Anti-Tobacco Hysteria Spreads

Monday, May 09, 2005

First it was my home state of Florida, now it's our neighbor Georgia that has decided government must get involved between consenting adults and places they frequent by banning the sinful social practice of smoking.

ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill Monday to ban smoking in most public places in Georgia, ending a guessing game that had gone on for weeks.

The law will allow smokers to light up in only a few places, including bars and restaurants that do not admit people under 18; designated hotel and motel rooms; and workplace smoking areas that have an independent air handling system. Violators face fines of $100 to $500.

The Republican governor had said for weeks that he had misgivings about the bill, believing that government should not become "the end-all and be-all nanny for all people."
So then why did you sign it? If a restaurant is making good business by allowing smokers to dine then what's the point of Big Daddy government stepping in to intervene?

Because the sissy anti-smoking crowd believes their "rights" to eat in a smoke-free environment supersedes those who want to enjoy a good smoke with their meal and beer.

Make no mistake, I don't smoke. Never have and never will, but if a restaurant owner wants to allow smoking then the ball is in my court to either accept it or find another place to dine, not cry to Big Daddy so my will gets imposed on everyone else.

I wish I could blame this problem on the we'll-mind-your-business-for-you liberals, but it's been mostly Republican governors caving in to such foolish legislation.

Here in Florida, restaurants have seen profits plunge because smokers stay less and as a result drink and order less. Prices go up to recover shrinking revenues and everyone is lugubrious, all so we don't have to be bothered by smokers while we eat.

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