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Is this smoking ban too far?

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Jeff Horton said:
I don't typically respond (or read) threads like this because they end up in debate and turn ugly. I don't think that will happen here so I will toss out my .02 cents.
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I, too, have held my tongue, but here goes anyway....

Yes, I think that anyone smoking in an enclosed space with children present is obviously the product of an evolutionary cul-d-sac, should be yanked out of the car and slapped around a bit, and have his/her breeding privileges revoked. Do I think that it should be done by the government...probably not.

Remember: A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take everything you have. (Gerald Ford)
 
I am quite sure that this law will be overturned when and if it reaches the court system. Locally banning a legal drug is illegal.
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They are not banning a legal substance, merely regulating its use. A distinct difference. Governments are free to regulate all sorts of legal things, and they do it all the time. Automobiles are legal, for instance. Yet every governmental body has the authority to regulate where you can operate one, how fast, etc. Creating legislation in the name of general safety and well-being of the public is clearly within the powers of local government.

On its face, I see no legal or constitutional reason why such a ban would be overturned, though it's possible that it could be overturned legislatively.

In any case, I'm all for it. The only people who are inconvenienced by the law are those who would otherwise light up near their children - the people the law intended to target.

Cheers,

Kevin
 
tod evans said:
it`s really for me to understand how anybody could choose to legislate for or against moral issues.......next folks will be proposing that anybody more than 15 lbs overweight be sent to a government internment camp and fed beans-n-rice `till their weight conforms to the publics view of "perfection" and heaven forbid that a child......any child......be FAT.......the parents should be flogged in public........get real here folks!......tod
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You hit the nail right on the head Tod.
 
ok its my turn

well tod definatly said it up frt but i do have alittel to add. i see this going to far by the polotical folks .. i dont like being told what to do by someone that doesnt abide by it themselfs. for instance i was at the docotors office one day and was told that i was to heavy and needed to loose some weight like 20 pounds.. it infuruated me that i was being told this by a nurse and docotor both of which were over the perfect no.s from the chart.. but i bit my lip and did what i was told came back and made the grade,, then after another trip 6 months later i had gained a little back decided my life wasnt fun anymore with out the beer and tobacco,, yup i am a vice ridden redneck. anyway while waiting to get in to see the doc i was ready cause everyone of his lady workers were well past the chart, 3 went out for cig breaks while i was there and he and his assit doc both had gained more than i had.. he didnt say a word to me about the 6pds i agained. i have been in aclose quarters with smokers and if i get more than i can handle i leave if dont want any of it i leave. its my choice and i can still think for myself! but we as a group of humans need to proteck our children and others children too. some folks dont know how to care for there own properly. oki amdun NEXT
 
As someone that, at one point in their life had a seven (yes 7) pack a day smoking habit, I have been on both sides of this fence. Thankfully it was only that bad for about 6 months and I quite a little more than a year later when I had a lung infection that reduced my breathing capacity by about 70% and I couldn't smoke for nearly 2 weeks. Quit cold turkey at that point from a roughly 1 pack a day habit. I grew up with a mother who smoked too. I am now at the point where I am allergic to cigarette smoke. If someone who has just been outside smoking walks up to me anywhere at work, I have to immediately excuse myself and get at least 10 feet away from them or I will get sick enough to have to go home.

All this is to get to the point that, I fully understand the need some people have to smoke. I fully agree with a person's right to smoke. What I don't agree with is that they have any right to bring that smoke to me. A smoking room is not sufficient. They need a detox room next to it that they have to stay in for 10-20 minutes before they come mix with the rest of us. I know now that I didn't have a clue the impact I was having on other people that did not smoke. My sister and brother-in-law are in this category. They don't understand why I will no longer visit them in their house even though I have told them it makes me physically ill.

Anyway, to get back to the original thread topic directly, I completely agree with the law that has been passed. The potential impact on children cannot be ignored. I also agree that the issue of drug use (alcohol was initially mentioned) and it's impact on others should be discussed at a better level than it is but that's for another thread. I also agree that a man's (or woman's) home is his castle. What is done behind the privacy of those closed doors is their choice. However, I also have grave concerns about the health of a child in a smoke filled house and would give serious thought to supporting a law that equated smoking in a home with children akin to child abuse. As a 'victim' of such abuse, I do believe that it has the same long term potential affect on a child's life that physical or emotional abuse does. In many cases it has similar short term effects as will as it definitely abuses kids with asthma and similar physical ailments and 'may' even cause them.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox as well. :soapbox:
 
My only thoughts are this. They also need to ban or regulate the use of popato chips, soft drinks, McDonald's food, candy, and everything else that is "dangerous to ones health". I'm sure we could add TV to the mix, since if you sit in front of the TV you aren't getting exercise. How about tools! They can cause all kinds of mayhem!:rofl:

I agree kids should be protected. I'm just not sure the government should legislate social change. I also don't want to live in a country where the government is telling its citizens what to do and when to do it. Reminds me of some of the governments in the middle east and asia.

I have mixed feelings on the smoking thing. I think there are certian places that smoking should not be allowed. Stadiums, libraries, movie theaters, etc... However, I see no problem with bars allowing smoking if they want to.

The best way as I see it, is through education. The industry has already seen a reduction in the number of smokers in this country and if the trend continues, smoking will die on its own instead of being legislated.

Just my thoughts and you are welcome to agree or disagree!:thumb:
 
all, should parents who choose to live in los angles or new york be likewised punished for the damage living in a cloud of smog is causing their children?
how about folks who live close to high powered microwave transmission towers....should they be punished?
folks who exceed the speed limit with a child in the car, folks who boil water or fry fatening foods while their toddler is in the kitchen.....
should folks who smoke and have children have their children placed in a state home? how about the obese.......should they be held accountable for passing their lifestyle on to their children? obesity damages far more families today than smoking........let`s go further.......should we as a nation refuse to trade with nations who don`t conform with our ideals? should towns or counties have the right to refuse admittance to folks who wear pleated britches?........try removing the term "smoking" from the discussion and add any other health threat in its place and see if any of you would feel as animate about such legislation........tod
 
Jeff Horton said:
What I hate is laws that are designed to protect me from myself. For example is it the governments job to tell me to wear a seat belt? Or wear a helmet when I ride a motorcycle?
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Those laws aren't to protect you from your actions, they're to protect me from your actions.

Sorry, but the idea that "I'm only hurting myself" doesn't cut it, not in a world with manditory insurance and tax-subsidized emergency rooms. Every idiot who unnecessarily ends up in the ER (or worse, the ICU) raises the cost of living for the rest of society, either in higher taxes or higher insurance bills.
 
I quit smoking again on Sunday 12/31. This time I was clean for 5 days before I decided that I'm just not ready to quit. I know all the reasons I should, and I know that I can get along without smoking (never have had any physical withdrawl issues)... but at this point, like an idiot, I'm choosing to smoke on the occasions when I enjoy it. There were a whole lot of times when I was smoking 'just because', and not because I really wanted one. When I 'quit' earlier in 2006 (13 days), I never went back to it as heavily as before... and so far, I've cut back again. Even as a smoker, I smell it on other people, and I'm very much aware of the smell on me.

While I think it's a good idea to not smoke in the car with the young'uns in there (and especially with the windows rolled up like my dad used to do!!), I think they're going a bit too far with the policing. And I think it's absolutely over the line to carry that over to the home... but it's just a matter of time.

KC
 
Agree with the other Frank. Tantamount to abuse. This is a touchy subject. Smokers are addicted and it is impossible to reason with addiction. Not a slam at the people, just a fact of life. Legislation to protect children is necessary.
 
Frank Fusco said:
Agree with the other Frank. Tantamount to abuse. This is a touchy subject. Smokers are addicted and it is impossible to reason with addiction. Not a slam at the people, just a fact of life. Legislation to protect children is necessary.
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yup! take their kids away by golly! lock-em up...:eek: :eek: ......i promise there will be more than one shootout before that happens......try being somewhat realistic frank......smoking is legal, so`s drinkin`, cussin and spittin` on the sidewalk.......passing laws to enforce anybodies moral values on somebody else just flat ain`t gonna work......more folks are killin` their kids by promoting a sedintary lifestyle than by smoking......let`s by golly take their kids too! and how `bout the folks who let their kids ride horses or dirt bikes.....more of those in intensive care every year than kids with smoking related illness........take their kids too! mc donalds........tickets given with each happy meal......that`ll help too........better yet let`s pass legislation that kids cannot be born untill the parents pass judgement from the moral police.....they might afterall harbor subversive thoughts:eek: :eek: ......this thread really gets me goin`........can ya` tell?
 
Lee DeRaud said:
Those laws aren't to protect you from your actions, they're to protect me from your actions.

Sorry, but the idea that "I'm only hurting myself" doesn't cut it, not in a world with manditory insurance and tax-subsidized emergency rooms. Every idiot who unnecessarily ends up in the ER (or worse, the ICU) raises the cost of living for the rest of society, either in higher taxes or higher insurance bills.
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Your right on about this Lee! :thumb:
 
tod evans said:
yup! take their kids away by golly! lock-em up...:eek: :eek: ......i promise there will be more than one shootout before that happens......try being somewhat realistic frank......smoking is legal, so`s drinkin`, cussin and spittin` on the sidewalk.......passing laws to enforce anybodies moral values on somebody else just flat ain`t gonna work......more folks are killin` their kids by promoting a sedintary lifestyle than by smoking......let`s by golly take their kids too! and how `bout the folks who let their kids ride horses or dirt bikes.....more of those in intensive care every year than kids with smoking related illness........take their kids too! mc donalds........tickets given with each happy meal......that`ll help too........better yet let`s pass legislation that kids cannot be born untill the parents pass judgement from the moral police.....they might afterall harbor subversive thoughts:eek: :eek: ......this thread really gets me goin`........can ya` tell?
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Yes, Tod I can tell, and I even agree with some of what you say. But, I still think that this would be a great law.
 
Travis S Johnson said:
I am not sure if any of you have heard about this. But in Bangor Maine, the city council has made it a new law that bans smoking inside a vehicle while minors are present anywhere in the city limits
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Read the statement again regarding the law in Bangor. It says that it is illegal to smoke in your vehicle if there are minors present anywhere in the city. I would think that there will always be some minors somewhere in the city so in effect it is always illegal to smoke in your vehicle. This is what prompted me to make my first statement and in my opinion is going to far.

Not even considering the law cited above, I totaly agree with Tod. If you do not believe in freedom of choice it would be best to just lay down and go along with all new laws regardess of their effect on the citizens. There are countries that do not have freedom of choice and personally I would not like to live there.
 
Allen Bookout said:
Read the statement again regarding the law in Bangor. It says that it is illegal to smoke in your vehicle if there are minors present anywhere in the city. I would think that there will always be some minors somewhere in the city so in effect it is always illegal to smoke in your vehicle. This is what prompted me to make my first statement and in my opinion is going to far.
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Oh good grief.

Here's an article on the law: http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=143547&zoneid=176
I quote: "As drafted, the ordinance would prohibit anyone from lighting up cigarettes, pipes or cigars in any motor vehicle when any person under age 18 is in the vehicle." Which is rather different from your (mis)interpretation.

The article points out that similar statewide laws already exist in Arkansas and Louisiana.
 
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Yes, I meant to say that it is illegal for a person to smoke in the car with children in the car anywhere that the car is within city limits...just to clarify things.
 
I read the link listed above and I must say that it is a bit dated. When they voted the law in, they changed it to read "Primary Law" meaning you can be stopped and cited for this single offense. A big difference over a secondary law. I was not aware that other states had this law as well.
 
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