Monday, February 18, 2008

A shiny penny, a rubber band, a broken-off heel…..

from a shoe and 827 (approx.) cigarette butts.

Over the weekend we had a warm up in the weather and that brought rain, so most of the snow that covered the sidewalks of Chicago for months is gone. This allows for less treacherous walking, but also exposes discarded items – some discarded accidentally and some discarded purposely.

This is about the purposely discarded items – most notably cigarette butts.

On January 1st of this year, Illinois joined the growing number of states that are smoke free. This law prohibits smoking in ALL public indoor places. It also requires that smokers stand at least 15 feet from the doorways/windows/ventilation intake of a public place.

Now MOST smokers are outside puffing away and then lavishly tossing their cigarette remains onto the ground.

How is that okay?

I understand the whole "smoking is an awful addiction" – "one of the worst to kick" – "as bad as heroin", yaddity, yaddity, yaddity….

I get that part.

But being a smoker turns you into an uncaring, littering fool?

kool.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Littering gets you a $500 fine, but everyone that smokes and drives (including the police) can carelessly flick that butt out the window.

Anonymous said...

Do you know how much you and I pay in health insurance, that pays for smokers to get chemotherapy and radiation????? It's insane! Why do I have to pay for them? Now I'm annoyed.
Why won't I get a tax relief check? Oh yeah...I make too much. I guess I just work too hard.
But some loser, who doesn't even pay taxes (and probably smokes), will get some cash.
Nice work Susie....now you have me all wound up about "Redistribution of Wealth!"

health