Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Another Day, Another Smoking Ban

Today, it's West Lafayette. This one comes to us from the Department of Redundancy Department, courtesy of an AP story in the Indy Star:
The City Council gave preliminary approval to a ban on smoking in most workplaces.

Council members voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance on its first reading Monday as about 100 people packed the council chambers.

"This ordinance will do no harm," resident Marshall Crawford said. "The most it will do is inconvenience smokers."

No harm? As a minor side note, could we please consider that it will further erode property rights, as business owners are increasingly told that they cannot set their own policies in their own establishments, as a matter of law? Is that too much to ask? In America?

I am very interested in working with the Libertarian Party of Tippecanoe County to reach out to business owners to let them know that somebody out there is interested in defending their property rights.

2 comments:

Debbie H. said...

Last night, the Jeffersonville Indiana City Council had the second vote for their smoking ban ordinance. It passed 4-3, along party lines. Democrats for it, Republicans against. Some of my personal observations from the meeting are on my blog.

Mike Kole said...

Debbie- that vote is more in line with what I might expect of Republicans on a council. I fully expect Dems to be health nannies and to meddle in business. I hadn't expected Republicans to act this way, although 2005 has served to shatter those illusions.

Of course, you're out there writing your column and generally putting pressure where it belongs, framing the issue as a property rights issue. That has to have an effect.