Message to Considerate Smokers

yeah, but you can flip that around. Suppose that I was in a park, away from the play areas and other people, smoking away and minding my own business and some guy walks over and tells me that I need to move because he wants to throw the football with his son and he doesn't want his son to breathe cigarette smoke, don't I have the right to tell him to piss off or deal with it, since I was there first?

Or should I let him get his way?


That crap does happen, by the way.

Understadable arguement, and I usually say something to "inconsiderate" smokers. On the same token, compare the ratio of inconsiderate/considerate smokers to say, parents with loud children. If I asked a parent to politely quiet their child or to move some where else, how often do you think they will or will not do so? Compare that to how many smokers won't put out a cigarette. It's gotten to the point where most smokers are more gracious when comes to being accomedating to non-smokers. Also, I don't blame "non-smokers". Most of the non-smokers I know don't care about smoking policies one way or the other. It's the "smoke police" who use shabby junk science to push their political agendas or perch themselves on a mountain of self-righteousness.

i personally don't think there should be a widespread ban on smoking in public places like there currently is in New York City....however, businesses individually should be given the choice on whether or not they should allow customers to smoke...if a lot of customers who don't smoke complain to the owners at a resturaunt or other public place and it seems as if the majority of their customers are complaining about a few smokers then a ban should be put in place in their business....on the other side, a place like a bar where a lot of people usually do a smoke, a ban should not be put in place...in other words, businesses should take it in their own discretion on whether or not they will allow smoking....

in a public place such as a park--the parks department should put up signs against smoking near playgrounds or other areas where there are a lot of children.....

by the way, i am not a smoker, but i tend not to complain about smokers when i go to parties...however most smokers i know are considerate and go outside to smoke....when they can't go outside, they make sure that the smoke is not going in my direction...i wear contact lenses so my eyes are kind of sensetive to my eyes...but if i go to a party where a lot of people smoke, i would never tell people to stop smoking on my behalf...it wouldn't be fair.....i always bring my glasses with me or eye drops.....i have no problem with it....

Smoke is an irritant even to non-asthmatics, idiot.

Exactly. Banning smoking in bars just hurts business, and shows what a Nanny-State the US is becoming.

That's some bad hat, Harry.

It wasn't the inconsiderate smokers, it was all the BS statistics and "research" the EPA did in the early '90s that was ignored by the federal government because it was unfounded and bias. Since then however, a lot of organizations and other people in the local and state level picked up that same report to base their conclusions and pass laws against smokers.

"The rest of the world is involved."
"I don't care about the rest of the world."

>inconsiderate smokers smoking in doorways...

Oh, you mean because we have been BANNED from smoking in indoor public places?

>...leaving their butts on the ground...

Because here in Los Angeles circa 1980 our City Council and County Board of Supervisors decided to remove the public ashtrays from parks, beaches and public places in order to discourage smoking. BTW, the special extra cigarette taxes
back then were used to pay for government-provided ashtrays at City and County parks, beaches and public places, and the janitors to maintain them.
Those taxes were not used to pay for antismoking programs, tobacco control, children's programs, or for Rob Reiner's fat mouth.
Unfortunately for us smokers, with the passage of Prop 13 and the subsequent loss of property tax revenue to our State and local governments, the special State cigarette taxes that were meant to provide ashtrays and janitorial services was conveniently converted to offset the revenue shortfall.

Thirty years later, with nowhere else to put our butts, we are banned from public smoking due to 'littering'. Would you prefer we put our cigs in THE PAPER TRASHCANS?

>...and smoking around their children.

WHAT? You mean at home? The only certain legal place left for people to smoke?
Who is the family and WHO ARE YOU? We don't need other people destroying our Parental Rights.

And while we are on the topic of "For the Children", isn't it strange how the antismoking pressure groups who invade The Internet pushing for State and Federal programs such as SCHIP which is currently financed by a recent hike in federal tobacco taxes, including a whopping 2000%+ INCREASE in the federal excise tax on loose cigarette tobacco "For the Children", are so quick to tax the smokers to death "For the Children" and yet NEVER MANAGE TO TAX THEMSELVES FOR THESE PROGRAMS, ALWAYS THE SMOKERS OR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THEIR GROUP? What does children's heath insurance have to do with tobacco given the fact that only the smokers are paying for it?

As for smoking and non-smoking bars and restaurants, the City Council of The City of Los Angeles and our City Attorney is currently drafting a proposed smoking ban in outdoor patio areas of bars and restaurants, so if you happen to be living in the City of Los Angeles area, and God help you if you are, then you might want to call your Councilperson ASAP and let them know what you think.
Years ago, the antismoking pressure groups started with the idea of banning Involuntary Exposure to second-hand smoke. All of the usual organizations have been lobbying in L.A. for this ban, and I guess they really mean to ban Voluntary Exposure to smoking now, but please, as a non-smoker, do not run inside a smoker's bar begging of your need for 'clean fresh air'.
Just go back outside, or go to Denny's or any of the hundreds of smoke-free restaurants and bars in L.A.

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