Many of us have known for a long time that the anti-tobacco zealots were a modern version of the anti-pleasure police who have crusaded throughout history against what they believe are the "sins of the flesh", i.e. pleasure.

Though they haven't tackled sex in recent years, they have certainly gone after other pleasures: smoking, drinking and the enjoyment of good food.

Their researchers have discovered that smoking and drinking tend to go together (and how many zillions of dollars did they get to come up with THAT brilliant insight?). So now, in an effort to combat smoking, Sandra L. Decker and Amy Ellen Schwartz of NYU have cranked out a "study" which shows that higher cigarette prices seem to cause more beer drinking (enough to drive a person to drink?).

Sandra and Amy conclude, therefore, that it only makes sense to raise alcohol taxes in addition to cigarette taxes. Natch. [Source:
"Less Smoking, More Drinking," Gene Koretz, Economic Trends, Business Week, 3/12/00]

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been going after alcohol simultaneously with its anti-tobacco campaign, though with fewer millions and less publicity. And one wonders if the smoking bans inflicted on bars aren't also measures secretly intended to reduce the number of bars and the number of consumers who gather at bars.

I don't think there can be much doubt that the Health Nazis (aka: the Pleasure Police) won't rest until we are all "saved" from all the "sins of the flesh" to which we are so prone. If they succeed, we may not live longer (though longer life is what the neo-puritans promise us as a reward for a life of self-denial), but it sure will SEEM longer.