Quote Originally Posted by cigar no baka View Post
My problem with your stance is that this should not be government enforced issue. Liberty requires that our government do what it must and no more than that. In this case, they are using the heavy hand of government to get involved where they should not.

I don't know about where you live, but the majority of restaurants where I live have no smoking policies in spite of there being not law against smoking in restaurants. Private businesses should be able to make these choices for themselves, and they are doing so. Just wait until the government pushes its heavy hand into your affairs, demonizes you, and ostracizes you, and your stance my indeed change.

This country used to be about liberty and individual freedoms. Now we give away our liberty for safety and "the common" good. That's a slippery slope, from the evidence history has to present.
I do agree with what you are saying. Many things are being taken away from us in this country due to our government sticking its hands in where they are not needed. Government laws are being passed without giving us, the people, the opportunity to say what we believe to be right and rather the government is telling us what is right. Not how things should be at all. We've definately grown away from what this country set out to do and give people their individual liberties.

However, this is where the smoking ban laws become seperate from providing individual choice. It may seem hypocritical to talk about this on a smokers forum but we as the educated individuals I believe all of you to be realize that smoking does no good for our health. Regardless, we have made the individual choice to engage in this practice because it is something we enjoy and have made apart of our social lives. This is one of those individual freedoms that we have been granted and have chosen to pursue. We also all know that our smoking affects those around us through secondhand smoke. Studies have proven that this is just as unhealthy as physically smoking a tobacco product yourself. So then those who individually do not choose to partake in the act of smoking are effected. I can relate to those people. I personally cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke, which are obviously the most common form of tobacco product smoked in public areas. So I took my freedom, and right to vote, that while I was enjoying a meal I would not have to be subject to that kind of atmosphere.

Now I think that certain establishments (such as bars or clubs) should allow smoking. My reasoning behind that is that this is the kind of atmosphere that is created just by labeling a place as a "bar." It's something that would be expected. And those who wish to be excluded from smoking can easily do so by simply not going to those places.

So after writing a ton of words (sorry for being so lengthy) I believe that as long as these types of issues are voted on by the people that they are directly effecting then it is tolerable. Not to say that everyone is going to agree (this will never happen, and it never has, even since the insemination of our country) but people can learn to deal with it. This is what our country is based off of, being able to allow the people to create how they believe things should be run.