Smoking a matter of personal choice

Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. If smoking is the leading cause, then the runner up is poor diet and lack of exercise. According to www.about.com, approximately 365,000 deaths in 2007 were the direct cause of poor eating habits and little to no exercise.

I don't see an uproar about people eating at fast food restaurants seven day a week. God forbid, someone doesn't get their one million calories a day. The point is, that like smoking, eating poorly is a personal choice. Don't place a ban on smoking unless you are willing to launch a crusade against every fast-food joint in town. Obesity was responsible for 15.2 percent of all total deaths last year and I don't deny that smoking was the cause of 435,000 deaths. However, before going after smokers, look at the evidence of everything else that can cause a premature death and think about your own choices.

Secondly, I agree that second hand smoke stinks and can be very unpleasent to to be around. But personally, I don't like to walk into a grocery store and see a 300-pound person with a halter top on either. This may be a weak argument, but the point is the same, let others lead their own lives and make their own choices.

This is not a voting issue. As freedom permits, we have the right to smoke or not, and also to gain an inordinate amount of weight or not. Let people be as they are and mind your own business.

Ryan Skaith
Sedalia