Seriously, the only thing that depressed me more than the PA Senate getting the smoking ban out of committee is the fact that so many Pennsylvanians don’t seem to care about the private property rights of business owners.
I should note that I’m not, nor have I ever been a smoker, but if I’m a bar or restaurant owner, I get to decide. If you don’t like that choice, then go somewhere else. Aren’t people kind of getting fed up with the government intruding into so many areas of private concern? I am, and I worry for the future that so many people turn to government to enforce their own preferences and tastes on everyone else. Take that to it’s limit, and we don’t live in a free society anymore.
I actually wouldn’t mind a bill that says a restaurant has to either be smoking only or no-smoking. Or you must meet air quality controls if you want both. But then they are pushing this issue as an employee saftey issue.
Which makes me wonder what they will do for gun factories to make sure employees feel safe!
My state Senator is a very strong supporter of gun rights which is why I can’t understand why she is a co-sponsor of a bill that essentially says that private property owners have no rights. I’m hoping she responds to my letter – who knows, I may even be able to change her mind on this.
Thought you might like to see my letter to my senator (one of the co-sponsors). She’s normally very supportive of individual rights and very strong on gun rights, but in this case she’s got it ass-backwards.
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Thank you for taking the time to talk to me on the phone. I appreciate the Senator’s position that the public health aspect trumps the rights of property owners, but unfortunately I do not agree with it. Property rights are one of the most important foundations of the form of government that made this country such a strong and successful one. We talked briefly about the possible effects on businesses and how there really is no way of knowing if the effect will be negative, neutral, or positive, but I still stand by my argument that that is irrelevant – that the real issue is one of property rights.
As I said, I’m not a smoker (other than the occasional cigar) and that this won’t directly effect me. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is wrong. And it doesn’t change the fact that this will make it that much easier in the future for the government to decide that the citizens can’t make other choices. Will we see a similar ban on trans fats like New York? A year ago I would have laughed at that, but now I’m not so sure. Are we going to see a ban on smoking in your own house/car if you have children? If so, will that be extended to include your house if your elderly parents live with you? Or if you invite friends over and they bring children? Or if anyone that visits doesn’t like smoke? Where is the line drawn? And what will be the next excuse for moving the line even further? This bill is currently seen as controversial but 10/20/30 years down the road, it will have become “normal” and then the next set of legislators will look for the next aspect of life that is harmful to a portion of their consituents (even though it’s completely voluntary harm that they chose to risk) and decide to infringe on another right, because “it’s for the children.” And eventually, we’ll have solved all of the health issues and no one will die of preventable causes, but no one will actually be living either. Because to actually live requires you to take risks, and if all of the risks have been legislated out of existence, what’s left?
I doubt this will have any effect on the Senator’s decision but I feel that, as a citizen of this state, that it is my duty to speak up and argue against what is wrong.
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That’s pretty good. I may have to e-mail my state senator as well.
Already some places prohibit smoking in the home or car, if children are present. Where I live and the two adjacent states all three ban smoking in autos if there are children. How big a step to do the same to the home? a baby step.
I don’t smoke, but I’m thinking of taking it up so I can break the damn law.