You may be surprised but in a true market system, the winners use everything at their disposal to win. Use of the gov't, especially in a heavy regulated industry is a prerequisite to winning.
As to employees having to tolerate SHS while others don't have to, the laws requiring those private businesses shouldn't be there either. The business itself should make that decision based upon the desires of their employees.
I agree but the fact is the current laws include bans that allow other workers a smoke free environment so that the present situation is unfair. The law should be either all or none. My guess is that if this question were put to the electorate, the nonsmokers would throw a fit if the current smoking bans in other businesses were lifted. The only way to resolve the inconsistancy politically is for all smoking in work places to be banned.
Which brings me to your point of unfair application.
These smoking bans, even the total bans across the board do have a major element of unfair application that no one seems willing to address. The owner of a coffee shop faces nothing more than increasing dollars for each violation, yet the bar across the street faces losing its liquor license after 3 violations. Losing a liquor license puts a bar out of business.
Is it just a back door effort at prohibition? I don't know, but it sure looks like it to me.
Good point.
Believe me, it does not come as a surprise. While it may be fact, might does not make right, it just makes it possible. I had been a reporter and for the past 18 years have been both a paid and unpaid advocate for various groups - I've seen it all.
The law should be either all or none.
The law shouldn't be involved at all - allow each business to make the decision based upon the input of their employees. And in the case of bars or restaurants also their customers.
The only way to resolve the inconsistancy politically is for all smoking in work places to be banned.
I disagree. The only way to resolve it is for politicians to stay out of it and let the businesses resolve it in house. All businesses.
You say I have a good point in my remarks about unfair application when it comes to the liquor license holder but you don't address it. I can't tell you how many bar and restaurant owners have brought up the subject with officials and legislators only to be met with "you know the rules of your ABC license, obey the law or lose it" or words to that effect. And those are just the ones I know personaly, there are that many more that I don't know who have been met with the same response.
Do you have any suggestions of what more these people can do?