I know what you mean!!!
We've only lived in this area for a year, but have been coming here for nearly 4 and have become very familiar with a lot of the locals and the local spots.........folks around here are very independent minded and do not like being told what to do.
The owner of one of our favorite places, who is a non-smoker, told me that she would be the first one screaming the loudest if the government made an attempt to force any business to go non-smoking. Her attitude is that it is her business and she will choose her clientele by market demands, not government edict.
The answer to the whole discussion appears so simple to me, as to you also, I assume. : )
At the same time, the perceived popularity of rhetoric at the cost of true conviction by the populous as a whole, can lead one to frustration.