I work around a lot of teens- and they aren't as dumb as legislators think they are. We are going to start having them write their stories and send them in. If you think its as genius as I do- have your kids, teenagers, nieces/nephews, etc write letters to these legislators as well! Here is a draft I helped edit that was just sent in from my neighbors son in Ga....
(he has heard me talk(rant) a lot about this, I didn't know he picked up so much!) *edit* I realize that many people don't want to take the "it help me quit smoking" route, I understand this, but I wasn't about to tell the kid that. I tried not to edit it too much.
TWIMC:
My name is ****. I am fifteen years old and in ninth grade. I don't write a lot of letters but schools always teach about how our country works and they tell us to write letters to people when we have something important to say. I have good news and bad news.
My mom and dad have smoked my whole life. All my childhood I begged them to quit and have watched them try. I watch my mom cry because she tried the nicotine gum and then cheated with a real cigarette and she felt bad about herself. I watched my dad sneak off behind the shed to smoke when he didn't think I could see him.
I tried to lay off the complaints as I got older. I started to understand that they try hard to quit and tried all the ways to do it, but just cant stop smoking for some reason. I think smoking is gross and it scares me that so many people I know smoke even though they know it might kill them.
But- this is the good news. Now my mom and dad don't smoke anymore. But-here is the bad news. I just heard that you want to ban the thing they used to finally stop smoking and it makes me very worried. The electric cigarette is the first thing that has worked for my mom and dad. Why do doctors and congressmen and senators and the FDA want to take away this great thing from adults? My mom says she does not understand it either, so I don't understand this and maybe because I am young you think I should not understand it. But I do know that my mom and dad might be around to see their grandkids because they don't smoke anymore. I do understand that they used the electrical cigarette to stop being addicted to nicotine and now they don't need nicotine anymore. I have asthma and when they used the electrical cigarette it did not bother me to breath. My parents didn't stink anymore when they used it. I was very happy they found it.
My dad says that you are worried about teenagers using the electric cigarette so you want to ban it. I am a teenager and I think that is a silly thing to be worried about. I don't think this would be true problem for teenagers. I can go get a pack of cigarettes if I want to smoke. I can steal them like my friends do, but I cant pay a lot of money for a expensive electrical cigarette. I don't want to smoke and I don't want to use the electrical cigarette either. It makes teenagers feel very angry when you say we are so stupid that we will use this. Maybe some teenagers will use it. But some teenagers already smoke and drink when the law says they cant.
I think banning the electrical cigarette makes me feel like I dont like my country. If this is banned, what happens to my mom and dad if they get stressed out and they feel like they have to smoke again? They will have to smoke deadly cancer causing cigarettes.
You may not think I understand much but I understand that a ban makes no sense and wish you would reconsider what you think.
Thank you for your time,
****
(he has heard me talk(rant) a lot about this, I didn't know he picked up so much!) *edit* I realize that many people don't want to take the "it help me quit smoking" route, I understand this, but I wasn't about to tell the kid that. I tried not to edit it too much.
TWIMC:
My name is ****. I am fifteen years old and in ninth grade. I don't write a lot of letters but schools always teach about how our country works and they tell us to write letters to people when we have something important to say. I have good news and bad news.
My mom and dad have smoked my whole life. All my childhood I begged them to quit and have watched them try. I watch my mom cry because she tried the nicotine gum and then cheated with a real cigarette and she felt bad about herself. I watched my dad sneak off behind the shed to smoke when he didn't think I could see him.
I tried to lay off the complaints as I got older. I started to understand that they try hard to quit and tried all the ways to do it, but just cant stop smoking for some reason. I think smoking is gross and it scares me that so many people I know smoke even though they know it might kill them.
But- this is the good news. Now my mom and dad don't smoke anymore. But-here is the bad news. I just heard that you want to ban the thing they used to finally stop smoking and it makes me very worried. The electric cigarette is the first thing that has worked for my mom and dad. Why do doctors and congressmen and senators and the FDA want to take away this great thing from adults? My mom says she does not understand it either, so I don't understand this and maybe because I am young you think I should not understand it. But I do know that my mom and dad might be around to see their grandkids because they don't smoke anymore. I do understand that they used the electrical cigarette to stop being addicted to nicotine and now they don't need nicotine anymore. I have asthma and when they used the electrical cigarette it did not bother me to breath. My parents didn't stink anymore when they used it. I was very happy they found it.
My dad says that you are worried about teenagers using the electric cigarette so you want to ban it. I am a teenager and I think that is a silly thing to be worried about. I don't think this would be true problem for teenagers. I can go get a pack of cigarettes if I want to smoke. I can steal them like my friends do, but I cant pay a lot of money for a expensive electrical cigarette. I don't want to smoke and I don't want to use the electrical cigarette either. It makes teenagers feel very angry when you say we are so stupid that we will use this. Maybe some teenagers will use it. But some teenagers already smoke and drink when the law says they cant.
I think banning the electrical cigarette makes me feel like I dont like my country. If this is banned, what happens to my mom and dad if they get stressed out and they feel like they have to smoke again? They will have to smoke deadly cancer causing cigarettes.
You may not think I understand much but I understand that a ban makes no sense and wish you would reconsider what you think.
Thank you for your time,
****
