Author: David Dupre (---.sea.siemens.com)
Date: 03-23-07 09:58
Michael,
I agree with the spirit of what you are saying for the most part. These laws are made with good intentions but so is the road to hell. I don't want to breathe anyone else's smoke and, sadly, many smokers tend to be obnoxious about their smoking. I even hold my breathe while I walk through the crowds that now develop at the front of the restaurants. These laws are forcing smokers to exercise more self control by restricting their smoking since they can’t exercise their own by being respectful of others.
We should absolutely expect others to be responsible but do we really need to have a law to force the issue? I have no problem with allowing a bar or restaurant where people are allowed to smoke their brains out. I'm not sure if a loophole allows "private" clubs to do this.
Now I'm venturing off into the more theoretical realm. You are absolutely right that civil liberties don't include actions that are harmful to others. I just believe these laws pass too closely to laws which restrict the way people live and die. Many people choose to ignore the fact that we will all die someday. Since immortality is not an option, the only thing we can wish for is that everyone could choose the manner in which they live and die.
I see very few people making choices that will allow them to live their lives to their fullest potential. Very few people have a lifestyle that includes eating right and exercising in a manner which encourages optimum health. Do people really expect to be able to take a pill to make themselves healthy? Pharmaceutical companies would like you to think so.
I may be alone, but when I think about the “good-old days,” I think back to the 1960’s and 1970s when government was small and there were no laws telling you to wear your helmet or your seatbelt or when you could smoke. It would be foolish not to wear my seatbelt but I don’t think it should be against the law. On the other hand, if someone was a jerk or didn’t respect others, they got their but kicked… Of course, I’m painting a rosy picture of an era and we’ve come a long way from there in many ways.
In short, I’m determined to choose the manner in which I live and I hope to influence the manner in which I die. I don’t want to live in a sanitary plastic bubble. If someone wants to live in a plastic bubble, I believe that’s okay. I take chances every day I get behind the wheel of my automobile, go rock climbing, or go snorkeling or scuba in the wild blue ocean. I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t do those things because I might get hurt.
I'm fed up with frivolous lawsuits and insurance companies dictating laws and public policy and people not taking responsibility for their actions. Laws like this excuse people from being responsible for their actions.
dgd
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