From the Liberal Bastion of Massachusetts

[Paslode]

The comments on this story are great and bring up some good points. Should private businesses be allowed to decide whom they hire or don't hire or whether they allow or don't allow smoking on their premises? Are smokers being discriminated?

What's next sugar, salt and caffeine levels?

Smokers Need Not Apply
By Christina Hager, WBZ-TV

December 21, 2010 11:24 PM
NEWBURYPORT (CBS) — If you smoke, don’t bother applying for a job at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.

The hospital is requiring job applicants to take nicotine tests. If they test positive, they’ll be rejected. If they quit smoking, they can try again six months later.

“How far do we want our private employers to intrude in our private lives?” asks employee rights attorney Philip Gordon. “What happens if, during that blood test, they find out something else about me?”

Hospital spokesperson Deb Chiaravalloti says, “We believe as a health care organization we need to make sure we have a healthy environment for our employees and our patients. Smokers are not a protected class.”

Last year, the hospital prohibited employees from smoking in the designated fenced-off area outside the building.

Next year, the hospital plans to ban smoking on the campus all together, even for patients and visitors.

While Anna Jaques is the first hospital in Massachusetts to require nicotine testing, it is not the first employer. Last month, the Massachusetts Hospital Association announced it is no longer hiring smokers.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2010/12/2...ed-not-apply/#

[Dusty]

Ironic, isn't it?

The government forbids the smoking of cigarrettes while simultaneously condoning the mouthing of penises.

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Ironic, isn't it?

The government forbids the smoking of cigarrettes while simultaneously condoning the mouthing of penises.

Now if they could just "tax" it like they do cigarettes we could solve the national debt problem......

[Buffalobob]

The comments on this story are great and bring up some good points. Should private businesses be allowed to decide whom they hire or don't hire or whether they allow or don't allow smoking on their premises? Are smokers being discriminated?

What's next sugar, salt and caffeine levels?]

Imagine that. A health institution rejecting people with unhealthy habits. Reminds me of the military rejecting fat and dumb people. You ever wonder how people get fat and develop Type II diabetes. Take a walk around any elementary school and see what the trash composition is on the sidewalk and gutter. Go look at what is in the vending machines at your local school. Sugar and salt and sugar plus addictive caffeine so the kids get addicted early in life. The last numbers I saw obesity levels were greater than 30 %. Of course the food industry wishes to have the ubiquitous corn syrup labeled as sugar so people can't avoid it being as there is now resistance building about it being added to all kinds of food.

Wonder what the military will do next perhaps require people to be proficient with a firearm?

[kgoerz]

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Imagine that. A health institution rejecting people with unhealthy habits. Reminds me of the military rejecting fat and dumb people. You ever wonder how people get fat and develop Type II diabetes. Take a walk around any elementary school and see what the trash composition is on the sidewalk and gutter. Go look at what is in the vending machines at your local school. Sugar and salt and sugar plus addictive caffeine so the kids get addicted early in life. The last numbers I saw obesity levels were greater than 30 %. Of course the food industry wishes to have the ubiquitous corn syrup labeled as sugar so people can't avoid it being as there is now resistance building about it being added to all kinds of food.

Wonder what the military will do next perhaps require people to be proficient with a firearm?

I was raised on food from scratch. I am doing the same for my kid. First time I ever tried fast food. It tasted like Glue. I couldn't eat it.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by NORMAL550GIRL

If I read the article correctly, it's a private hospital, not government owned.

Good point.

[blacksmoke]

Maybe hire qualified aplicants but deny smokers health and dental.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by NORMAL550GIRL

If I read the article correctly, it's a private hospital, not government owned.

Yes it is a private business, and there won't and shouldn't be any flak over it. However in my area and many others for instance smoking is banned by state law in public facilities whether or not they are publicly or privately owned.

Employers aren't allowed to prejudice hiring/firing someone based on race, religion, BMI, caloric intake, the clothes you wear, the color of your eyes, the number of days your exercise, the number of kids you have, if your pregnant, the size of your butt-tocks, etc.

Try firing Nurse Bertha because her ass is 10 times the size of a normal womens ass and obstructs the walkway....Try telling Big Bertha she can't come into your privately own establishment because her ass is too big.....Tell her she can't eat at the buffet because she will eat more than a normal person.

Based on current legal practices and interpretation....the smokers are no less victims and are being discriminated against. They are being ostracized, demonized and contemplating how soon it will be before they will loaded into John Holdrens cattle cars to rid society of their burden.


I think you should be able to hire/fire who you want, when you want and for whatever reason you want.....but that isn't PC.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

This I am actually very curious about, is corn syrup really different from sugar in a way that makes it much more harmful to the body, or technically the same? I have seen some commercials where they say corn syrup is chemically the same as regular sugar, I still don't buy this though and when I buy rootbeer, make sure to get the stuff made with real sugar as opposed to corn syrup.

I like Pepsi Throwback when I can find it. It taste less sweet to me and doesn't feel as syrupy.

[mark46th]

Sugar and corn syrup are the same chemically. Both contain glucose and fructose. Caloric values are the same. Whether one or the other is worse for the human body is up for debate.

You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to...

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Imagine that. A health institution rejecting people with unhealthy habits. Reminds me of the military rejecting fat and dumb people. You ever wonder how people get fat and develop Type II diabetes. Take a walk around any elementary school and see what the trash composition is on the sidewalk and gutter. Go look at what is in the vending machines at your local school. Sugar and salt and sugar plus addictive caffeine so the kids get addicted early in life. The last numbers I saw obesity levels were greater than 30 %. Of course the food industry wishes to have the ubiquitous corn syrup labeled as sugar so people can't avoid it being as there is now resistance building about it being added to all kinds of food.

Wonder what the military will do next perhaps require people to be proficient with a firearm?

Or go to your local elementary / middle school / high school and count the number of oranges that were placed on the "free breakfast" tray that end up in the trash.

[Buffalobob]

Sugar and corn syrup are the same chemically. Both contain glucose and fructose. Caloric values are the same. Whether one or the other is worse for the human body is up for debate.

I don't know much more than what I said. However, if the corn syrup guys are running for cover trying to hide in the sugar herd then you begin to get agent orange deja vu all over again.

Or go to your local elementary / middle school / high school and count the number of oranges that were placed on the "free breakfast" tray that end up in the trash.

I agree and I think Kgoerz pretty well said what many of us on this forum believe and tried to instill in our children. But that is not a common belief apparently.

However, a strange thing did occur on the project we are working on now which involves inventorying trash in two neighborhoods which both have two schools. There were enough (but not a lot) of orange peels on the sidewalk that we modified our standard form to include "organic litter". Of course there are also chicken bones, apple cores, egg shells, banana peels and half eaten hamburgers that get counted in that category. But it was the orange peels that forced us to modify the form.


Attached is the midterm report. The term "food wrappers" means candy wrappers and chip bags. Such things as hamburger wrappers from MacD etc, are included in another category called "takeout". Thus food wrappers are entirely candy and chips.

Originally Posted by NORMAL550GIRL

If I read the article correctly, it's a private hospital, not government owned.

That won't last long.

[Surgicalcric]

Well just when one thinks academia cant step on their collective dicks any harder.

Schools sends home permission slips for pledge of allegiance.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/...#disqus_thread

[Box]

...maybe these should be added on to DADT as riders


what if you consider smoking an alternative lifestyle?