Nanny State: Fort Worth To Ban The Hiring Of Smokers?...

[sfcalifornia]

Man, what's going in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?


Ever been to a local business and dealt with an employee that smelled like they bathed in cigarette ash? Well lucky for you, cities across the country may start to ban the hiring of smokers.

The city of Fort Worth, Texas could soon become the first major American city to ban the hiring of smokers according to CBSDFW News. As part of Mayor Betsy Price’s goals, she aims to make Forth Worth a healthier city and has encouraged employees to find the best way to cut city costs.

Attendees of a recent Fort Worth city council meeting were briefed on a proposal that would ban the hiring of people who use tobacco.

City Manager Tom Higgins favors the proposal and believes it could help reduce city costs.

“Overall I think there was a strong belief that not only does it provide financial benefits for us and our health insurance, but to work with employees to get in a smoking cessation plan and just not to encourage it by hiring additional people,” he said.

The proposition faces a slippery legal slope.

“What is it going to be next? Is it going to be refusing to hire people who consume alcohol?” said one skeptic.

If the city decides to take action against smokers, it will be at least a month before a vote.


Read more: Dallas Fort Worth | Employment | Tobacco | The Daily Caller

Not Fort Worth Texas!!

And Betsy Price is a Republican too.

What's going on here?

Many Republicans support the Big Government Nanny/Police State. There are no real differences between Socialists/Progressives & Neocons. They're both Big Government Globalists.

I think if you were to dig deeper, you would come to the conclusion that this action does not necessarily stem from political affiliation, rather from insurance companies. Ergo the uptick in drug testings over the last decade. It is more expensive to insure a smoker, therefore smokers are being eliminated from the workforce.

 

[saveliberty]

Can we just hire people who will have sex with the boss?

 

[California Girl]

Man, what's going in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?


Ever been to a local business and dealt with an employee that smelled like they bathed in cigarette ash? Well lucky for you, cities across the country may start to ban the hiring of smokers.

The city of Fort Worth, Texas could soon become the first major American city to ban the hiring of smokers according to CBSDFW News. As part of Mayor Betsy Price’s goals, she aims to make Forth Worth a healthier city and has encouraged employees to find the best way to cut city costs.

Attendees of a recent Fort Worth city council meeting were briefed on a proposal that would ban the hiring of people who use tobacco.

City Manager Tom Higgins favors the proposal and believes it could help reduce city costs.

“Overall I think there was a strong belief that not only does it provide financial benefits for us and our health insurance, but to work with employees to get in a smoking cessation plan and just not to encourage it by hiring additional people,” he said.

The proposition faces a slippery legal slope.

“What is it going to be next? Is it going to be refusing to hire people who consume alcohol?” said one skeptic.

If the city decides to take action against smokers, it will be at least a month before a vote.


Read more: Dallas Fort Worth | Employment | Tobacco | The Daily Caller

Any employer should decide not to hire smokers. Smokers are pooreer workers, sloppier in their habits, and are costly to ensure.

Sometimes, Jokey, you really make it hard not to call you a fucking moron.

 

[chanel]

Do they do drug testing of all their employees as well? It would seem awfully discriminatory to fire people who smoke legal substances and not those who indulge in illegal ones. Hell. If they are only testing tobacco, maybe smokers can switch to weed.

 

[jillian]

Man, what's going in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?


Ever been to a local business and dealt with an employee that smelled like they bathed in cigarette ash? Well lucky for you, cities across the country may start to ban the hiring of smokers.

The city of Fort Worth, Texas could soon become the first major American city to ban the hiring of smokers according to CBSDFW News. As part of Mayor Betsy Price’s goals, she aims to make Forth Worth a healthier city and has encouraged employees to find the best way to cut city costs.

Attendees of a recent Fort Worth city council meeting were briefed on a proposal that would ban the hiring of people who use tobacco.

City Manager Tom Higgins favors the proposal and believes it could help reduce city costs.

“Overall I think there was a strong belief that not only does it provide financial benefits for us and our health insurance, but to work with employees to get in a smoking cessation plan and just not to encourage it by hiring additional people,” he said.

The proposition faces a slippery legal slope.

“What is it going to be next? Is it going to be refusing to hire people who consume alcohol?” said one skeptic.

If the city decides to take action against smokers, it will be at least a month before a vote.


Read more: Dallas Fort Worth | Employment | Tobacco | The Daily Caller

Any employer should decide not to hire smokers. Smokers are pooreer workers, sloppier in their habits, and are costly to ensure.

Sometimes, Jokey, you really make it hard not to call you a fucking moron.

what's moronic about that, chica? i mean, i disagree with him, but...

as an ex-smoker, (one who still misses a cigarette and a cup of coffee in the morning), i can tell you that a) it costs more for medical insurance for smokers; b) smokers are out sick more than non-smokers; and c) smokers' have lower productivity than non-smokers because they're outside smoking all the time. now, that's largely due to an intentional effort to get them out of the work place and isolate them in the street where they have to smoke so they CAN'T work while they're smoking... but that's the reality of the situation.

there is something interesting though, in realizing under circumstances like that, edward r murrow would have been fired from his job.

 

[auditor0007]

Man, what's going on in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?


Ever been to a local business and dealt with an employee that smelled like they bathed in cigarette ash? Well lucky for you, cities across the country may start to ban the hiring of smokers.

The city of Fort Worth, Texas could soon become the first major American city to ban the hiring of smokers according to CBSDFW News. As part of Mayor Betsy Price’s goals, she aims to make Forth Worth a healthier city and has encouraged employees to find the best way to cut city costs.

Attendees of a recent Fort Worth city council meeting were briefed on a proposal that would ban the hiring of people who use tobacco.

City Manager Tom Higgins favors the proposal and believes it could help reduce city costs.

“Overall I think there was a strong belief that not only does it provide financial benefits for us and our health insurance, but to work with employees to get in a smoking cessation plan and just not to encourage it by hiring additional people,” he said.

The proposition faces a slippery legal slope.

“What is it going to be next? Is it going to be refusing to hire people who consume alcohol?” said one skeptic.

If the city decides to take action against smokers, it will be at least a month before a vote.


Read more: Dallas Fort Worth | Employment | Tobacco | The Daily Caller

Most hospitals and many companies are refusing to hire smokers also. The new casino that is opening here in Toledo will not hire any smokers. This is not just a government proposition; private companies are also refusing to hire smokers. For the most part, it has more to do with the cost of health insurance then anything else. That, and the fact that smokers tend to miss more days of work due to illness. And yes, I know someone here will tell me how they are a smoker and have never missed a day of work. But the fact is that statistics show that smokers miss more days of work than non-smokers.

 

[Dick Tuck]

I don't disagree with the argument that smokers cost more to insure or they will be less productive. Could not the same argument be made against women of fertile age? Should gender be a protected right, and not bad habits?

 

[Clementine]

Ban hiring of fat people, they always stink and far worse than alittle campfire smoke. And ugly people too, gross.

And what about people with really bad breath? Do we need to be assaulted when a clerk speaks and the smell hits us in the face? And what about those people with no sense of style who look ridiculous or those who have tattoos or piercing? Has anyone ever lost their appetite when someone with a tongue piercing, snake tattoo or greasy hair served their dinner in restaurant? What about those who practically douse themselves with awful smelling perfume? My pet peeve was loud and obnoxious co-workers who never shut up, but that is life. Stress is bad for your health and liberals in Washington stress me out. Can we ban them?

Yup, for every habit or choice, someone somewhere is offended by it. I think the idiots believe that they can remove every objectionable thing from the planet, at least things they deem objectionable. I remember years back, some guy fought in court for his right not to bathe. The liberal lawyers were behind him and one said he didn't believe in bathing and he stuck to his principles. Of course, since he stuck to damn near everything, no one else wanted to be near him.

Some people will continue to be "offended" by just about anything. I know one liberal said she got upset when she saw people smoking in their cars. Some home owners associations banned smoking from the entire neighborhood. There are those who can't tolerate anything going on, whether they see it or not.

What's really offensive is government intruding into our private lives and dictating what we can and can't do. Now we can't make an honest living for doing something perfectly legal, like smoking? It's not like people are asking the giverment to provide their cigarettes free of charge.

 

[chanel]

Personal antecdote here:

My father, a smoker, died two weeks ago at the age of 76 of a massive heart attack. Most likely, the cigarettes contributed to his death (although heart disease runs in his family).

Let's just say that our family took comfort in the fact that he died so quickly. He was not the type of man who wanted to live to 85 in a nursing home with a colostomy bag. That is not what he considered "living".

Is this where we're headed? Do we really want to live to be 100? Is that the government's goal? Smokers die early. Believe it or not, THEY SAVE THE GOVERNMENT MONEY!

I want to go the same way as my dad. Good grief.

 

[Listening]

Man, what's going on in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?


Ever been to a local business and dealt with an employee that smelled like they bathed in cigarette ash? Well lucky for you, cities across the country may start to ban the hiring of smokers.

The city of Fort Worth, Texas could soon become the first major American city to ban the hiring of smokers according to CBSDFW News. As part of Mayor Betsy Price’s goals, she aims to make Forth Worth a healthier city and has encouraged employees to find the best way to cut city costs.

Attendees of a recent Fort Worth city council meeting were briefed on a proposal that would ban the hiring of people who use tobacco.

City Manager Tom Higgins favors the proposal and believes it could help reduce city costs.

“Overall I think there was a strong belief that not only does it provide financial benefits for us and our health insurance, but to work with employees to get in a smoking cessation plan and just not to encourage it by hiring additional people,” he said.

The proposition faces a slippery legal slope.

“What is it going to be next? Is it going to be refusing to hire people who consume alcohol?” said one skeptic.

If the city decides to take action against smokers, it will be at least a month before a vote.


Read more: Dallas Fort Worth | Employment | Tobacco | The Daily Caller

Most hospitals and many companies are refusing to hire smokers also. The new casino that is opening here in Toledo will not hire any smokers. This is not just a government proposition; private companies are also refusing to hire smokers. For the most part, it has more to do with the cost of health insurance then anything else. That, and the fact that smokers tend to miss more days of work due to illness. And yes, I know someone here will tell me how they are a smoker and have never missed a day of work. But the fact is that statistics show that smokers miss more days of work than non-smokers.

Using that same rationale, no one should hire diabetics.

 

[inALIENable]

Done it. I can smoke what I want, when I want. (But not where I want!)

Same here. Screw that weird world out there with all those weird authoritarian "everyone must be more like me" RULES. I never had much respect for man, let alone mans laws.

 

[BDBoop]

Man, what's going on in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?


Ever been to a local business and dealt with an employee that smelled like they bathed in cigarette ash? Well lucky for you, cities across the country may start to ban the hiring of smokers.

The city of Fort Worth, Texas could soon become the first major American city to ban the hiring of smokers according to CBSDFW News. As part of Mayor Betsy Price’s goals, she aims to make Forth Worth a healthier city and has encouraged employees to find the best way to cut city costs.

Attendees of a recent Fort Worth city council meeting were briefed on a proposal that would ban the hiring of people who use tobacco.

City Manager Tom Higgins favors the proposal and believes it could help reduce city costs.

“Overall I think there was a strong belief that not only does it provide financial benefits for us and our health insurance, but to work with employees to get in a smoking cessation plan and just not to encourage it by hiring additional people,” he said.

The proposition faces a slippery legal slope.

“What is it going to be next? Is it going to be refusing to hire people who consume alcohol?” said one skeptic.

If the city decides to take action against smokers, it will be at least a month before a vote.


Read more: Dallas Fort Worth | Employment | Tobacco | The Daily Caller

Makes sense to me. If employers have the right to decide if a woman is taking birth control for the 'right reasons' then yeah - all bets are off.

 

[inALIENable]

Makes sense to me. If employers have the right to decide if a woman is taking birth control for the 'right reasons' then yeah - all bets are off.

When women are in heat, they should stay home, they smell as bad a rotten hamburger.

 

[Gadawg73]

I would never hire a smoker. Smokers hate themselves and have low self esteem.
I would hire an obese person that was in a weight loss program to lose the weight and was working on their diet and were exercising.
Americans by and large these days are lazy and stupid and the fastest growing area of that are white males.
They want to be able to smoke, get fat and do as they please and demand that their employer fund their health insurance while they do it.
I practice a wellness approach where my insurance carrier requires me and my company to comply with the no smoking, no obesity and rewards my premiums for it and also provides and encourages testing yearly for disease.
Seeing government do this is outstanding. Saves billions and forces the fat, lazy and stupid American to shape up.
Don't like it mama's boy crybabies? DO NOT APPLY AND FIND ANOTHER JOB.

 

[Gadawg73]

Where does it end? We're not going to hire anyone who eats at a fast food place more that twice a month? If your body fat count is too high? IMHO, I can undersatnd banning smoking while at work but not on ones personal time.

Smoking adds $1000 PER AMERICAN in additional health care costs in the United States a year.

If I as a taxpayer do not want to hire someone that hates themselves by smoking and want to lower my insurance premiums I should have that right.

News flash for the uninformed: HEALTH INSURANCE CARRIERS are pushing this and offering HUGE discounts to state and local municipalities if they ONLY HIRE NON SMOKERS.

How is this hard for folks to understand when we are running up massive debt?
Workers that smoke COST A SHIT LOAD MORE TO INSURE.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Nanny State: Fort Worth To Ban The Hiring Of Smokers?...

Man, what's going on in our Country? Why such a rush to ban everything? Don't we have enough restrictive & oppressive Laws already?

How does this in any way manifest a ‘nanny state’? In general such laws are perfectly appropriate and reasonable. The law is applied to everyone equally, so there are no 14th Amendment violations. The City has a compelling reason to enact the law, to save money on health insurance. And the City can present evidence in support of the law, that smoking is harmful has been proven time and again in court.

Local jurisdictions have the right to enact ordinances they believe are necessary provided such measures are Constitutional, which this proposal is.

This thread, along with your equally moronic ‘feeding the homeless’ thread, demonstrates you and others like you aren’t ‘libertarians,’ you’re anarchists – you’re not calling for ‘less' government, you’re calling for no government.

Where does it end? We're not going to hire anyone who eats at a fast food place more that twice a month? If your body fat count is too high? IMHO, I can undersatnd banning smoking while at work but not on ones personal time.

Smoking is not being banned, not smoking is merely a condition of hire. One may smoke all he wants, just don’t expect to work for the City.

 

[Gadawg73]

Where does it end? We're not going to hire anyone who eats at a fast food place more that twice a month? If your body fat count is too high? IMHO, I can undersatnd banning smoking while at work but not on ones personal time.

Yeah, Corporations and Government are encroaching more & more into Citizens' private personal lives. It's a very disturbing trend. It should be of great concern to all Americans. It doesn't matter which Polical Party you cheerlead for.

If I am paying for your health care costs and health insurance I will demand you not cost me 50% more in health care costs because you smoke.

Are you a communist? Called the free market. I as the business owner and the taxpayer tell the workers what they can and can not do if I AM PAYING THE TAB.
And I am the one paying the health care tab.

Nothing to do about "government". 100% to do with insurance companies OFFERING SAVINGS TO TAXPAYERS.

WELL DUH!

 

[inALIENable]

Americans by and large these days are lazy and stupid and the fastest growing area of that are white males. They want to be able to smoke, get fat and do as they please and demand that their employer fund their health insurance while they do it.

LOL, ain't that the truth. Of course, I fully support everyones right to do to themselves as they please, and that freedom should bear personal consequences that shouldn't become the burden of others. Smoke em' if you want, but be prepared to die if you give yourself cancer and don't whine if nobody cares.

I choose freedom and personal consequences as my way of life.

 

[Gadawg73]

Americans by and large these days are lazy and stupid and the fastest growing area of that are white males. They want to be able to smoke, get fat and do as they please and demand that their employer fund their health insurance while they do it.

LOL, ain't that the truth. Of course, I fully support everyones right to do to themselves as they please, and that freedom should bear personal consequences that shouldn't become the burden of others. Smoke em' if you want, but be prepared to die if you give yourself cancer and don't whine if nobody cares.

I choose freedom and personal consequences as my way of life.

If the city is looking at reducing their health insurance premiums by as much as they can and the insurance carrier requires that NO smokers be employed by that city in their quote and the city goes with that then guess what the policy is on hiring?
NO SMOKERS.
Smart choice. Every company in America needs to go with that.
Smoke? Fine with me but I am not hiring you because my insurance policy says NO SMOKERS allowed on my policy.
As free market as it gets.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Where does it end? We're not going to hire anyone who eats at a fast food place more that twice a month? If your body fat count is too high? IMHO, I can undersatnd banning smoking while at work but not on ones personal time.

It's the cost factor. Smokers are not healthy, they take more time off sick, are overwhelmed by labor, take 5-minute breaks every 20-minutes and create a fire hazard in the place of employment. They also die early.

I'm 64, at age 50 friends I went to HS with who smoked began to die. If you smoke, quit. If you believe tobacco companies are any different than criminal gangs you're a fool. Cigarettes are deadly, and purveyors of cigarettes are immoral, dastardly creeps.