NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Stress caused by a slowing economy, shrinking retirement accounts and rising unemployment rates is driving some American smokers to increase the habit or delay quitting, according to a new survey.
A quarter of smokers who are worried about the economy said fretting over it has driven them to smoke more each day, while another 13 percent said they have delayed quitting.
"The turbulent global stock markets have caused virtually every American a certain level of stress. Those who also struggle with an addiction to tobacco products are at an increased disadvantage as they contemplate quitting, or feel the urge to smoke more cigarettes," Cheryl Healton, the president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation, said in a statement....
A review of the structure of the financial services industry, in place from the 1930's to the 1970's, and which protected America from another Great Depression - click -
From Matthew, chapter 4: The devil (Satan) took Jesus up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them. Then came the attempted con. "All these things will I give you, if you fall down and worship me." Now, notice Jesus’ response — one founded exclusively on a full grasp of political and spiritual reality: "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:8-10).
The belief that Satan can still come through with his grandiose promise of giving "all the kingdoms of the world" to a single individual or group still burns brightly in the hearts and minds of those who plan to create a new world order . .
In the final analysis, it all boils down to one basic question: which God are you, personally and individually, going to worship and serve? Is it going to be "the god of this world" and all that he stands for? Or it is going to be the one true, living God of the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ?
Congress must fulfill its congressional duty to America. . . and protect the American people from the gang that's been financially raping the nation.
It means examining the monetary and economic reforms of the Federal Reserve System.
Rather than borrowing the $700 billion, and ending up paying back about 3 times that amount after interest charges, the US government should issue the money the same way the banks do, instead of borrowing it from them.
But while the banks issue credit that substitutes for money, the U.S. would issue actual money. Our government has the power to create the money, in an account, or by simply printing it as greenbacks.
This would not be inflationary, because it is already believed that those moneys exist in the form of the real estate values and loans. This would stop a deflation which would follow from writing down those assets and loans to their present market values.
What the administration is doing is almost identical to what Keynes did during the Great Depression.
Speaking of smoke, just today some tattle-tale called the fire department on me for burning wood outside, something I frequently do. Big bully firefighter did inform me that my set up was ok, but that I was violating "The Law" for burning straw as well.
Such heavy burdens the state pharisees place upon us!
Hard times prompt Americans to increase smoking? Right.
"A higher percentage (38 percent) of lower-income smokers-- those with a household income of $35,000 or less -- reported that they smoke more cigarettes per day due to the economy, the survey showed.
Unemployed smokers were also more likely to boost smoking due to the financial crisis, with 29 percent smoke more compared to 17 percent of employed smokers."
So the lower income and the unemployed are so stressed out by what's happening to their portfolio, that they can afford to increase their expensive habit? This is another, how do you say, crock.
At least they didn't say "Bush made me smoke more."
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