Personal Choice In Chimeria: Smoking
I'm a non-smoker. Have been for awhile, now. For me, quitting was a personal, private, and completely autonomous choice. My choice. And I see no reason to explain that choice to anyone, here or anywhere else.
Being a non-smoker does not mean I'm an anti-smoker. Indeed, I have lots of sympathy for those who are smokers. Their status as first-class citizens is being denied based simply on a choice. Their choice.
In Chimeria, choice will be a matter of personal preference. Those who smoke will have access to all kinds of places where smoking is allowed. Those places -- restaurants, bars, etc. -- will naturally be staffed by other smokers. Despite what the anti-smoking control freaks are screaming about, the technology does exist to "scrub" indoor air of smoke, as well as other contaminants. Matter of fact, "scrubbed" air is probably cleaner than regular air.
Non-smokers will also be able to access these same kinds of places, and they will be smoke-free. They won't be the same places, merely the same kind. Want to go out for dinner? Choose between smoking and non-smoking establishments.
Who gets to determine which restaurants are smoking and which are non-smoking? Well, to begin with, I'd say the owner of the business decides. After a time, the marketplace itself will decide for him. That which is not profitable will die. And the government will not rush in to the rescue.
Fair enough?
Being a non-smoker does not mean I'm an anti-smoker. Indeed, I have lots of sympathy for those who are smokers. Their status as first-class citizens is being denied based simply on a choice. Their choice.
In Chimeria, choice will be a matter of personal preference. Those who smoke will have access to all kinds of places where smoking is allowed. Those places -- restaurants, bars, etc. -- will naturally be staffed by other smokers. Despite what the anti-smoking control freaks are screaming about, the technology does exist to "scrub" indoor air of smoke, as well as other contaminants. Matter of fact, "scrubbed" air is probably cleaner than regular air.
Non-smokers will also be able to access these same kinds of places, and they will be smoke-free. They won't be the same places, merely the same kind. Want to go out for dinner? Choose between smoking and non-smoking establishments.
Who gets to determine which restaurants are smoking and which are non-smoking? Well, to begin with, I'd say the owner of the business decides. After a time, the marketplace itself will decide for him. That which is not profitable will die. And the government will not rush in to the rescue.
Fair enough?
posted by Chimera at 5:43 PM
9 Comments:
What's the cost of a house in this Chimeria? Is it far from Edmonton?
Ya know what I hate, is people telling me how BAD it is for me....DUH REALLY !!!! I HAD NO IDEA !!!! Think of it this way, I'll be less of a burdon on the healthcare system cause I won't live long enough to have a doctor charge $900 to clip my friggin toenails.
Man, taxes would go through the roof wih the cigarette tax, my neighbor is BEGGING me not to quite....
hello chimera brother ...
WE ARE THE FRENCH CHIMERAS...
http://thechimeras.blogspot.com/
keyboard stuck -- testing on-screen keyboard -- patience, please...
Stupid FilterKeys! Aaarrrrrgh! What was MS thinking with that pain-in-the-ass program?
If anyone else has trouble with it, check this out to permanently disable the bitch:
http://internetducttape.com/2006/08/30/stupid-windows-features-disable-filterkeys-permanently/
Now...where was I? Oh, yeah.
Hey! Good ta see ya back in action, Dazz!
I'm planning a post on housing. I want to keep the cost down and the options as open as possible. I like the idea of freespan with moveable interior walls. Got any suggestions?
As for location, I'm envisioning an island about the size of Vancouver Island. Or Newfoundland. Something of a size that is not only manageable, but self-sustaining. Hell, while we're at it, why not go for mobile, as well? It therefore has to be surrounded by water. And the biggest pond on the planet is the Pacific Ocean.
Aux chimères: Bonjour, mon ami, et bienvenue! Ma commande de Français n'est pas presque aussi bonne que votre commande de l'anglais.
If there is good fishing somewhere close to Chimeria... I'm there.
I would love to live in a place that tossed out political correctness and brought back common sense!
We should be surrounded by good fishing...
And what job would you like to get us started?
Well, I too feel sorry for the bedraggled smokers huddled outside offices sucking a drag until I think their smoke-induced illnesses will cost us all mounds of money in the health care system. In any Chimeria, I'd raise cigarette taxes so high they' finally cry uncle and quit.
(I smoked for many years but saw the light in 1974)
I wouldn't raise the taxes on cigarettes. I'm opposed to high taxes on anything. There's another way.
Most of the poisons in cigarettes are not found in the tobacco, but in the additives. Get rid of the additives and most of the problem (including addiction) is gone. So...no cigarettes in Chimeria, except for those you roll for yourself, with the tobacco you grow for yourself.
Want to smoke? Grow your own.
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