Did you read the other day that the Aussies are going to ban logos on cigarettes? And no longer will packs of cigarettes there carry any colors. (In Aussieland, that is colours. Or are colours. Never mind.) No color except for drab olive-green. And there will be no images on the packs, either. Except for images of ailing children, rotting teeth, cancerous lungs and such. Along with gentle warnings: “Even touch this package and you will die!”

Understandable, since tobacco certainly causes enormous damage. Mind you, you do have to wonder if your favorite vice is the next target. Think Big Mac in olive-green packaging. Complete with photo of 400-pound blob on one side. And a mirror on the other. All Scotch may be labeled, simply, “Booze” someday. All Bud, Genny, Michelob, Heineken, Coors, Corona and Yuengling will come in bottles marked “Beer.” Imprinted with photos of bellies and car crashes.

Gambling absolutely destroys families and individuals. People get hooked on casino betting, poker, lottery tickets, betting on football. To the point of ruination. I know. My father grew addicted to betting on horses. Spent every nickel in the family, plus all he could borrow. One night, he stopped. Two hours later he killed himself.

And yet, states advertise lottery tickets. With your tax money. They welcome casinos. They try to rescue horse tracks. Tracks which need rescuing because they have lost customers to casinos. Curious, isn’t it?