Butt Out! says Sarasota County to smokers looking for work

tampabays10.com ^ | 05/20/08 | Mario Diaz

[Wolfie]

People have tried the same thing with poppy seed-bagels, rock concert “atmosphere”, etc. It doesn’t fly.

[Kozak]

Easy. Check for cotinine in the urine. Can be added to a routine employment drug screen. Sorry folks this horse left the barn a long time ago. Next step, Body Mass Index as a disqualifier.

[sport]

You are right there. I was at a retirement party for a teacher yesterday. We[my wife abd I] were sitting with two other teachers. One was overweigh. When the overweigh teacher left the other teacher said that she was a good teacher abd the kids adored her but the system was trying to run her off simply because she was overweigh.

[glide625]

Fine as long as they discriminate against those who routinely over eat and show it!

[ishabibble]

My comment was a generalization. Being told to do anything by a gov’t entity is the antithesis of the American way.
The smokers of Sarasota are today's lepers. If you read Barry's words carefully, you will see that he wants to take this BS a whole lot further.

What you eat, what you drive, what you do in your home...Barry doesn't want you to offend the world. It irks me that people will stay mired in the MDS (yeah, it's a real phenom, especially here) and steadfastly refuse to see the inherent danger of an Obama POTUS. Barry and Michelle are planning to change America, alright. They are going to change us into Moscow 1955.

[Caramelgal]

So what’s next?

Should my employer have the right to know and monitor what I eat 24-7? Can I get fired for what I’m eating if I like a greasy cheese burger now and then or like to indulge in some Ben and Jerry’s’ after a hard day? Should I have to step on a scale before starting work every morning so my employer can determine if my BMI is too high? What about my blood pressure? Should I have to submit to a BP screening every morning before I start work? What if I’m a vegan and I’m not getting enough protein and that makes me tired by the end of the day and less alert than the meat eaters? What about how often I go to the gym? How often do I drink adult beverages? How much sleep do I get every night? Do I participate in any otherwise health sports on my free time like skiing or golf that might result in serious injury? What about my sex life? Does my employer have the right to interview my husband or boyfriend and grill him on his past sexual history or mine and if we practice “safe sex”? And what if I am a member of a church that my employer considers non-mainstream? Could my employer consider this some sort of mental derangement? What if my employer is personally religious and I don’t go to any church? Should my employer have the right to fire me because I don’t practice any religious faith?

IMHO - As long as I’m able to perform my job up to my employer’s performance standards, I show up to work on time every day and I am able to perform my job and I’m not doing anything illegal like taking illegal drugs that impairs my judgment while on the job (and smoking cigarettes is not illegal – not yet), I don’t think it’s anybody’s business what I do on my free time.

[wally_bert]

I am waiting to be told what kind of private vehicle I can drive to work. There is an actual "environmental manager" for the entire facility and I could see this person as some sort of little dictator. It would be just crazy enough to come true. I wouldn't last too long.

[ProfoundMan]

What about my sex life? Does my employer have the right to interview my husband or boyfriend and grill him on his past sexual history or mine and if we practice “safe sex”?

Oh no, this part you'll never have to worry about. As we see everyday, there is no more important human activity than sex in any form.

Now as for the rest of that stuff...

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

And another government moves closer to fascism.

[Wolfie]

Feh. We’re Americans. We regularly pee on command for a job. None of this is suprising.

[libertarian27]

Discriminating Ping

[Gorzaloon]

People have tried the same thing with poppy seed-bagels, rock concert “atmosphere”, etc. It doesn’t fly.

Right. There can never be a legal defense for the presence of an illegal drug.

However, nicotine is a legal commodity. I know smokers who quit who used Nicotine Replacement Therapy for a couple of years, before they could get off them. Yet, they did not smoke.

Such a person would be complying with the No Smoking Policy, and would be breaking no laws.

This is so different from the "Meatball Defense" recently used, where someone said meatballs were cooked with pot. Pot happens to be illegal, the drug was found, end of story.

[WVKayaker]

Right. There can never be a legal defense for the presence of an illegal drug.

However, nicotine is a legal commodity. I know smokers who quit who used Nicotine Replacement Therapy for a couple of years, before they could get off them. Yet, they did not smoke.

So, Gorzo, you believe in the soundness of our government's agendas? Do you think they have OUR best interests in mind?

Or, is it maybe a conspiracy between the pharma industry, and the g'umt? Nah, that's a ridiculous thought! Government is ALWAYS looking out for the people!

[Gabz]

Nanny State Ping.

This is not the Sarasota County of my fondest memories. Back in the 70s and 80s when I spent much time in Sarasota a large percentage of my friends worked for the County and all but one of them were smokers. At this point all have more than the needed 20 years service for rretirement.

I trust that Sarasota County will be giving up all tax revenues from the sales of tobacco in the county considering they are refusing to hire the very peopl that pay those taxes it only makes sense...........oh wait, this is a government entity and is not required to make sense.

[calex59]

The move is legal but it's not being accepted well by the smokers in Sarasota County that Tampa Bay's 10 spoke to

I beg to differ, this is not legal, IMO. I am pretty sure it violates at least one amendment of the constitution, and maybe others. It is discrimination of the highest order and if they get away with it leaves the door open of forcing you to give up drinking, driving your car, eating hamburgers or anything they think is PC at the time.

People stand by and let things like this happen because, "Oh, well they are smokers", and the gov can do anything it wants, violate any rights as long as it is against smokers and involves the "war on drugs" and is "for the children".

Soon it will be others turns and then listen to the screams. Stand up to this crap now or pay a heavy price later.

[Gorzaloon]

So, Gorzo, you believe in the soundness of our government's agendas? Do you think they have OUR best interests in mind?

Haha, of course not..after all I have been on here for years.

But some things are as they are. Maybe we can change them, maybe we can disrupt them, maybe we can ignore them.

Or do what I did and just walk away from the whole Corporate Thing.

Stuff PC.

Stuff ISO9001

Stuff Workplace Sensitivity

I Shrugged.

[Gabz]

I beg to differ, this is not legal, IMO. I am pretty sure it violates at least one amendment of the constitution, and maybe others.

Apparently not. Other counties and government agencies have done this in Florida in the past, with much fanfare of the announcement. However most of the policies have been quietly done away with when said government entities found themselves having a difficult time filling employment needs after eliminating 20-25% of the potential employment pool.

[Wolfie]

That’s the beauty of it. Urine testing programs have nothing to do with legality. These programs were carefully crafted to specificially ignore legality, lest 4th Amendment protections be invoked. Instead, they were couched in terms of worker health and workplace safety. Tried, tested, and court-approved as such, with decades of legal precedent in place. Enjoy the party.

[CSM]

I hope that they also forego any revenues related to tobacco.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Same here in Marion County:

Effective January 1, 2008: It shall be the policy of Marion County Board of County Commissioners that all applicants for employment must sign an Affidavit for Non-Use of Tobacco Products in order for their application to be considered. The non-use must have been for a period of at least one (1) year immediately preceding application for employment; and must be maintained for the duration of employment with Marion County, if hired. The Affidavit must be submitted at the time of application.