In today’s politically correct world, one group of people is under overwhelming pressure to change their unpopular habits.

I am speaking of the millions of Americans who smoke.

In the past ten years, people who smoke tobacco have become an undesirable minority.

They have become offensive and unwanted. Those who choose to smoke are constantly harangued by friends and strangers telling them not to light up, because they are offended by it.

Being a non-smoker, I believe that those who choose not to smoke should not have to endure breathing the tobacco vapors of another. I really don’t like sitting down in a restaurant and tasting Kools with my hamburger.

There is a fine line to that, though. People need to remember that those who smoke choose to do so. They were not forced to light a cigarette when they were a child.

They started smoking because they wanted to. If they are practicing a legal habit, then they should have the right to do it where it won’t infringe on non-smokers’ rights.

I am not defending smoking, mind you. It is not a healthy habit, and I would not recommend anyone starting. It is proven to increase your risk for cancer, emphysema and other bronchial afflictions.

It should also be noted that smoking does not guarantee an early grave.

For every death caused by smoking, there is a smoker who lived a long and fruitful life (like George Burns). Your chances of dying younger increase considerably if you smoke, but that doesn’t mean you will die tomorrow.

There is also a frightening trend in the courts of this country. Allowing states to sue tobacco companies for health care costs is setting a dangerous precedent. A person who chooses to smoke also chooses to accept the health problems associated with it.

Everywhere you see a carton of cigarettes or cigarette advertisements, you will also see a prominent white label. This label is from the Surgeon General of the United States, and it states proven facts about the health risks associated with smoking.

If you are dying from smoking, then you have no one to blame but yourself. Smoking is an addictive habit, but with today’s pharmaceutical technologies it is easier than ever to quit.

The tobacco companies should not be forced to pay for mistakes made by people who either ignored the warnings or didn’t believe them.

What will be next? Will Anheuser-Busch be forced to pay millions of dollars in settlements because people will drink a twelve-pack of Budweiser before getting behind the wheel?

Will Burger King have to pay for a triple bypass because a patient ate a Whopper once a week for 25 years?

Those situations sound ludicrous, but apply the same logic to the tobacco companies and you can see the parallel.

The tobacco companies should not be portrayed as saints, either. They are continuing to lie to the public about the addictive qualities of nicotine. The public knows better, and most educated people will discount such falsehoods.

The fact remains that these companies have the right to earn a profit if they are capable of earning one. Some believe that these companies should be punished since their products cause death.

In that case, let’s penalize all companies whose products are capable of causing death.

Such companies would include GM, Chrysler, McDonalds, Miller Beer, Kawasaki, Black and Decker and General Electric. Once again, ridiculous parallels have demonstrated the folly of others.

We now turn our attention to California, that bastion of sensibility and good judgment (?!).

Two years ago, a city whose name I can’t recall passed an ordnance prohibiting smoking in public during the daytime and in all buildings (including bars) during business hours.

Luckily, an outraged citizenry voiced their disapproval and the law was retracted. It does demonstrate the lengths some will go in order to avoid being offended, even if their actions offend others.

I can remember ten years ago when this avalanche of extremism began as a tiny snowflake. Non-smokers asked for a non-smoking area at work and restaurants.

They then wanted an area sealed off for non-smokers in restaurants. Next came a call for a smoke-free work area, with smokers relegated to the break room. It then went a step further, with a completely smoke-free workplace; if you wanted a smoke, you had to go outside. I wonder what will be next.

Unfortunately the extremism of political c

Robert Zeis is a senior in finance from Des Moines.