The Cellar - smoking ban questions

The Cellar (http://cellar.org/index.php)

- Politics (http://cellar.org/forumdisplay.php?f=5)

- - smoking ban questions (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=5611)

If I am a restaurant owner, the restaurant is my private property. If I want to allow a certain behaviour on my private property the effects of which do not cross the lines of my property and, therefore, affect no one who did not enter my property of their own free will (and can leave anytime they want to) then that behaviour should not be prohibited (unless it is already against the law).

The employee safety argument is bogus since smoking was permitted before the employment started. Why should the rights of an employee at will trump those of the employer? Just another example of common sense being turned on its head.

And for those who consider this to be a legislative wet dream, I would hold off on gloating for tomorrow the right that is unjustly taken away without fair and reasonable compensation could be yours.

The Government is not our friend and it troubles me greatly to see how some use, misuse and abuse the government's virtually unchallengeable legislative and police powers to further an unconstitutional and grossly unfair agenda.

Three disclaimers:
I don't smoke;
There are no smoking bans in my state; and
I am unaffected by smoking bans elsewhere.

Quote:

Originally posted by Clodfobble
They banned smoking in all restaurants and bars maybe a year ago in my city. It was a big hullabaloo. The main argument against it (besides the idea that the owner should have the right to decide what sort of establishment he would like to run, which seems pretty plainly obvious to me) was that people wouldn't go to bars if they couldn't smoke and therefore this would force all the clubs and bars out of business.

A year later, I can say with confidence that the latter does not hold water. People just smoke outside the establishments now and go back inside when they're done. There are definitely many people out on the street smoking, but attendance at the bars has not gone down.

This is interesting. Does this mean that clubs will actually let people go outside to smoke, and then allow then to go back in? I would assume that their hand is stamped or whatever.

Sheesh, I'm so glad that I don't smoke anymore, and when I did, I didn't have to have one all of the time. But, I don't agree with banning it altogether in public places.