I don't like cigarette smoke, especially when I am enjoying a nice meal at a local restaurant. I agree that second hand smoke is not only annoying, but probably hazardous to your health. However, I am also a staunch supporter of private property rights.
The House is soon to move HB 4163 (http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-HB-4163) which would ban a legal activity, (smoking) on private property, (restaurants and bars). One of the fundamentals of liberty is private property rights. Individual property owners have a right to engage in any legal activity they wish on their own property. They also have the right to restrict certain legal activities on their own property. For the government to tell private businesses how to run their business; to tell private property owners what legal activities they can and cannot engage in on their own property is the height of arrogance at minimum.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
More Private Property Rights...Up in Smoke
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6 comments:
Yeah, personal freedom and choice is kinda important.
Could be worse though... you could be looking at legislation to protect toilet seats from overuse.
Oh, wait, sorry about that. Forgot about Meadows in the back there.
--Nick
www.RightMichigan.com
THE MLBA SHOULD IMMEDIATELY PROMOTE A ONE DAY BOYCOT OF KENO TO LET THE GOVERMENT KNOW WE TAKE THIS SERIOUS. THE GOVT. ONLY CARES ABOUT MONEY SO IT WOULD GET ATTENTION.
In being in states like Florida where smoking in restaurants is not allowed...it's great! The restaurant owners say it speeds table turn (no lingering smoking after eating) and the waitresses love it for the above reason plus not having to work in a smoke environment. The owners do not want to make the no smoking decision but they would welcome the ban if someone else makes it!
I understand private property rights, but if the gov't can regulate the preperation, etc. of the food to ensure cleanliness, etc., then why not the air in which we eat it?
It is a health issue and it is about time we did something about it. We care about our health. If the smokers don't care about their health, that is their business. This will lower the health insurance and reduce the number of heart problems, which has been proven already.
Very belated comment, but we are having this issue in our town right now, and I hear a lot of the same misguided "private property" arguments. A restaurant, which has to have a business license, is subject to regulations not applicable to private homes, for instance. You aren't required to have handicapped access to your front door. You don't need separate restrooms. You are allowed to have cockroaches running around your kitchen. Etc.
I've never really understood how someone can try to use a rights argument to justify behavior that we actually know is directly (immediately) harmful to other people in a public venue (the health effects of smoke wrt to things like the cardiovascular system are very well documented, not to mention people with asthma, allergies, etc). Name another area where we protect such a "right" to harm others..
Also, a very similar "let the market handle it" approach would apply to race. Imagine (I know it's hard) a situation where a largely white neighborhood has almost all of its restaurants being very hostile to black patrons, saying they can take their business elsewhere if they don't like it. Eventually you have a small number of blacks-accepted establishments, and that population would be cut out of a large part of the life of that town (shows, films, particular specialty restaurants, etc).
If anything, the ability to smoke should be an exception, and restaurants can choose to provide suitable accomodations for that which separate them from others and allow them to take the risk on themselves without pushing it onto others.
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