Drew

I smoke. Not particularly proud of it, but neither am I ashamed of it. I completely agree that smoking should not be allowed in places like grocery stores, office buildings, Target, the DMV, etc. But for bars, restaurants, pool halls and the like, it should be the owner's choice. The owner can decide which way he wants to run the risk of losing some business.

Seems that many of the anti-smoking activists are of the new Repulican variety, which is odd since the party is supposedly for less gov't intervention and a 'get out of my life' policy.

I don't see a problem correlating smoking with food or alcohol. If you drink too much, it's a health hazard. If you eat crappy, fatty food all the time, that's a health hazard. Will it be coming down the pipe that if you eat a fast food burger more than twice a week (and not enough veggies) you'll get fined? High fat diets lead to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Too much imbibing could mean you'll need a new liver one day. That's expensive. I mean, why should I, who eats a balanced and healthy diet and consumes alcohol very moderately, have to fork over money to subsidize your increased medical bills due to unhealthy eating/drinking habits? Good thing there's a 'Crap Food Ban' and an 'Easy on the Partying' rule. Now if we only can get the gov't to pass a law whereby I can sue somebody if they say something mean to me, thereby damaging my self-esteem and requiring therapy and/or compensation for lost wages because I was too upset to make it to work...