makeshiftmind

So this morning I got into an argument at work about, of all things, the proposed smoking ban in St. Louis.

Basically the smoking ban will require all private businesses to disallow smoking on their premises, with a few exceptions (someone mentioned bars that generate 70%+ of their revenune through alcohol).

Now, generally speaking, IT folk are Conservative or Libertarian — very few are liberal.  And yet, I was shocked and dismayed by the statist propositions in this particular argument.  Nearly everyone involved favored a prohibition on smoking, citing various health studies etc. that “proved” that legislation against smoking would be beneficial to the public at large.

One particular proponent of the ban justified his position on the twin pillars of his allergies (e.g., “I should be able to go to any restaurant and not have to breathe smoke”), and his misunderstanding of what constitutes a “public place” (e.g., not a taxpayer funded location, but rather, any place that people are gathered, including private restaurants).

When I tried to argue against said legislation by suggesting that it was immoral for proponents to think their comfort levels should dictate what individuals do with their private property, I met a tremendous amount of resistance, and the “debate” was promptly ended.

This is why America is in the shit can folks.  Because otherwise intelligent people do not really understand what really constitutes liberty and private property.  When the Conservatives advocate Fascism, we really have no hope.

Needless to say, it was a depressing day.