Smoke Screen Celebration For Big Government
Leftist politicians know they’re successful when they can get people to not only accept, but also rejoice having their rights stripped away, accompanied by the expansion of government control. Such is the case this month for Mecklenburg County, where the public policy police were in town to help the masses celebrate the one-year anniversary of the state law that bans smoking in restaurants and bars.
Taking the whole purported dangers-of-second-hand-smoke debate out of the equation (because there’s solid evidence to support both sides of the issue), there’s little worse than having your meal ruined by a cloud of foul-smelling cigarette smoke wafting over a juicy slab of prime rib. That’s why, before the state laid down its law, dinners could – get ready for this unique concept – choose not to frequent restaurants that allowed smoking. Imagine that, freedom of choice.
And that’s why, before the state laid down its law, restaurant and bar owners who thought it was in their best economic interests to attract customers and retain quality employees could – get ready for another unique concept – choose to make their establishments smoke-free, or not. Imagine that, a free-market society.
The state is now making those “choices” for us, and celebrating its help in deciding what is best for the masses, who obviously just don’t know any better.
“It’s all about getting people that safe, healthy place that they’re going to spend a lot of their time,” Mecklenburg Commissioners Chairman Jennifer Roberts, a Democrat champion of the smoking ban, says, “and designating specific areas that are away from others if people do want to continue smoking.”
Which is exactly wrong, because people had both of those things before the smoking ban; they just had a chance to choose for themselves. Now Roberts and her ilk are making the choice for us, convincing people its cause for celebration, and pushing to extend their control into even more corners of private business, personal property and people’s lives.
Hurrah!
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