West Newsmagazine 2-20-19

6 I OPINION I
February 20, 2019
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
What’s Kasasa ® ?
It’s like you
get paid to shop
4.00% CASH BACK
On everyday debit card
purchases*
And it’s easy to earn
cash back...
EDITORIAL
Joe Camel in sheep’s clothing
Our cover story this week is on
“vaping,” which is a marginally cooler
phrase that really means “using an electronic
cigarette.” [You really should read
the full cover story – the statistics and
student accounts are mind-blowing.]
This editorial simply seeks to reinforce
that readers need to look beyond the marketing,
look beyond the technology, look
beyond the hype: the singular purpose
of vaping devices is to get our children
addicted to nicotine. That’s it. It’s that
simple.
Electronic cigarettes are Joe Camel
with a smartphone and an Instagram
account.
The leader in the manufacture and sale
of these vaping devices is called Juul. Its
market power is significant enough that
their brand name has become a de facto
description of the product usage: Juuling.
Juuling is to e-cigarette usage what
Googling is to internet search.
The Juul Labs corporate website says
all the right things. They say that the
product is intended to be used only by
people who already smoke, and that
it could be harmful if used by people
who do not smoke. The company was
founded, according to the website, by
“former smokers, James and Adam,
with the goal of improving the lives of
the world’s one billion adult smokers by
eliminating cigarettes.”
That all sounds good, and it is possible
that an electronic cigarette is a better
alternative than a traditional “combustible
cigarette.” But Juul is a business,
and existing solely to service a rapidly
declining user base of traditional smokers
is a terrible business model.
After all, Juul Labs has to answer to
its investors just like any company. And
Juul has a significant new investor. In
late 2018, Juul sold a 35-percent stake
in its business to a company you have
probably never heard of, Altria, for $12.8
billion.
Who is Altria? Altria is an umbrella
corporation, a conglomerate. You might
be more familiar with its primary subsidiary,
Philip Morris, or with its most
lucrative product, Marlboro. Does it still
seem reasonable that the goal of Juul
Labs is to put an end to traditional cigarette
smoking?
For decades, we have known that
the best way to get an adult to smoke
cigarettes is to start them off as a child.
We have known that all tobacco products
were really just nicotine delivery
devices. We have known that distinctions
like “light” and “ultra-light” and “all natural”
on the front of cigarette packages
were health industry terms applied to an
inherently unhealthy product.
So our society did nearly everything
it could to wage war against smoking,
and it worked! Cigarette use, particularly
among young people, cratered. Thanks
to companies like Juul, however, it is
coming back.
It might look like a USB drive and have
blinking lights and fruity flavors, but a
vaping device is still a nicotine delivery
device. Fifty years ago, tobacco companies
added filters to the end of cigarettes.
Today, they added a battery. The intent is
the same.
If you smoke, do everything you can
to stop. If that includes using an electronic
cigarette then so be it. But let’s not
get fooled again. Joe Camel may have
earbuds and wear a hoodie now, but he
is still just trying to trick our kids into
becoming nicotine addicts.
To earn your rewards, enrollments must
be in place and all of the following
transactions and activities must post
®
and settle to your Kasasa Cash Back
account during each monthly
qualification cycle:
• At least 1 direct deposit or ACH credit
transaction(s)
• At least 14 debit card purchases
electrosavings.com
Qualification Information:
Account transactions and and activities may may take take one one or or more more days days to to post post and and settle settle to to the the account account and and all must all must do so do during so during the Monthly the Monthly Qualification Qualification Cycle in Cycle order in to order qualify to qualify for the for the
account’s rewards. “Monthly Qualification Cycle” Cycle” means means the the current current statement cycle. cycle. Reward Reward Information: Information: When When Kasasa Kasasa Cash Cash Back Back qualifications qualifications are met are during met during a Monthly a Monthly
Qualification Cycle, Cycle, you you will will receive receive 4 4 percent percent cash cash back back on on up up to a to total a total of of $200 debit debit card card purchases purchases that that post post and and settle settle to to the the account account during during that that cycle cycle period. period. A A maximum of $8 cash
back
back payments may be earned per Monthly Qualification Cycle. When your Kasasa Cash Back account qualifications are not met, no cash back payments are made. Cash back
payments
payments
will be
may
credited
be earned
to the
per
appropriate
Monthly Qualification
account on
Cycle.
the
When
first processing
your Kasasa
day
Cash
of
Back
the following
account qualifications
statement cycle.
are not
Rates,
met,
rewards,
no cash
and
back
bonuses,
payments
if any,
are made.
are variable
Cash back
and may change
payments after account will be is opened credited without to the appropriate notice to you. account No minimum on the first balance processing is required day to of earn the following or receive statement the account’s cycle. rewards. Rates, rewards, Rewards and less bonuses, than a penny if any, cannot are variable be distributed. and may change
after Additional account Information: is opened without notice to you. No minimum balance is required to earn or receive the account’s rewards. Rewards less than a penny cannot be distributed.
Additional Membership Information: restrictions may apply. Account approval, conditions, qualifications, limits, timeframes, enrollments, log-ons and other requirements apply. No minimum deposit is required
Membership to open the restrictions account. There may are apply. no recurring Account approval, monthly conditions, maintenance qualifications, charges or limits, fees to timeframes, open or close enrollments, this account. log-ons Contact and other one of requirements our credit apply. union No service minimum representatives deposit is required for
to additional open the information, account. There details, are no restrictions, recurring monthly reward maintenance calculations, charges processing or fees limitations, to open or cycle close dates this account. and enrollment Contact one instructions. of our credit Federally union insured service by representatives NCUA for
additional information, details, restrictions, reward calculations, processing limitations, cycle dates and enrollment instructions. Federally insured by NCUA
IN QUOTES
“Yes, law enforcement
needs to change
and community
policing obviously is
the way to go ...”
– Ballwin Police Chief Kevin Scott,
on the type of policing needed
in St. Louis City and County
“I think this is a political
fight worth having.”
– Sen. Lindsey Graham [R- S.C.],
on President Trump declaring
a National Emergency to
secure border wall funding
FOLLOW US ON
Kasasa and Kasasa Cash Back are trademarks of Kasasa, Ltd., registered in the U.S.A.