I like an occasional smoke with a beer. However, I can't justify the satiation of my desire to smoke as an excuse not to give a crap about what I am doing to the people around me. Yes, it is my choice to smoke and pollute my lungs. But I am also polluting the air around me and the lungs of those around me. Whether they like it or not. The fact of the matter is that it is completely and utterly selfish to do such a thing. And please, can we stop with the "I care about the business owners..." excuse? I seem to recall a study indicating that business was improving after the ban. So I guess we'll have to find another excuse for justifying such ego-centric rants. Here is the link to the article on that study: http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2005/09/26/news/news05.txt
Also along those lines is the pity for the workers that are out of jobs because of the ban. Does anyone who is anti-ban think about what they are doing to the health of those workers? Is their paycheck worth more that their lungs? Not to mention the fact that working in a bar or restaurant isn't exactly rocket science (please note: I am not trying to belittle the profession, only make a point). I mean, I am sure it is not too hard to go to the bar on the next corner or the next corner and get a job. And I don't understand when business owners were offered the compromise to allow "smoking rooms" they shot it down. If this was really going to be an end to their business, why wouldn't they want to jump on something like this? Furthermore, I would like to know how people can say that non-smokers had the choice to stay away from places that allowed smoking. Before the ban, how many such places were there? Not many I am guessing. What kind of a choice is that? I just can't believe we are still having this conversation! Second hand smoke can kill! And the nature of second-hand smoke....being "second-hand" indicates that the victim was an indirect casualty. Peanut allergies do not harm everyone in the room. There are no "second-hand" hives. Alcoholism does not harm everyone in the room. There is no "second-hand" cirrhosis. Do anti-smoking ban people really place such little value on their fellow person's lungs/life/health that all they care about is there ability to CHOOSE whether or not they can poison everyone in the room with them vs. only themselves? Heidi Quezada Standish REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
