to the mayor of philadelphia...

[swingchickie]

*big fat round of applause*

for not only passing a smoking ban into law, but enforcing it right away. from now on, when i go out in the city, i will not come home reeking of smoke... and i will not have to leave early because my eyes or lungs are burning from everyone puffing around me. (and i say this as a former smoker who one day woke up and realized what the hell i was doing to my body, and the people around me, and quit.)

YAY to that, i say. YAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!

Comments

[gotzmyntruehope.livejournal.com]

Congrats!

[naughtyboy.livejournal.com]

While I appreciate going out and not smelling like smoke when I come home, its nothing more than the government taking away your rights. What happens when the mayor decides to make it illegal for short chicks to wear big heals?

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

if my wearing high heels hurt everyone around me every time i wore them, i could completely understand a ban against high heels in public. if people want to smoke, absolutely, let them. they certainly have a right, it's their lungs. but when it becomes MY lungs as well, i have an issue with it. people have a right to smoke, but they don't have a right to force other people to smoke (by exposing them to secondhand smoke). i have a right to not be exposed to something carcinogenic when i go out to have a meal or a drink.

[naughtyboy.livejournal.com]

True, and perhaps my heals metaphor was a poor choice. Since you brought up carcinogens and food/drink, what if the mayor decided red meat or non-organic foods were bad for you and passed a bylaw outlawing their sale in restaurants (which has been debated in San Francisco along with a no smoking anywhere concept)?

It bothers me that politicians want to legislate your rights away based on their personal moral beliefs or their view of what is best for the majority. Where should the line be drawn?

[swingchickie.livejournal.com]

i can see your point... but again, if you were eating a burger... and the act of you eating a burger put some of the cholesterol in my body, and i could someday die of a heart attack from the cumulative effect of everyone who's eaten a burger around me... then to me, burger-eating shouldn't be allowed.

i think it'd be stupid for politicians to outlaw something unhealthy just to save people from themselves... if someone wants to eat a burger, or smoke, or drink until they pass out, let them. but if it negatively affects my health when they're doing it near me (like smoking), then i should be protected.