no third solution » Democracy is Great!, Michigan » Smoking: Still Healthier Than Fascism
Smoking: Still Healthier Than Fascism
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071211/NEWS06/71211072
I will no longer be providing links to the Detroit Free Press, because they don’t have a permalink structure and source articles go stale after about a week, which is terribly annoying as a blogger. In any event, a recent article about the pending smoking ban in Michigan cited that:
“The action could squelch a decade-old effort by anti-smoking advocates to rid public places of smokers. “
As always, an improper application of the term “public” exacerbates the debate. What anti-smoking advocates want is to rid private places of smokers. When we begin to recognize that your restaurant is your property, we will be able to table the issue permanently. But as long as people continue to delude themselves into thinking that your restaurant is “public” property, smoking, trans fats, nude dancing, beer sales on Sunday mornings, etc., will continue to be banned.
Perhaps another way to look at the issue is like this: If we grant legislators the power to ban smoking, then we also grant them the potential power to make every establishment tolerate smoking, however unlikely a scenario that might be. Politics cuts both ways.
Of course, there is always the question of whether politicians have solved all of life’s far more pressing problems. And they haven’t. So unless smoking is a higher priority than, I don’t know, robbery or murder or theft or poverty, they shouldn’t worry about it in the least.
When they cure all other social ills, we can still remind them that property is property, and rights are rights.
Written by David Z
A lifelong Michigan resident, David holds a Bachelor's Degree from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts Degree in Economics from Walsh College of Business & Accounting. Among other things, he is a market researcher, an avid snowboarder, beer-snob, former collegiate rugby player, bacon enthusiast and dog lover.
Filed under: Democracy is Great!, Michigan
Very good point, I completely agree. It is often an under-looked point when discussing smoking bans.
The concept of private property does not exist in the minds of our modern public health crusaders. Tell them about property rights and you’ll be lucky to get a blank stare. If you’re unlucky they’ll shoot back with some absurdity about asbestos or some other workplace safety measure.
Then there are the people who simply don’t like the smell and are willing to throw their support behind any legislation that makes their selfish lives more convenient. Bah humbug.