HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0013.205 2002-2004 Arguments Against a Smoking Ban
(or Arguments Against an Intrusive Government)
Who is government that they should tell me how to live my life?
Government has no business dictating to me how to live my life or
what health decisions to make. It has no business dictating to business
owners how to run their businesses. It is not government's place to tell
business owners what kind of restrictions to place on their customers.
Business owners bear the responsibility for the success of their
business. They should be the ones setting the smoking rules for their
establishment. Business owners bear the financial burden for their business.
They are the ones who should decide if they will cater to employees'
preferences for asmoke-free environment. It is not employees who dictate
this rule by having it forced on their employer by the government.
Who should set these rules for a place of business? He who pays the
bills! This decision belongs to the business owner and not to government.
If an employee is bothered by the lack of a smoke-free environment at
work, he or she has the ability to change their place of employment or their
attitude towards smoking. It is not the owner, who owns the establishment,
who pays the bills, who carries the full financial burden of the business, who
should be required to do the changing. And government should certainly
have no say in the matter!
The smoking laws for the population of this island should not be set by
a panel of 9 people!
Smokers, like any other segment of the population, are reasonable
people. They will take it upon themselves to confine their smoking to a
particular area, or they'll move away from a group of people who are
bothered by smoke. They should not be mandated by law to keep their
cigarettes at home. This issue can and should be handled without the
interference of government.
Studies that conclude that second-hand smoke is dangerous to people
and that it has contributed to people's deaths is very questionable.
Submitted by Erma K. Yamada (July 2, 2003)
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