You said it, my FRiend! Edgewood, NM has a smoking ban, for cryin' out loud! And the only place left to smoke before the ban was at the Dairy Queen!
All this hysteria is, indeed, fueled by money--the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the New Mexico Citizens Concerned About Tobacco, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum.
RWJF is footing the majority of the bills for all these supposed "grassroots" groups, and giving money to states to assist these groups.
I don't care what the issue - if RWJF is in anyway involved, no matter how "good" it sounds..........it always involves further restrictions on rights, increased government, and more nanny-state crapola.
Just think about what they've got their fingers in besides smoking bans........fast food attacks, gun control, tougher DUI laws.......they are insidious...........but it is all about money (and of course control) wiht them.
I haven't figured out the gun-control aspect yet.....but the others are easy to figure out.
RWJF receives the vast majority of their funding from its stock portfolio of Johnson & Johnson.....fight smoking, J&J sells more nicotrol....fight alcohol, J&J sells more anti-abuse drug........fight junk food, J&J sells more sugar substitute (Splenda). The more they get people buying the J&J products the more money RWJF has to spread around to pay people who actually enjoy telling others how to live their lives..........
As you can probably guess........I've got a MAJOR problem with RWJF..even moreso than my major problem with Philip Morris. so my apologies for my long-winded rant.