Posted on 06/15/2002 3:31:32 PM PDT by SheLion
BANGOR — From a picnic table at Stillwater Park this sunny Friday morning, Angie Vaillancourt watched her 3½-year-old son, Andrew, scamper from swing to slide to monkey bars.
Despite being a former smoker, the Lagrange woman was quick to applaud the City Council for considering a smoking ban around public playgrounds at city parks.
“It’s certainly not teaching kids any good habits,” said Vaillancourt, visiting the park Friday with a friend and her young son. “I think I’d feel funny about sitting here and smoking anyway."
This week, as a private citizen, Rebecca Henry, a cardiac clinical nurse specialist at Eastern Maine Medical Center, proposed the preliminary ordinance to the City Council’s infrastructure committee.
“It’s really about children being able to exercise … in a smoke-free environment,” Henry, a mother of two young girls, said Friday. “I’m not wishing to get into a battle over smokers’ rights, but the children certainly cannot move the playground equipment as easily as a smoker can move a certain distance away.”
The committee is expected to next address the issue at its June 26 meeting.
City Solicitor Norman Heitmann said that to his knowledge, four other communities — Brunswick, Bath, Skowhegan and Ellsworth — have enacted similar restrictions on smoking in open-air public parks.
But the city’s counsel said, based solely on the potential difficulty in catching those who run afoul of the law, the prohibition could prove problematic.
“Obviously there is an enforcement issue,” said Heitmann.
Smoking, under existing statutes, is prohibited in all enclosed public areas and on school grounds.
On the city’s west side, Paul Kelley of Hermon watched his four charges, ages 3 to 7, romp around Hayford Park, one of the city’s 14 parks — 11 of which have playgrounds.
Kelley, a nonsmoker, also cited the difficulty in enforcing the ordinance, although his 19-year-old daughter endorsed the idea with “a big yes.”
“I think the council wouldn’t concern itself with limiting personal liberties … in the open air,” said Kelley from a picnic table on the outskirts of the playground. “If it’s a role model issue, you just need to say you’re going to ban tobacco products in the city altogether.
“I don’t think anybody’s willing to do that,” he said.
City Councilor Nichi Farnham said the council would do well to avoid the public perception — such as Kelley’s — that it is regulation-happy.
Furthermore, Farnham, a mother of three who lives alongside Fairmount Park, said she was unsure if the ordinance was needed with many smokers already keeping their distance.
“My boys don’t stay still for more than two seconds when they’re on the playground, anyway” Farnham said. “I’m not sure how much effect it would have.”
While Farnham might be lukewarm — at least initially — to the idea, the measure does have some council support, including that of City Councilor Joe Baldacci.
“At this point I would support it,” he said.
The proposal also won high praise from officials at the American Lung Association reached this week.
“I think that there’s some advantages … in not allowing smoking in areas primarily for children,” said Edward Miller, executive director of the association in Maine. “We’re trying to reduce the smoking rate and not make smoking look like it’s a normal thing to do.”
Still in the preliminary stages, the ordinance is likely to undergo several incarnations before it makes its way to the full council.
Some said that regardless of the ordinance’s noble intentions, its final language would likely have little effect.
“It sounds good,” City Councilor Dan Tremble said. “But it will probably just mean another sign.”
Email Jeff Tuttle - jtuttle@bangordailynews.net
And how would they "enforce" this? We are competing with Kookifornia now, I see. The nurse must come from Kookifornia.
The truth hurts.
Exactly!
Steve, it sure seems so, doesn't it.
One gal thought that all the states are T'd off at the internet sales, and if they start with tobacco, that will open the door to stop the rest of the sales, to be able to start collecting taxes. The Government has been trying for several years to figure out how to hone in on the Internet.
We all roll our own. For under $8.00 a carton. Can't beat it with a stick, Steve. Why give up something that you enjoy. That's what they want us to do.
I'm a redhead, and a Leo and I'm stubborn! :)
And since we would still be able to buy the tobacco, even under that ruling, that would open the door for those mind-benders.
One source told me that it will take years for this to go through. I just wish the Senators had more important things to worry about like the world turmoil, know what I mean?
“It’s certainly not teaching kids any good habits,” said Vaillancourt, visiting the park Friday with a friend and her young son.
Parasitical politicians and bureaucrats definitely set bad examples for children,,,,,and adults.
What happens in federal government is often mirrored in state governments and to a lessre degree in city governments. For example, politicians and bureaucrats create about 3,000 new laws each year. Every one they proclaim is a must have law or regulation -- that people and society can't live without them. But how is it that people and society have prospered for years and decades prior to each year's new set of 3,000 laws. And, prospered in spite of thousands of previously-created laws.
Citizens and society don't need them. The only people that need 3,000 laws and regulations each year are the politicians and bureaucrats that create them. Created to justify their unearned paychecks. Yet still, each new law or regulation that doesn't protect individual rights or property rights is a drain on citizens and society.
Thinking about it that way, prosperity would dramatically increase if no new unnecessary laws were created and instead more laws were repealed than new laws created.
The numbers are somewhat changed for California's government as well as other state governments. Each state probably creating, by comparison, a mere five hundred new and mostly unnecessary laws and regulations each year.
Parasitical Elite vs. Prosperity Creators
If civilization had to chose between business/science and government/bureaucracy, eliminating the other, which is the better choice?
The first thing civilization must have is business/science. It's what the family needs so that its members can live creative, productive, happy lives. Business/science can survive, even thrive without government/bureaucracy.
Government/bureaucracy cannot survive without business/science. In general, business/science and family is the host and government/bureaucracy is a parasite.
Aside from that, keep valid government services that protect individual rights and property. Military defense, FBI, CIA, police and courts. With the rest of government striped away those few valid services would be several fold more efficient and effective than they are today.
Underwriters Laboratory is a private sector business that has to compete in a capitalist market. Underwriters laboratory is a good example of success where government fails.
Any government agency that is a value to the people and society could better serve the people by being in the private sector where competition demands maximum performance.
Wake up! They are the parasites. We are the host. We don't need them. They need us.
LOL, I am not a readhead, and a libra, but I am as stuborn as you. :-}
They really are the blood suckers, aren't they? I see it more every day. I just hate when I vote for someone and then they turn around and twist the screws on me.
Well, Maine must be trying to keep up with Kookiefornia. Maybe Gov. Davis is a cousin of Gov. King. Who knows.
You got THAT right, Gabz! If the City Council listens to this nurse, I wonder how they will enforce it. The one City Council guy said "It will just mean another sign." LOL
LOL! I'm glad your on OUR side. heh!
What a filthy lie! They're trying to control this aspect of everyone's life, before these control freaks move on to controlling some other aspect.
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.