smoking ban what's all the stink about

I'm a libertarian. I believe in freedoms, especially for a deed-holding business owner, to choose what he allows, within legal limits, on his property. Well, what is not legal, is to allow drug deals, prostitution, underage drinking. As a libertarian we're always met with these large questions. In a libertarian society, wouldn't drugs and prostitution be legal? Somewhere along the line it became acceptable in society to draw the line somewhere. Even though I don't believe those activites necessarily hurt anyone, I think that persons under the age of 18 don't need to be participating in drugs, alcohol, or prostitution. There's plenty of time for that, hold on to youth as long as possible.

As of midnight Oct. 1 there's a state wide smoking ban in Minnesota. I am on the fence about this issue for the sole reason that laboratory tests, irrefutable evidence, shows that secondhand smoke actually kills other people. This makes it an issue different from allergies, such as to perfumes, pollen, and dust. However, some allergies, such as peanut allergies, can result in death. I know several places where all peanut related products are strictly banned.

I guess it boils down to an economic question. For as long as bars, bowling alleys, and restaurants who do not allow smoking lose revenue, there will always be an economic motivator for allowing indoor smoking for patrons or risk losing that revenue. With the ban, all establishments are on a level playing field.

I do care about small business owners. I care about them so much that I believe some of their tax burdens should be eliminated. I also believe small business owners have to carry too much for their employees.

There's a tipping point for every societal change. There was once a time, in the old west, when during celebrations in the street, firearms would be discharched. Once in a while a stray bullet would hit an innocent bystander. Today it's called gang violence and perps are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The tide is slowly changing in regards to the cigarettes. This is an evolutionary step for us as a society at large. Our children's generation could repeal the smoking law and there would probably be an intrinsic common sense that we had been waiting on for some time that never arrived due to the staunch beliefs of smokers for their rights and their anti-belief in the hard cold facts that their habits contribute to the deaths of others. We've been waiting and waiting for businesses to self-regulate and the non-libertarians couldn't wait but had to impose their laws.

I believe that this may be a leap of faith for any libertarian that the end may justify the means, the end result being, that our children will not find secondhand smoke acceptable in public and therefore -- repeal away! Bring back the gunslingers and them old faggies.