Posted on 03/26/2007 7:38:53 AM PDT by SmithL
"I feel guilty when I'm doing it," said Johnson, 33, of Oakland, adding that he tries not to. "I know it's wrong."
Soon, it could be illegal.
A proposal to ban smoking in cars with children inside, to be heard Wednesday in the state Senate's health committee, is the third bill in three months that has taken California's Legislature into arenas some say are better left to parents. The first would have outlawed spanking, and debate continues over whether to mandate vaccinating seventh-grade girls against a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. California is one of at least 16 states considering bans on smoking in cars with children present.
Critics call it the ultimate in "nanny government."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
People in America have been conditioned to accept, even desire a nanny state. It's coming, those of us who detest it are in for a bumpy ride.
Nanny State ping
I know it's wrong, I don't smoke, my mother smoked when she was pregnant with me, both of my parents still smoke, but leave the damn citizens alone and let them do as they please. The guy keeps the window open and doesn't go through a whole cigarette. What are they going to do, stick a tracking beacon up newborn's arses when they come out of the womb? This is getting rediculous.
why is it wrong ?
It's not the smoke; it's the butt that blows back in the car and hits your kid in the teeth.
It's also going to be a very long ride. Despite all these horrible risks that nannies want to legislate against, we are living longer than ever.
The State of Californistan is a State sliding into the curse of socialism.
Religion free? You mean 'Christianity free'. Islam is fine, as is environmentalism. Don't forget about the other commie pedophiles.
Big brother will take care of you...one way or another.
Smoking in the car with a todder in the car seat.
You said: It's not the smoke; it's the butt that blows back in the car and hits your kid in the teeth.
***
Full disclosure, I am a non-smoker child of two smokers (didn't keep my sister from smoking, but my brother and I never have been inclined to smoke). I don't care if others smoke, and I can tolerate, but don't really enjoy, being around the smoke of others (just not in my car or home, thanks). I remember being closed up in the car while my parents smoked with the windows up-- especially bad on rainy days. They weren't trying to be mean or cruel, they just thought nothing of it. We kids, growing up in the early 60's, would never have even thought of asking them not to smoke. It was just part of who they were (my mother died at 43 of lung cancer. My father, long divorced from my mom, quit 20 years ago, cold turkey). I doubt there are any serious health risks associated with it, but I CAN tell you that after being around kids whose parents smoke heavily, these kids really stink of tobacco. Their parents won't ever know, and the kids know no better. I don't think there should be a law against this, but parents should be a little more caring.
My main gripe is the butts out the window. Why is this form of littering apparently acceptable? Smokers, for the most part, don't seem to want to use the ashtrays in their cars because they don't like the smell. Why should the rest of us have to put up with it? I also find it curious that most smokers like to drive with their window down, with their cigarette near the open window, even when no one else is in the car. Why is this? Are they bothered by the smoke in some way? I see it when the temperature is in the 20's and rain is coming down. If I were paying what people have to pay for a pack of smokes, seems like you'd want to keep all that aromatic smoke as close to you as you can, not waste it by letting it go out the window.
Most of us of my age lived with smokers with no apparent consequences, so I don't think laws should be enacted. Maybe just a little common sense enacted would do the trick.
I can answer that. Because it's become so offensive to even "smell" smoke, that most smokers drive with their windows down to cut down on the "smell". They don't want to offend anyone. As for the butts out the window.... the most annoying thing to me is the fast food bags and drinks tossed out at 70mph. I never see any "butts" along the road... yet I sure see the cleanup crews going after the McDonald's, Wendy's and Jack in the Box bags/containers. I guess it's all in what you focus on, eh? :)
It's not easy to see those car seats. They'll have to make smoking Probable Cause to pull you over to see if there is a child in a car seat. Or smokers could put "No Baby On Board" signs in their windows.
Nanny State PING................
Anyone who supports this law hates freedom and loves totalitarian government.
So, if you see someone smoking in their car while children stand outside of it with seemingly nothing to do, you'll know California has passed another Nanny State law.
I understand about the smell, but I wouldn't think that smokers would all, as a class (and nearly all of them do this, it seems) vent the smoke out like that. I would think it would be less offensive to confine the smoke to your own car, rather than let it escape for others to smell. I guess smokers don't really like the smell that much either. I remember dating a girl whose room mate smoked. She didn't seem to like the smoke from her own cigarette, as she held her hand far away and waved any smoke away from her own face (often into the faces of others she seemed to ignore).
I do see other litter, and that bothers me too. I can't believe you don't see cigarette butts on the road. Next time you are at a stop light, especially on a road with a median, take a look. They are everywhere, it seems (of course, it could be because I live in the Winston-Salem, NC area, where smoking was, for many requires, nearly a requirement of living here.).
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