...is coming to my state:
A statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants looks likelier than ever.
For several years the biggest obstacle to the ban has been the Republican majority in the state House of Representatives, which was swayed by the concerns of restaurant and bar owners who said the ban would hurt their business. With Democrats set to take control of the House in January, supporters believe their time has come.
For which I'm to blame, as the good Fraters point out:
And yet, the smarter-than-thou libertarians will continue to assure you that there is no difference between the two parties.
The mistake here lies in assuming that Republicans could have prevented a statewide smoking ban. True, they would have stood up to it for a limited period of time, but eventually Republicans would have lost power, whereupon the liberty-loathing Democrats would have banned smoking anyway.
As I mentioned in last week's column, there's not point to sliding gradually into tyranny. Conservatism is a failed idealogy, and the smoking ban is a perfect example of this.
I'll be lighting up my pipe this weekend in honor of the home state slipping into sheer idiocy. Since most of the bars I go to don't allow smoking and most bars frown upon pipe smoking, this won't affect me much, but it bothers my libertarian bones.
For the record, there is no difference between the two parties and I am smarter than you. So there.
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2 comments:
Perhaps you could start a private smoking club?
That's not a bad idea, although they already have something of the kind in St. Paul. It's called Stogie's on Grand, and, ironically, one of the chief proponents of the smoking ban in Minneapolis got caught smoking there. Oh the hilarity.
For now I'm in Houghton, and the bars I go to allow for smoking. That said, I do like your idea, and I can see smoking clubs springing up if they 1) will be allowed by the infernal government and 2) they will be allowed to serve drinks.
Oh wait, we had those! They were called bars and then the government had to step in. Dash it all.
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