Editor, the News-Herald:

How in the world could one of your readers from Manning Road actually try to argue that taxing his cigarette smoking is unfair and the costs should be equally balanced?

Clearly this guy doesn’t realize that us non smokers are paying tons of extra dollars to fund health care costs related directly to his &uot;death wish&uot; choice of smoking.

When this guy gets lung cancer will he pay all of the bill himself or will he expect everyone else’s insurance premiums to help cover his expenses? His premiums paid surely won’t cover all the costs. My mother died last year of lung cancer; my grandmother of lung cancer, my aunt, my grandfather all died of cancer.

When growing up I lived in a smog around the kitchen table from all of the smokers. Their choice to smoke was conscripted upon me as a child. So unless that reader is going to smoke only in remote locations and guarantee he won’t expect for anyone to help cover his medical bills he should accept this minor additional cost.

Dave Forsythe

Naples, Italy