Up in Smoke
I’m not going to cry about it... but I will donate a few minutes and a few comments to it because I think it deserves as much.
Beginning July 1st, Georgia’s new anti-smoking laws take effect, effectively bringing that state down on the side of the anti-smoking industry. Most restaurants that used to have smoking sections will be forced to give them up but, pubs and bistros that do not serve or employ anyone under 18 will be able to allow their patrons this liberty.
An entire list of what will and will not be tolerated can be found within the Ledger-Enquirer story here.
Everyone I know is fully aware of the dangers of smoking. Everyone I know personally who smokes already tries to respect the airspace of those around them. Everyone who smokes already pays two arms, a leg and an internal organ to the government for a pack of cigarettes. I think the groveling should be allowed to stop there but the state of Georgia, as well as others, think differently. I also feel that while smoking is a bad idea, government has no business in governing how a business, like a restaurant, approaches the issue of patrons who smoke.
The same goes for use of seatbelts but, that’s another story for another time.
In the South, smokers nearly equal in numbers those who don’t smoke. This figure will be disputed by the anti-smoking industry... but I believe it to be true. I also believe that smokers have allowed themselves to become society’s leper colony because they feel as though they are somehow guilty of being lesser citizens and because of this, they continue to let themselves be kicked around.
Perhaps once the anti-smoking industry has tired of working over their neighbors and local businesses, they will turn to issues like air and water pollution. You know, designate an area where cities like Atlanta can trash the environment at their leisure without fear. Maybe they will make dirty industries clean up their act or face having to buy supplies with huge tariffs attached. They may even begin doing commercials of large rats dying on a public sidewalk to remind all of us how industrial pollution is dangerous to all of us.
Or, maybe not.
There are both smokers and non-smokers in my household. We have made arrangements to accommodate each other without the intervention of government. The smokers know the risks and accept them. All those who smoke in my family will probably, eventually give them up but will do it on their own terms. They just feel that it should be their decision.
Beginning July 1st, Georgia’s new anti-smoking laws take effect, effectively bringing that state down on the side of the anti-smoking industry. Most restaurants that used to have smoking sections will be forced to give them up but, pubs and bistros that do not serve or employ anyone under 18 will be able to allow their patrons this liberty.
An entire list of what will and will not be tolerated can be found within the Ledger-Enquirer story here.
Everyone I know is fully aware of the dangers of smoking. Everyone I know personally who smokes already tries to respect the airspace of those around them. Everyone who smokes already pays two arms, a leg and an internal organ to the government for a pack of cigarettes. I think the groveling should be allowed to stop there but the state of Georgia, as well as others, think differently. I also feel that while smoking is a bad idea, government has no business in governing how a business, like a restaurant, approaches the issue of patrons who smoke.
The same goes for use of seatbelts but, that’s another story for another time.
In the South, smokers nearly equal in numbers those who don’t smoke. This figure will be disputed by the anti-smoking industry... but I believe it to be true. I also believe that smokers have allowed themselves to become society’s leper colony because they feel as though they are somehow guilty of being lesser citizens and because of this, they continue to let themselves be kicked around.
Perhaps once the anti-smoking industry has tired of working over their neighbors and local businesses, they will turn to issues like air and water pollution. You know, designate an area where cities like Atlanta can trash the environment at their leisure without fear. Maybe they will make dirty industries clean up their act or face having to buy supplies with huge tariffs attached. They may even begin doing commercials of large rats dying on a public sidewalk to remind all of us how industrial pollution is dangerous to all of us.
Or, maybe not.
There are both smokers and non-smokers in my household. We have made arrangements to accommodate each other without the intervention of government. The smokers know the risks and accept them. All those who smoke in my family will probably, eventually give them up but will do it on their own terms. They just feel that it should be their decision.
posted by Redoubt at 3:41 AM
<< Home