We have been reduced to fighting for "liberty" on issues like blowing smoke in other people's faces, being intoxicated in public, having unnatural sex with the blessing and support of government, adopting children no matter what your perverse lifestyle, buying and selling virtual child pornography, and on and on. If these are the battles we fight for, all the while more and more of our money is being confiscated and our children's minds are being twisted and corrupted in government schools, we've already proven our unfitness for liberty. Get used to government control and just put on an x-rated movie or something to ease your sorrows.
"Government tends to step in when the people refuse to fix the problem themselves."
Only because the government gets to define the problem in the first place. Enterprising individuals see opportunities to use the market to their advantage.
"It is ridiculous that smokers feel they must smoke on airplanes."
Says you. However, if I offered a smoking only airline you would be free to not chose my service. Therefore, a government restriction is not necessary.
"It shouldn't take government power to make free people be considerate of each other."
If people are not free to be inconsiderate, then people just aren't free. We have no right to be free from offensiveness, we do have a right to chose to avoid offensive situations.
Only the weakest in our society turn to the government to enforce their preferences. These are the members that are to weak to chose to frequent places that cater to them or are to weak to take their own risks and start a business on their own. In our society we are catering to the weakest, therefore weakening all of us.
You seem to think that smokers are the only people who are self-centered and rude which is pretty funny coming from a guy that's practically demanding that everything go his way.