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Modern liberals are not culturally inclined toward courtesy. They are inclined toward knowing what's good for you and passing ordinances to make sure you get the picture. The first Thank You For Not Smoking sign I ever saw was in 1976, on the desk of Massachusetts governor Mike Dukakis. I thought: I have seen the future, and it is puritanical.

Puritanical!!! I do believe Peggy Noonan's take on this is truly apt. Massachusetts may be one of the most "progressive" states in the Union. But my guess is it's definitely THE most puritanical. The roots of that run very deep in our flinty soil....

Puritans not only tell you how you ought to live, but they try to make it prohibitively costly for you to choose to live in any other way. Case in point: A pack of cigarettes in Massachusetts these days costs nearly $6 -- because of the ever-escalating state excise tax ....

This is a tough crowd. My wife and I recently moved from California. When we encounter a restaurant or bar with ashtrays, we choose to sit in the smoking section. (to help see this establishment not perish throughout the country.) My wife even fires up occasionally, although not a smoker for the first 50 years of her life. Our take, the evidence points to second hand smoke not being the killer the nazis contend and smokers as a whole are having a lot more fun and living life more fully than the non-smokers.

While I respect that some people are bothered by smoke, if they are, they don't need to eat and drink in the smoking section. This seems like a reasonable compromise.

As far as smoking at work. I believe the set aside ares are working, I would build some areas that are warmer, more comfortable, and protected from the weather so that these valuable employees don't catch health problems and become a burden on the companies health program.