Oh how I miss Marlborough Lights

I had a letter published in today's Sydney Morning Herald. Here it is in full:

Several correspondents repeat the canard that a smoking ban will save on health spending. The brutal truth is that someone who dies at 50 from a smoking-related illness will cost the taxpayer far less than a non-smoker who dies at 80 from a different condition. Let us argue for a ban on the basis that a longer life is an innate good, not on the erroneous assumption of financial gain.

Tom Goodfellow Cherrybrook

Heh.

Edit: The letter is also appearing in "The Week", a magazine that compiles the best of the week's media. Gratifying