Maximus Rex
Banned
How do you guys feel about smoking bans? Me being a libertarian, I can't support them out of principal, but I am ambivalent towards them. As a cigar smoker I've been discriminated against because because I of the way I use tobacco. For some reason, business owners found it acceptable to tell me I couldn't smoke a cigar among other tobacco users. I planned on suing one day, then came the dreaded smoking ban.
On the one hand I felt it was poetic justice, but on the other hand who is the governement to tell a resturanteur, a club, or bar owner that they can't character to a certain clientale?
I will admit that back in the day things were the pendulum was in the other direction, being able to smoke in hospitals, flights, and stores was a little asburd. I personally wouldn't want to buy clothes that smelled like smoke. But not being able to smoke anywhere is as equally, if not more asburd. After all, tobacco is a LEGAL product. If it was really about saving lives, then states would ban the possession and sale of it. Then that would be an end to billions of dollars in tax revenue for local and state goverments.
The part that really kills me about smoking bans is the hyprocrisy of elected officials. Democracts the same people that fight dilligently for the right for fags to marry or 12 yrs old to get an abortion with parental consent or notification, tell two adults (a business owner and myself) that I can't smoke in his establishment and the owner can't carter to a smoking clientale. What kind of **** is that?
The Republicans are equally as bad. This is suppose to the party of business and less governement interefence, but their increasing the size of government by having to hire health inspectors to make sure people aren't smoking, and their telling guys how to run their operation.
The sad part of this is that it's based on psuedo-science. No one has ever died or contracted a diease from the effects of second-hand smoke. At worse it will only aggrevated a pre-existing medical condition. Just like living near a bus depot will aggrevated asmathics.
Unfortunately these bans slide through state legislators and city councils because smokers, cigar aficionados, pipe connoissuers, and business owners haven't put together a lobby to either kill the asinine legislation or demand a reasonable compromise. So we're partly the blame.
I'm personally offended that just because so-know-it-all decided he hates smokers, that he feels the need to force his own personal views on the choices I make. I'm personally offended by two guys being affectionate in public, but that doesn't mean that I think there should be laws against it.
The ulimate in hyprocrisy will be when some politican figures out he can generate revenue without raising taxes by issuing "smoking licenses." These licenses will probably require that businesses have a venhiliation system in all or the part of the building where smoking is allowed. When that happens, you'll see this smoking bans go faster than crack on the first of the month.
On the one hand I felt it was poetic justice, but on the other hand who is the governement to tell a resturanteur, a club, or bar owner that they can't character to a certain clientale?
I will admit that back in the day things were the pendulum was in the other direction, being able to smoke in hospitals, flights, and stores was a little asburd. I personally wouldn't want to buy clothes that smelled like smoke. But not being able to smoke anywhere is as equally, if not more asburd. After all, tobacco is a LEGAL product. If it was really about saving lives, then states would ban the possession and sale of it. Then that would be an end to billions of dollars in tax revenue for local and state goverments.
The part that really kills me about smoking bans is the hyprocrisy of elected officials. Democracts the same people that fight dilligently for the right for fags to marry or 12 yrs old to get an abortion with parental consent or notification, tell two adults (a business owner and myself) that I can't smoke in his establishment and the owner can't carter to a smoking clientale. What kind of **** is that?
The Republicans are equally as bad. This is suppose to the party of business and less governement interefence, but their increasing the size of government by having to hire health inspectors to make sure people aren't smoking, and their telling guys how to run their operation.
The sad part of this is that it's based on psuedo-science. No one has ever died or contracted a diease from the effects of second-hand smoke. At worse it will only aggrevated a pre-existing medical condition. Just like living near a bus depot will aggrevated asmathics.
Unfortunately these bans slide through state legislators and city councils because smokers, cigar aficionados, pipe connoissuers, and business owners haven't put together a lobby to either kill the asinine legislation or demand a reasonable compromise. So we're partly the blame.
I'm personally offended that just because so-know-it-all decided he hates smokers, that he feels the need to force his own personal views on the choices I make. I'm personally offended by two guys being affectionate in public, but that doesn't mean that I think there should be laws against it.
The ulimate in hyprocrisy will be when some politican figures out he can generate revenue without raising taxes by issuing "smoking licenses." These licenses will probably require that businesses have a venhiliation system in all or the part of the building where smoking is allowed. When that happens, you'll see this smoking bans go faster than crack on the first of the month.
Smoking is bad, and I'm glad it's slowly going away. I'm glad I can go to restaurants without dying, bars, clubs, malls, etc.