SMOKING IN PUBLIC AREAS
So if you have read any of my material you know that I speak about our constitutional rights and how our government sometimes gets abused.
Well there are times when our constitutional rights need to be spoken about and there are also times when our own government over steps their boundaries.
This is one of those times.
You see in New York they just passed a law that bans smoking in all public areas including open air parks and beaches. The ban is designed to help curb exposure to second hand smoke.
Just a little information here. I am a non smoker and I do believe that second hand smoke can cause some health issues if exposed to it for a long period of time.
Second hand smoke is said to cause close to 50,000 deaths a year. These numbers are actually hard to substantiate due to variables such as underlying health conditions already affecting these people.
They have already banned smoking in bars, restaurants, and almost every other business. Again this is mostly due to the second hand smoke problem. In a bar or restaurant the waiter, waitress or even patrons should be protected from the dangers of second hand smoke. Although you will have people argue that you have the choice of where to work, so if a certain establish allows smoking there you should just not work there.
Others will say that these workers and patrons deserve the right to work and eat in a environment that does not cause harm to their health. As I stated before I am a non smoke but and I believe the banning of smoking should be left up to the establishments ownership but that is another story all together.
Does the employee have the choice of where he/she works? Yes. They should be able to choose to not work at establishments that allow smoking. As for the patrons, it is the same they should be able to choose whether they want to eat at a smoking or non smoking restaurant.
But now they are banning smoking in open air areas such as parks and beaches. When you ban smoking in public areas such as those are you taking away ones right to visit such places? The second hand smoke problem does not present such a problem in the open air areas of parks and beaches. So the health issue is not there really. It is very difficult to say that there are not other pollutants in the air that are just as dangerous as second hand smoke.
If a smoker visits a park or beach and a non smoker shows up, the non smoker as well as the smoker have the right and opportunity to move away from each other.
If the government is going to tell smokers where they can and cannot smoke maybe they should cut them a break and lower the tobacco tax on cigarettes. Oh yea that will never happen.
It sure does seem like in today's society that marijuana is moving closer and closer to legalization and tobacco seems headed in the other direction.
Science may not support the idea of smoke free parks and beaches. A public health expert expert stated that he disagreed that there is a scientific basis for banning smoking in wide open outdoor spaces where people can easily be divided.
Next we will have our government when where and how much beer we can have. If you read one of my previous writings, maybe we aren't that far from a socialist country after all. The government seems to tell us what to do.
What do you think? Agree or disagree with me at least I will know what the PEOPLE think. L2
4 comments:
I think it should be the owners choice.... If you own a bar and choose to let people smoke then so be it, or the other way around.... smokers will know where they can & can't smoke. However, I do not like my children to be around smoke BUT if we are at the beach or a park and someone is smoking then we can move, no problem. I think there are BIGGER things for a non smoker to worry about than someone smoking in an open public area.
@Julie thank you for your comment and for following our website. We hope you enjoy the new look. I agree with you that in the private sector it should be up to the owner of the establishment to make the decision whether it is smoking or non smoking. But when in comes to open air public places such as parks and beaches i have issue with the government getting invovled. As you said in a open air area the smoker and non smoker have the ability to move away from each other. I can assure you that there is probably more air pollutants in the air when someone just walks down a busy street from vehicle exhaust, but we arent gonna ban cars on public roadways are we. The thing is we cannot keep letting this government take away are fundamental rights as human beings. I am a non smoker and really dont care for second hand smoke all that much due to my asthma, but i cannot agree with the stripping away of one's personal right to visit open air public areas because they smoke. What will be next the government will say that we are only allowed to drink beer in the confines of our own home.
if you are going to ban smoking then how about banning the women that bath in perfume, they are the ones killing me. walk by instant head ache sneezing cant catch my breath smokers in public areas are the least of anyones problems. it would be great to eliminate all carcinigans, its just not possible its in what you eat drink and breath, leave it up to the " owner" of the establishment, and !! public !! free to all. dont like the smoke move over five feet, bussiness too smokey dont give them your bussiness
@Anonymous interesting but valid point. Like I've said there are things in the air just as bad as second hand smoke. You never hear the government talking banning beer or liquor due to liver problems, and that is a big issue.
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