There’s something of a stink brewing over to the County Center, the downtown Tampa headquarters of Hillsborough County government.
It seems that the county has erected a couple of shelters for the benefit of smokers who are forced by law to flee the building whenever they want to light up. Some county commissioners are upset because they feel that the shelters imply that Hillsborough County endorses smoking.
Further, it has been proposed that Hillsborough curtail health coverage to smokers under our indigent health care plan. This has prompted observations of hypocrisy as members of the Health Care Study Committee meet to discuss ways to cut costs.
“There’s an argument being made that people on the indigent plan need to show personal responsibility for their health,” said Busansky, a former smoker. “The same point can be made for the health of county employees and commissioners. Their health care is also being paid by the taxes of the citizens of this county.”
The smoking shelters were proposed in January 2004 by Commissioner Jim Norman, a nonsmoker.
Norman said in 2004 that the shelters would provide some dignity for county employees who will step outside to smoke regardless of cold, rainy weather. Commissioners Kathy Castor and Pat Frank voted against allocating up to $20,000 for the shelters, which were installed this week for about $14,000.
This year, Norman also suggested the county might limit enrollment in the indigent health care plan to nonsmokers to save money. Under state law, however, eligibility can be determined only by residency and financial status.
Norman bristled Friday about the smoking shelter complaints. County employees contribute to their health care plan, and indigents do not, he said.
Remember: health care is not a right – it’s a privilege, and only the economically well off should ever be allowed to make personal decisions that might ultimately have a negative impact on their well being.
Presumably, this would include unhealthy sedentary lifestyle choices that lead to multiple chins and pudginess.
