Tobacco penalties target lower class

What angers me is that the smoking laws and taxes are passed by bureaucrats and politicians who have good jobs with benefits and careers [“Smokers may not be able to afford ‘Obamacare,’” page one, Jan. 25]. And they are passing them on the lower class.

Let’s take a mom cleaning motel rooms on Aurora. She has few pleasures and options. The state takes a whole hour’s pay for her habit. I know as a former smoker that smoking is a great comfort and crutch when life is hard. And she’s not quitting because people with crappy lives don’t worry about health and longevity. They just get by.

Maybe she should quit and concentrate on a better life in the future with her guaranteed state pension — you know like the one the bureaucrats and politicians get after stealing her money. Oh the arrogance of the government mind.

--John Dukes, Ferndale