterans? Now I made it through without any lasting damage, and I am of means, so I don't need or think anything is owed me... But when I look upon some of my brothers and sisters, including some who have been maimed, I think we owe them a bit of lattitude..... As I alluded somewhere else. I have a bud who lost both his arms, he smokes two packs a day.... I abhor cigarettes, but I'm happy to light them for him if he asks......
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I understand what you're saying. Under the circumstances you describe above, I agree.
 
obvious Child said:
While you are correct that it is somewhat difficult to predict the additional healthcare costs of tobacco usage (and monitor, well not necessary)...
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Well, I believe that is the underlying issue. I'm seriously asking you how to quantify the health damage of cigarettes monetarily. One cig is a dollar's worth of damage? How do you know if someone is smoking? What if they hide their habit? I just don't see how this could be implemented.

...why should taxpayers be forced to pay for healthcare unrelated to the service performed by soldiers? Under that logic, if a soldier gets infected with AIDs by sleeping around, we should pay for that independent of the fact that it was his bad choices that get him infected and that sleeping around was not part of the job.

I dunno. I see what you're saying but I don't think it's really that important

I know for a fact that you would get angry for having to pay increased premiums because people on your insurance plan couldn't stop feeding their faces with vast amounts of unhealthy food and not exercising. You get pissed off for being forced to pay for their bad lifestyle choices. Why is this fundamentally any different?

Again, being a soldier does not absolve you from all forms of personal responsibility, unlike Rev's opinion.
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Well, I don't think a Marine who smokes in a combat zone is the same as a lazy fat-ass who stuffs their face all day. I smoked a lot in Iraq because it was the only method of stress-release that actually worked well. If we, as tax payers, have to pay some extra costs because smoking helps maintain mental acuity in combat zones then I think we should do it.
 
The chances of there actually being a ban instituted are slim to none. The Navy for one is making it more difficult to be a smoker, but if they were to even think about implementing that ban the ****storm would be unbelievable.

Even more than that, I couldn't even imagine how somebody could honestly ban smokes for a soldier going into a combat zone over health care costs. Seriously, you're a ****tard if you think VA healthcare benefits 30 years down the road should outweigh stress relief for soldiers in combat zones.

I might support it though, if they would also guarantee 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep every night for those guys and provide the additional soldiers needed to make that happen. If one is willing to take away cigarettes in the name of health concerns then one should have to pay up and start looking after other health issues as well.
 
Joby said:
The chances of there actually being a ban instituted are slim to none. The Navy for one is making it more difficult to be a smoker, but if they were to even think about implementing that ban the ****storm would be unbelievable.

Even more than that, I couldn't even imagine how somebody could honestly ban smokes for a soldier going into a combat zone over health care costs. Seriously, you're a ****tard if you think VA healthcare benefits 30 years down the road should outweigh stress relief for soldiers in combat zones.

I might support it though, if they would also guarantee 8 uninterrupted hours of sleep every night for those guys and provide the additional soldiers needed to make that happen. If one is willing to take away cigarettes in the name of health concerns then one should have to pay up and start looking after other health issues as well.
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****ing hilarious.

I think you hit the nail on the head with this post.
 
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