![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
edenfallingThe world is a story we tell ourselves about the world.
---Vikram Chandra
This is very true!
---------------------------------------------
In real life news, I apparently forgot to inventory and order instant lottery tickets on Sunday evening. Fortunately, we don't seem to be in imminent danger of running out of anything, and PM did an order today that should arrive tomorrow or Friday.
Also, apparently taxes are going up on tobacco -- or at least on cigarettes -- and we need to reduce our in-store stocks by June 2, because we will pay a floor tax on whatever we have in stock on that day. I personally think smoking is a deeply stupid thing to do, and am very grateful for non-smoking areas, but I do wonder if our society may be going a bit over the deep end in demonizing both tobacco and smokers.
I remember when I was very young, most restaurants were still either entirely smoking-friendly, or had their floors split into roughly equally sized smoking and non-smoking sections. And, you know, I wouldn't mind if we still had smoking sections in most restaurants and bars -- yes, there's some inevitable drift, but some decorative barriers and some fans can reduce that to a minimum, and it does seem awfully mean to make people go outside to smoke, even when the weather is absolutely horrid.
...
I am not sure how much my opinions are influenced by working in a tobacco shop. I'm sure it has some effect -- before I got this job, I'd never really thought about the economics of tobacco as it relates to small local stores, nor realized how taxes can be so vicious to local businesses that depend on tobacco products to support their other ventures -- but I have also always been of the opinion that if people are going to be bloody stupid, that's really not my problem unless they're actively harming other people. And I rather doubt that secondhand smoke is going to kill you any faster than car exhaust, unless you're trapped in unventilated rooms with a smoker for years and years and years.
In fact, I'd bet on the car exhaust killing you first. :-)
---Vikram Chandra
This is very true!
---------------------------------------------
In real life news, I apparently forgot to inventory and order instant lottery tickets on Sunday evening. Fortunately, we don't seem to be in imminent danger of running out of anything, and PM did an order today that should arrive tomorrow or Friday.
Also, apparently taxes are going up on tobacco -- or at least on cigarettes -- and we need to reduce our in-store stocks by June 2, because we will pay a floor tax on whatever we have in stock on that day. I personally think smoking is a deeply stupid thing to do, and am very grateful for non-smoking areas, but I do wonder if our society may be going a bit over the deep end in demonizing both tobacco and smokers.
I remember when I was very young, most restaurants were still either entirely smoking-friendly, or had their floors split into roughly equally sized smoking and non-smoking sections. And, you know, I wouldn't mind if we still had smoking sections in most restaurants and bars -- yes, there's some inevitable drift, but some decorative barriers and some fans can reduce that to a minimum, and it does seem awfully mean to make people go outside to smoke, even when the weather is absolutely horrid.
...
I am not sure how much my opinions are influenced by working in a tobacco shop. I'm sure it has some effect -- before I got this job, I'd never really thought about the economics of tobacco as it relates to small local stores, nor realized how taxes can be so vicious to local businesses that depend on tobacco products to support their other ventures -- but I have also always been of the opinion that if people are going to be bloody stupid, that's really not my problem unless they're actively harming other people. And I rather doubt that secondhand smoke is going to kill you any faster than car exhaust, unless you're trapped in unventilated rooms with a smoker for years and years and years.
In fact, I'd bet on the car exhaust killing you first. :-)
