I'm fairly sure Tom wasn't looking for a serious response to this one, but I've wanted to chime in for a while and this looked like a sufficient invitation.
Because of the nature of smoking, Brett's point isn't a small one. The "freedom" to smoke just outside a building still means that the smoke ends up coming right back indoors. The distance reduces or removes the health risk, but doesn't do much to stop the smell. I live and work downtown. Our offices regularly reek of cigarette smoke, simply because of two building employees that smoke outside the front door of the building, which happens to be just below our office windows. There have been a number of times where we've had to move a customer meeting to a different location just because of the overpowering cigarette stench coming in, even with the windows closed. It's even worse at home, where I'm regularly greeted as I walk in the door by the smell of cigarette smoke finding its way in through the walls or open windows of my condominium. In multi-home dwellings like you'll find downtown, there's no way to escape from a smoker that might be two or three floors away. This debate and the corresponding ban aren't just about the individual health risks associated with smoking. Numerous opponents of the ban have come out decrying the inconvenience to smokers if they can't smoke in public places, while ignoring the pervasiveness of the smoke itself and its effects. I don't intend to come out and attempt to ban someone from smoking in _their_ own home or in open spaces, simply because I believe everyone has equal rights in this case as long as they're not creating health risks for others. However, it doesn't mean that I don't resent the people that pollute _my_ home and _my_ office with their smoking. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it, and I just have to live with it. It's a compromise I accept, like any public ordinance that attempts to find balance between everyone's rights. Just don't come crying to me about the inconvenience of the ban. You can still smoke in your own homes, but I can't stop you from blowing smoke into my living room. If you really want to continue smoking in restaurants, I'll be glad to trade that for a ban on smoking in multi-home residential buildings. Jim Ivey Downtown St. Paul -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Thomas Swift Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 1:32 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [StPaul] Smoking Ban success .... ...leads to widespread power drunkeness! Hey I may be overstepping here a bit 'cause I don't smoke, but I feel pretty confident that smokers everywhere really appreciate your allowing them the freedom to do what they want outside, pal! Have you checked with the citizens jr. safety committee about this? Has the Progressive Protection League & Aux. signed on? Does Dave know? Think it'd be OK if I part my hair in the middle next Tuesday? LOL! TJSwift Cherokee Park (I appologise for not truncating the following, but it's just too good to mess with!) --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > As I think everyone on the forum knows, I was a > big supporter of the > general smoking ban. However, acting as the Devil's > Advocate, I also believe that > now that we have won, we can allow a few > compromises. One of these would be > allowing smoking in open air areas -- i.e., outside. > This would allow smokers > to go outside of a bar for a smoke and would allow > smoking construction > workers to do so on the job. The amount of > secondhand smoke that would be > experienced by those passing by a smoker outside > would be minimal and I doubt that it > would be especially harmful to anyone. > > Let bars put a big ashcan outside one of their > doors where smokers can > suck down their coffin nails without bothering the > rest of us. Some smoke might > drift back in as they exhale on their way back to > the bar for a drink, > especially on some January night when it is 30 > degrees below zero, but I do not > think that it will enough to seriously harm anyone. > I, for one, do not begrudge a > smoker the desire to smoke in relative comfort and > insisting that they do so > in their own private home seems excessive to me. > > As for construction workers, well, the idea of > some carpenter smoking > while he hammers nails doesn't bother me overly > much. Most homes are built a > reasonable distance from the nearest neighbor, > meaning over 10' feet, and that > should be enough to dilute the effects of a > cigarette that is being smoked > outside. That is not to mention the large office > construction sites that are > hundreds of feet from the nearest residence. It's > the air that can be trapped > inside an office, restaurant or bar that bothers me, > not what someone is doing in > the park. > > So, I say let's support Mayor Kelly on some sort > of compromise. Allowing > smoking outside is language that can easily be > worked into the ban. > Something along the lines of . . . Saint Paul > hereafter bans smoking in any indoor > area, including all work sites, restaurants, bars, > etc. . . Indoor areas to be > defined as any area covered by a roof and enclosed > by wall or barrier of any > kind. > _____________________________________________ > NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your > password - visit: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul > > Archive Address: > http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/ > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! 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