The Continuing Jihad Against Smokers

Not content to push smokers out into the elements and to the margins of society, the Tennessee Legislature, at the behest of Governor Bredesen, is considering a state-wide ban on smoking in public spaces.

Few things get my blood boiling like this continuing war against smokers waged by the New Puritans and health Nazis!

Is there no area of human activity that the government believes is off limits for regulation?

Are Tennessee business owners so benighted that they can't make those decisions themselves?

Considering a smoke-friendly building is a rarity, is a ban a solution in search of a problem?

Does this mean I cannot smoke in a tobacco store?

Where is the small, limited government that I was promised by Conservatives if they got the majority?

If big-government nanny state is what I have to look forward to, I might as well vote for Democrats. At least I know up front that they are going to screw me.

When considering the utility of a smoking ban take a look at your own experiences. How often have you encountered a public environment or entered a public building where smoking is allowed compared against similar venues where it is not. You could probably list individual places and a few categories where smoking is allowed in less than five minutes (in fact, you would have to strain to fill the allotted time), but there is not enough time in the day to make a similar list for non-smoking.

Once again, a smoking-friendly location is such a rarity that it stands out in your mind because it is such an anomaly. Quite frankly, I am always shocked and suppressed when I find a place that allows smoking. Non-smoking is the default position. Smokers know that and do not violate the prohibition. The number of places a non-smoker can go and not encounter smoke is unlimited: (restaurants, hotels, stores, theaters, sports stadiums, schools (and surrounding grounds), auditoriums, individual homes, office buildings (for some, including their parking lots), hospitals, pharmacies, some parks, beaches, public transportation, rental cars, the list goes on. The number of places that accept smoking is severely limited: bars, limited specifically designated areas, cigar stores, your individual home/car.

Don't let yourself be sucked-in by the new Puritans. This is not about protecting non-smokers. It is about stamping out smokers. A smoking ban is a solution in search of a problem.