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To: appalachian_dweller
This is about government control of private property.

Exactly. I have no problem with a city council voting to prohibit smoking in city hall, or with the military command prohibiting recruits from smoking during training, or a state government prohibiting smoking in county hospitals.

However, what's different about this ban is that it prohibits this on private property. There is no need to go to a bar. If you don't like people smoking tobacco in a bar I suggest that you don't go. Or if you feel really strongly about this I suggest that you open up your own bar and decide to run your establishment as a non-smoking one. If this were a true demand on the part of bar-patrons I would expect that there would already be non-smoking bars, and there are. I know of a few bars and restaurants that already prohibit tobacco use depite the lack of a city ordinance or state law.

I say let the free market work in this place. If you don't want to smell tobacco smoke, go somewhere else. If you don't want to work at an establishment that allows tobacco use, find a job somewhere else. Do not pass a law that prohibits tobacco use in all bars and restaurants, because the economic impact is likely to be greater than is dismissed by the tobacco banners. There have been business owners put out of work by tobacco bans, why put an entire establishment out of business when one employee who doesn't like smoking can find a job elsewhere.

This is exactly the tack taken by the gun control lobby. Paint all gun owners as rude and irresponsible people who can't control themselves, slowly ban this weapon or ban that one. Turn the tide against them, trot out facts and figure showing how dangerous they are. Pressure Hollywood and other media outlets to portray their use in a negative light. Do it for the children!

393 posted on 06/04/2003 2:36:37 PM PDT by Liberal Classic (Quemadmoeum gladis nemeinum occidit, occidentis telum est.)
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To: Liberal Classic
Yep. There's a Ruby Tuesdays down the street. Stopped by for a brew, asked where the ashtray was, found out it was a smoke free bar, left the cold brew on the bar and went to another bar.

If the OWNER wants to ban smoking, fine. It's not the gov't job to regulate my habits.

Hello Liberal Classic, whats the tagline mean?
398 posted on 06/04/2003 2:43:50 PM PDT by appalachian_dweller (On a long enough time scale, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.)
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