Mar 24 2008
Legislature Will Try for Smoking Ban Again
The bill before the House Judiciary Committee today comes from the Senate, but there are proposed amendments that Carrigan argues are weaker than the local laws already passed.A clause was initially proposed forbidding local governments from creating their own anti-smoking ordinances, but it was pulled to allow the Supreme Court time to issue its opinion.
Public schools, health-care facilities, licensed childcare facilities, government buildings, elevators and public transportation except for taxis would go smoke-free under the bill, though some buildings would be allowed to maintain employee smoking areas.
Private residences, some hotel rooms, cigar bars, tobacco stores and private clubs would be specifically allowed to permit smoking.
And so would bars and restaurants, provided they applied for a smoking bar permit and met all the conditions.
The business would have to contain smoking in a special area not accessible to those younger than 18. The bar or restaurant would have to obtain a state alcohol license and post the hours during which smoking is allowed.
Who comes up with this crap? Special smoking hours? A smoking bar permit? Special access areas for adults only? What happened to clamping down on the laws that go too far??
This is why bureaucracy is so damn incompetent. They just can’t do something simple. Either ban it or don’t! Don’t bog it down with all of these special exceptions and exemptions that will put the IRS tax code to shame.
There is a very easy answer to all of this, however, that seems to be escaping our “representatives.” How about dropping the whole thing and try protecting private property rights for a change! If I am a bar or restaurant owner it is not Columbia’s decision to tell me whether or not I can permit a perfectly LEGAL activity in my establishment and on my private property. It’s my decision! All of this nonsense is why the government needs to be kept out of our lives as much as possible.
And this Carrigan twerp needs to be tarred, feathered and run out of town for trying to use the government to infringe on our personal liberties.
