I mentioned yesterday that we had local elections and one of the things on the ballot was an initiative to ban smoking in all public places and another one to ban alcohol in family style movie theaters. I also mentioned that I was against both of those initiatives.
Both of them passed. moking initiative passed by a few thousand votes and the alcohol passed by a few hundred. Both of them were 40/51 as far as percentage goes. I'm hoping this means that there will be a revote or some other sort of action taken.
Here's my thing, I know I'm a smoker and of course I would be against the smoking initiative. But its not just a personal thing. There are non-smoking restaurants and bars in town, and I patronize them.I have a problem with the business end of it.
Several local bars are going to go out of business now. My town actually has a hookah bar or two in it and they will be out of business in 60 days. I think that's sad. Also, the local bars and restaurants are being punished, because none of our surrounding cities have these bans and I think a lot of business will start migrating to those outlying towns. Especially the bars. I think that is dangerous.
Since you are only allowed to smoke in your home and in your car, there is also the risk of local businesses being punished if someone violates that law on their property. For example, if someone is smoking outside Casa Bueno, where I work, they will get a ticket for $50. My restaurant will be fined $500. Its not our job to enforce the ban, but the city is making it ours. I think that's silly.
I've been in two states with smoking bans statewide and neither of them were this strict. In Oregon there are still smoking bars and ppublic smoking areas, with signs clearly posted at the entrances. The same goes for Florida. Hell, Disney World and the entire complex has designated smoking areas all over it. Granted, they are off the beaten path, and you have to look for it, but they are there. If the happiest place on earth can put up with it, I think we should be able to as well.
Also, we only had one family movie therater that allowed you to have alcohol and you had to drink it in the lobby. It wasn't hurting anyone and I think it was wrong to target them specifically.
I think this is a sad reflection of the area I live in, and how the local government feels like it is allowed to mandate things that should be personal decisions. There's been an increase in that sort of action lately. The local schools have put a ban on certain snacks (like cupcakes or chocolate or whatever) in the classroom. You can't have soda or desert cakes in your lunch. Not even chocolate yogurt. I think it's silly that they police things that ought to be personal, or family decisions.
I don't like the way government has become so invasive lately. I worry what will come next.
Speak out for your freedoms friends. And tell me how you feel, I like to be engaged with my friends and readers on topics like this.
Off to smoke before I head to work.
AGx
well I think it was a poor turn out on voting for the idea of government curtailing your rights. In a city of 160,000 only 20,000 voted. 76% of the population is of voting age, so figure maybe 10% doesn't have the right to vote for various reasons, that still leaves 66%. that means there are probably somewhere around 100,000 voters, so only 20% cared about this thing. Hmmm I wonder if they will turn out to vate when it is the right to free speech, or the right to freedom of religion, or the right to keep and bear arms. Complacency sets the ground work for dictators.
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