Posted on 04/08/2013 11:41:44 AM PDT by OKRA2012
Repeating propaganda of the nanny staters is frowned upon by conservatives.
More than 70% of the people I know smoke - so using your purely anecdotal logic, 18.9% of U.S. adults strikes me as low.
Five or ten years ago, when first one state and then another was banning smoking in restaurants and work spaces, it seemed like there were two or three threads a week started by aggrieved smokers claiming that their rights were being violated.
Actually, you are incorrect - the vast majority of those claiming rights were being violated were talking about the rights of the business owners. Who are you to tell me, through the force of government, that I am unable to permit a legal activity on my property?
If I were hiring people (as a sole proprietor, I'm not), I certainly wouldn't hire a smoker, even an off-duty-only smoker.
And I wouldn't be hiring sanctimonious prigs who believe they can use the force of government guns to deny me the right to utilize my private property as I choose.
The odds are his or health absences will be more frequent, and that his or her healthcare costs will be more.
Anti smoker nanny state loving propaganda.
Plus, of course, they stink.
Your personal opinion is not fact.
As opposed to state and local laws banning smoking in certain areas,the refusal of companies to hire smokers is a free-market decision.
That I can agree with.
How about one where a business can operate without the government dictating what legal activities they can permit on/in their premises?
Are you in a prison? Because the only population I can think of that consists of a majority of smokers are inmates. You might want to cultivate new acquaintances.
When I see a smoker, my immediate conclusion is that he or she is a) stupid; b) ignorant; c) addicted; d) anti-social; e) in bad health or headed that way; or f) several or all of these.
Your point about governments (state or local) banning smoking is well-taken. I agree, even though, as I said, I have enjoyed the results. But the subject here, at least as posed in the original post, concerns the right of employers to hire whoever they wish -- including deciding not to hire smokers, or for that matter, to hire only smokers, if that's what they want. Any business should have the right to judge the likely plusses and minuses of hiring anyone.
Smokers (as a rapidly shrinking percentage of the population) have lost the battle. It's over. Done. The "right" of a smoker to spew his/her smoke anywhere, anytime, has ended.
Conservatives, smokers or not, should not choose this hill upon which to fight to the death. The right of businesses to not hire smokers (due to health concerns, productivity, stickiness, whatever) trumps the "right" to smoke.
How dare you?
You might want to cultivate new acquaintances.
You might want to get a better attitude. What's with the personal insults? That's the mantra of the left.
When I see a smoker, my immediate conclusion is that he or she is a) stupid; b) ignorant; c) addicted; d) anti-social; e) in bad health or headed that way; or f) several or all of these.
See above.
Any business should have the right to judge the likely plusses and minuses of hiring anyone.
Reread what I said - I agree with that premise.
As to the rest of your anti-smoker tirade - typical nanny statist brainwashing "logic."
OK... enough of the BS hyperbole. I asked in an earlier comment whether employers should be forced to hire smokers if they chose not to, and who would be the enforcing authority.
Then what's the argument against an employer hiring whom he/she chooses?
None at all. My beef is the pitchfork and torches attitude taken by people against a smaller, vilified group just because it makes them feel good to be on the side giving the orders.
And no crying when your employer starts dictating how you and you family conduct your personal lives away from work. You can just go take your chances in a crappy job market or knuckle under and do as you’re told.
Personally I prefer that the market punish companies that do things like by people refusing to do business with them. Even though that doesn’t always work since the core of 21st century america culture is dictating how people are supposed to live.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.