Pa None Smoking!

LydiaNN · Oct 21, 2005

Given the fact that Congress just passed Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act, I'm kind of surprised that states are going in a seemingly opposite direction when it comes to smoking. The Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act seems to imply that the government will have nothing to do with the poor choices in food we make (especially once we realize how much damage we did to our bodies and feel like someone should pay). I'm all about the way we vote with our pocketbooks. If I don't like the fact that a bar is filled with smoke, I won't go there. There are plenty of bars that aren't. And if someone is blowing smoke in my face at a bar, I'll ask them to stop blowing smoke in my face. We have choices, and by throwing the ball in the court of our state governments, we're giving them the power to make our choices for us. The way people complain about smokey bars and restaurants leads me to believe that if a bar/restaurant owner wanted to make his own bar non-smoking, he or she would still have plenty of patrons, and the government wouldn't have to get involved. I strongly believe that we do have choices. A person chooses to light up, and in the same way, we CHOOSE to expose ourselves to their second-hand smoke and continue to patronize bars and restaurants that promote a smoke-filled environment. I'm sure that there are non-smoker consumer advocacy groups out there, and I think organizing some sort of boycott of smoke-filled bars and restaurants, even if it was in one city, would be really effective. The government getting heavily involved in business is never really a good idea, and I strongly detest the idea of the government getting involved in the personal choices we make about our health, even if it's a choice that I wouldn't make for myself.

Personal responsibility is one thing. You have total control over what you choose to eat. Big Macs don't permeate the air. Cigarette smoke does. It isn't a valid comparison. As far as choosing where one goes, that is also easier said than done. We all have to attend functions that we don't schedule ourselves, and so do our children.

luvnrsing · Oct 21, 2005

As a person who chooses not to smoke, I feel that I am not the one who should be limited in my restaurant choices. It is not good enough to simply "not go to an establishment that allows smoking". I should have the right to go anywhere I want without having to inhale someone else's nasty habit. Since it is the smoker who chooses to pollute their own lungs with a carcinogen then it is they who need to be limited in their choice of establishment and not the other way around. I do expect the government to enforce my right to fresh air.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 22, 2005

Where did I read:

"putting a non-smoking section in a restaurant is like having a no-peeing section in a public pool"

I see the point. So glad all restaurants are non-smoking in my city, too. It's so great not to have to wade through a cloud of smoke to the "non-smoking" section or smell the stuff in the so-called "non-smoking" section of the restaurant. I really notice when I go to a place in another city where smoking is permitted. It's very unpleasant, gets my allergies going and worse, causes my asthmatic son to wheeze. I believe all restaurants should be non-smoking.

Now bars? I think that is a different story. But then, I am not a big drinker.

tattooednurse · Oct 22, 2005

the state of arkansas passed a law that was effective oct first banning smoking on hospital grounds

dreatx · Oct 22, 2005

Personal responsibility is one thing. You have total control over what you choose to eat. Big Macs don't permeate the air. Cigarette smoke does. It isn't a valid comparison. As far as choosing where one goes, that is also easier said than done. We all have to attend functions that we don't schedule ourselves, and so do our children.

I am curious. What places are there that are full of kids and allow smoking? restuarants are the only places i could think of that might be a problem. The kiddies should not be going to bars.

As a person who chooses not to smoke, I feel that I am not the one who should be limited in my restaurant choices. It is not good enough to simply "not go to an establishment that allows smoking". I should have the right to go anywhere I want without having to inhale someone else's nasty habit. Since it is the smoker who chooses to pollute their own lungs with a carcinogen then it is they who need to be limited in their choice of establishment and not the other way around. I do expect the government to enforce my right to fresh air.

Why do you feel that way about your restaurant choices? Do you own those places? Did you take the risk of starting those businesses? No need to answer. Also, I don't know why you feel you have the right to go on private property not owned by you and not have to deal with anything that you don't like. And why do you expect the government to enforce your right to comfort in private places owned by others rather than enforcing the freedom of people to do what they will with their money and their businesses? I am sure smoking is already banned in your workplace and in the mall and the grocery store.

BTW, I don't smoke and I stay out of cigar bars because i can't handle it. Not trying to get them shut down, though.

Someday-C.R.N.A. · Oct 22, 2005

So if I buy a tavern, I cannot smoke in MY building?

That's CRAZY!!

I understand people not wanting to be around second hand smoke, especially in a restaurant, but the government should not be telling me whether or not I can smoke in MY building!!

I have a RIGHT to own property, and to do whatever I please on MY property. (So long as it's not against the law, etc.)

You do NOT have a right to come on to MY property and tell me what to do.

A non-smoker going to a smoking bar and complaining of the smoke is no different than a vegetarian going to a butcher shop and complaining about all the meat. Maybe butcher shops should be required to have a vegetarian section so that vegetarians aren't so uncomfortable when they are there. ...........No, that won't work, all the broccoli will smell like that horrible meat. I know, why not just outlaw cows altogether?.....I mean they take up alot of room, they are the leading cause of horrible fatty meat products (not healthy), and they smell really bad. And after all, I have a RIGHT to be able to drive down the street (past a farm) and not smell cow junk, right??

This whole thing is horrible.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Oct 22, 2005

You raise a valid point, Someday CRNA.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 22, 2005

That is why I mention the difference. I think disallowing smoking in bars and casinos is unfair and wrong. Most people going these places expect smoking and deal with it---you don't need a beer or a game of craps to live----but you do need to eat......

I just want to be able to eat, and for my family to be able to eat---in a family restaurant like Outback or Olive Garden, for example, without having to have my allergies go into high-alert mode and watch my son wheeze, all because cigarette smoke (that can't be filtered no matter how you try) is in the air, and getting in our lungs as we try to eat. Generally in such places, they put the bar in the front or center of the restaurant, and even if smoking is only allowed there, we all are miserable from it by the time we leave. I think it's not too much to ask to disallow smoking in eating establishments. Smoking and eating just don't mix, and never did, even when I was a smoker.

rgrgray · Oct 22, 2005

well said I totally agree with you!!!!! let the owners make the choice if you dont like it dont go if you do enjoy

LydiaNN · Oct 22, 2005

That is why I mention the difference. I think disallowing smoking in bars and casinos is unfair and wrong. Most people going these places expect smoking and deal with it---you don't need a beer or a game of craps to live----but you do need to eat......
I just want to be able to eat, and for my family to be able to eat---in a family restaurant like Outback or Olive Garden, for example, without having to have my allergies go into high-alert mode and watch my son wheeze, all because cigarette smoke (that can't be filtered no matter how you try) is in the air, and getting in our lungs as we try to eat. Generally in such places, they put the bar in the front or center of the restaurant, and even if smoking is only allowed there, we all are miserable from it by the time we leave. I think it's not too much to ask to disallow smoking in eating establishments. Smoking and eating just don't mix, and never did, even when I was a smoker.

And what about the people who work in these establishments? Is there some reason they shouldn't be covered by OSHA protections? Are they meant to choose between making a living and not being exposed to a toxin that may make them cause them discomfort, asthma, allergies, or even worse, die a horrible death? We've had a smoking ban in bars for years in this state, and guess what? People get used to it.

LydiaNN · Oct 22, 2005

So if I buy a tavern, I cannot smoke in MY building?
That's CRAZY!!
I understand people not wanting to be around second hand smoke, especially in a restaurant, but the government should not be telling me whether or not I can smoke in MY building!!
I have a RIGHT to own property, and to do whatever I please on MY property. (So long as it's not against the law, etc.)
You do NOT have a right to come on to MY property and tell me what to do.
A non-smoker going to a smoking bar and complaining of the smoke is no different than a vegetarian going to a butcher shop and complaining about all the meat. Maybe butcher shops should be required to have a vegetarian section so that vegetarians aren't so uncomfortable when they are there. ...........No, that won't work, all the broccoli will smell like that horrible meat. I know, why not just outlaw cows altogether?.....I mean they take up alot of room, they are the leading cause of horrible fatty meat products (not healthy), and they smell really bad. And after all, I have a RIGHT to be able to drive down the street (past a farm) and not smell cow junk, right??
This whole thing is horrible.

Ah, yes, you have the right to do whatever you please on your property, with the proviso that you have put into your own post... as long as it's not against the law. If smoking in public places is illegal where you live, how do you figure that you can smoke there just because you happen to own the place? Do you believe yourself to be free to commit other crimes there, too?

LydiaNN · Oct 22, 2005

Testing...