Posted on 05/30/2002 7:07:00 AM PDT by Just another Joe
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By Heidi Rauch-Webb /Oswego Daily News
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The Oswego County Energy Recovery Facility has gone the way of airlines, hospitals and most shopping malls in the country: no smoking in their facility. Deputy Superintendent Frank Visser said that though only about 10 out of 30 employees at the ERF are smokers, the issue was a serious one. "Our lunch room was also our smoking room and it's very small," he explained. "People who don't smoke couldn't get away from the smoke." Visser said that there had been some complaints to the health department and a few weeks ago Michael Rosen, Deputy Health Commissioner, and an assistant visited the facility and came to the conclusion that controlling the smokers was not feasible so they designated the building as non-smoking. "The new policy is that people who want to smoke must do so 20 feet from the building," Visser said. There were some disgruntled employees but Visser told the assembled County Department of Public Works committee last week that some of the smokers have no one to blame but themselves. "Some smokers were smoking in non-designated areas," he said. "I told them that it takes only one person to ruin it for the rest of the employees." Visser said the decision is final after the recommendation went to the county Legislature's Health committee. "It's a done deal," he told DPW committee members as they offered suggestions on how to correct the problem. "As a smoker, you have no rights. If I smoked, I guess I'd just quit." |
I . . . feel it should be allowable to shoot them on sight.
If I have given you that impression, I apologise.
I have never said that, implied that (that I know of), or believed that.
My whole point on THIS thread is the fact that a government employee stated , "As a smoker, you have no rights. If I smoked, I guess I'd just quit.", and that THIS is the kind of thinking that the nico-nazis WANT to foster in everyone, especially in people holding positions of authority.
I have stated other things on this thread but nothing that I believe would give you that type of an image of me.
American citizens have rights as indicated in the Bill of Rights. Rights not specified are left to the states and the people; the government here is simply asserting its Tenth Amendment authority.
Parties to a contract have rights as specified in the contract.
Producers of intellectual property have certain rights as defined under copyright law.
Smokers do not have an absolute right to smoke whenever and wherever they choose, without adverse repercussion to themselves.
In summary I think that the town, or county, or state doesn't NEED a reason to ban smoking from a building that the town, or county, or state owns.
If it bans it for a BAD reason I don't like it but still have to admit that the town, or county, or state can ban it from the building.
I DON'T THINK that Mr. Visser had any brains working when he made the statement, "As a smoker, you have no rights. If I smoked, I guess I'd just quit."
THAT'S what I take exception to.
I have NEVER said that and do not believe that.
If you can find any statement of mine on any thread on FR that relays that thought, I will personally send you a check for twenty dollars. All you have to do is find the statement and freepmail me an address to send it to.
You have rights as a citizen, not based solely on being a smoker.
I think that lewislynn said it better, much as I hate to admit it, "As a smoker, you have no special rights."
I do have the same rights as a smoker that someone has as a nonsmoker.
What a bunch of krap.We can't enforce one rule so we'll make another.
Same sort of pinko, commie, socialist,"the end justifies the means" sort of mentality that is permeating this media from certain quarters.
They are infiltrating our very souls, you ought to be used to it by now.
When are you smokers going to learn, you can't reason with unreasonable people. If wer're gonna get this monkey off our backs, we need to use a hammer.
Tell me about yourself. I am sure you have some habits that "I" would hate. But that's none of my business. You are you and I am me.
Setting "fair smoking policys" are fine. But when there is a policy BANNING smoking, that is not fine.
Having a smoking section and non-smoking sections are the way to go. And if a business bans smoking inside the building, that's the way it is today. Let them run outside the door to grab a cigarette. But when one policy is put into place against smoking, then others follow.
There is NO justification in making a person go 50 feet from the building to have a cigarette. Unless it's to save face for the boss about what he has done to his workers who choose to smoke.
The smoking nazis in Free Republic are Situation Conservatives.
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