Facebook Wisdom

A few of my facebook friends posted this:

Don't like gay marriages? Don't get one.. Don't like cigarettes? Don't smoke them.. Don't like abortions? Don't get one.. Don't like sex? Don't have it.. Don't like drugs? Don't do them.. Don't like porn? Don't watch it.. Don't like alcohol? Don't drink it.. Don't like guns? Don't buy one.. Don't like your rights taken away??? Don't take away someone else's. {re-post if you agree}

Needless to say, I didn't repost.

It is so hard for people to understand that personal rights can't trump the health and well being of the society as a whole. My right to kill you is trumped by your right to live.

Illegal drugs, for example. A personal right? Really? Tell that to the 40,000 Mexicans who have been murdered recently in the drug wars. Maybe the Mexicans would disagree that this is a victimless crime.

And abortion is a personal right? Tell that to the 45 million people who have died in the world this year.

Even something like smoking cigarettes has massive impact on the society as a whole. We ALL pay for health insurance. We all have to bear the burden of the people who are killing themselves with cigarettes. We are all impacted if we go into a public space where people are smoking. So, not only am I a fan of banning smoking in public places, but I also favor taxing cigarettes. I KNOW it has been a factor in some of my friends choosing to quit. And the tax money can go towards supplementing the health care costs that weigh all of us down.

Yup. No. I won't be reposting this one.