Smoking ban in Philadelphia approved

[Cerevant]

What pisses me off is that you are all so upset about taking away your right to smoke, but don't give a shtein (well, ok - Dio does) that the federal government is eroding your personal right to privacy and free speech. Hey, if it doesn't affect me personally (yet) then what does it matter, right?

If you're throwing me into the group of people who don't care about our privacy and free speach rights being eroded you're wrong. I am very aware of that and very farging pissed off. But it's more fun to talk about the smoking ban because there are people who actually disagree with me and it impacts me more on a day to day basis.

My apologies to you and others who I may have mislabled.  I'm just going on a general impression of the level of outrage in this thread compared to the "if you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about" threads.

BTW, to whomever was considering leaving the country - you don't want to go north of the border.  The province of Ontario passed a law made it illegal to smoke in any workplace, including bars and restaurants.  It amazingly enough includes the homes of in-home child care providers.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Freedom is lame anyway.  Word life fascism!

[SD_Eagle5]

I'd just like to say that I hate Mayor Street but that I'm very much in favor of the smoking ban. And for those of you who do like to smoke at bars, there will be designated areas outside that you can walk your drunk asses out to for a smoke. Cali. has had this rule in effect for half a decade and its worked out extremely well.

[rjs246]

I don't smoke at bars and I hate this law.

[Diomedes]

1.) One problem I have with this kind of law centers on the arbitrary definition of what harms people.  I don't dispute that cigarette smoke is bad for you.  News flash...life is bad for you.  Lots of things we do have the unintended consequence of being harmful to others.

How far do you want to take this?

• Anyone who isn't a foreman on a giant worksite that drives an SUV instead of a normal passenger car is uncessesarily filling the air with extremely harmful gasses.  I'm breathing those gasses and it affects my health.  There is no better reason than personal choice for people to drive these pollution machines, which are hurting me.
  Solution?  Ban SUVs.
• I can prove that obese people are hurting me.  I subsidize their suicidal gluttony, which in turn reduces MY ability to provide for and protect myself.  If being forced to pay for someone else's unhealthy decisions isn't harmful to me, then what is it?
  Solution? Ban overeating.
• The neighbor's barking dog, car horns blaring at stop lights, air brakes bellowing downhill, loud stereos (and a billion other unnessecary nuisances) hurt my ears and stress my mental health.  [Or is mental health not really "health?]
  Solution?  Ban noise!
• The chemicals emanating from the particle board and carpeting in my office are not good for my health.  Nor are the cleaning chemicals the janitors use.
  Solution? Ban carpeting!
• Your alcoholism is hurts me; I end up paying for your hospital visits, etc.  Ban drinking.

A common foil to my argument is that we can't help driving SUVs, eating ourselves to death, honking when the light turns green, laying DuPont soaked carpeting, or drinking too much.  I reject this point on the grounds that none of these are any less necessary than smoking.  You can get around without an SUV, without eating McDonalds every day, just as well as anyone can get along without smoking.  But you choose not to. 

Another counter argument is that second hand smoke (despite it's name) is a direct harm to others, whereas the example I give are indirect.  Says who??  SUV smoke is plenty direct.  The non stop cacophony of the people outside the bar DIRECTLY robs me of sleep and raises my blood pressure.  The hospital bills for fatty fatty directly limit my capacity to maintain my own health; is that not tantamount to direct injury??

We're headed down a slippery slope with laws like these.  It's lousy.

2.  The other problem I have centers around the sanctimonious attitude anti-smokers flaunt.  Whining bitches need a beat down for that alone.

[Sgt PSN]

blah blah blah,

great point, great point, great point

[li]Your alcoholism is hurts me; I end up paying for your hospital visits, etc.  Ban drinking.[/li]
[/list]
Whoa, let's not get carried away here.

great point, great point, great point

blah blah blah.

[ice grillin you]

all yous can shove your mumble jumble bullshtein up your ass....all that matters here is that i dont want people smoking around me period...i dont care where it is... bars are now one less place that can happen and im extremely happy for that

[Diomedes]

Yeah, we know.  You're all for liberty, so long as you get to define it.  Holla!

[rjs246]

No he's just being selfish. Which is fine. I live 99.9% of my life concerned only with things as they effect me.

My issue is not with simpletons who just 'don't want to smell yucky'. My problem is with people trying to make decisions for me.

I'm an adult, and beyond that I'm smarter than all but a small percentage of the people on the planet. When laws are passed taking away my right to make decisions for myself in the interest of the public good I become irate. I don't even smoke. But if I want to smoke a cig, shoot some heroine or snort gunpowder I should farging be allowed to to it. Especially at an establishment that is already serving health-imparing drugs.

[The BIGSTUD]

Another step closer to my departure from this country. I can't wait until someone tells me I can't speak too loudly at a bar for fear of injuring someone's delicate ears.

You know a bill like that would never get passed, but if you want to "depart" then don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[rjs246]

Thanks for contributing to the conversation dipshtein.

[The BIGSTUD]

I got an idea. This country has too many bans and we are losing our rights as citizens. Let's open up the boarders and legalize drunk driving.

Freedom!

[rjs246]

That sounds like my heaven.

Has everyone forgotten that this country was founded on the notion of open borders and inclusion? What the farg is wrong with you people?

[ice grillin you]

is there smoking in new orleans bars??

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Is there stripping in brothels?