Miasmatic Review

Next I won't be allowed to drink a beer.

We have yet another example of how the Illinois Government is trying to control its citizens. Yesterday the Illinois House passed a statewide smoking ban. Folks, this is just another freedom taken away from us by the government.

First let me preface this by saying I don’t smoke… anymore. I quit on November 18th cold turkey and I haven’t looked back. Yes I still have the urge to light one up, especially when I’ve been drinking. But I just ignore it, and it goes away. So this ban really doesn’t have that big of an effect on me… or does it?

When I did smoke, and some businesses around here voluntarily went smokeless, I was upset. I liked those establishments, however I wasn’t going to go to a bar or restaurant that I couldn’t smoke in. Thus I stopped frequenting those establishments for other businesses that would allow me to smoke while I had a pint or two. (Okay twelve, whom am I kidding) Now I may have quit, but I have many of friends that do smoke. When we go out, they like to light up while we sit at the bar.

We can’t smoke in the bars here? Well Wisconsin is only 30 minutes north of here, oh and they have a lower sales tax rate… LETS GO THERE! So no, it’s not going to have an affect on my smoking habits, just where I am going to go drinking on the weekends when I hang out with my friends that do. Trust me, smokers are a resilient group. My company banned smoking on the grounds last November. Even on the coldest days of the winter our employees that didn’t want to quit smoking could be seen standing out in the street braving the wind and the cold just to light up. Do you really think by banning smoking is going to stop them?

Now someone will tell me that they aren’t doing this to stop people from smoking, just protect non-smokers from second hand smoke. I say bullshite. First off, you are protecting no one. Anybody that claims that they don’t know smoking is bad for them has either had a full lobotomy or is just plain dealing with a single digit IQ. Ever since I can remember they government and every medical professional I know has been harping on the fact that smoking is bad for you. Now, I know the arguments for whether or not second hand smoke is bad for you. Folks, I’ll be honest I don’t know which side to believe. Mainly because I have spent absolutely NO time looking into it or doing any of my own research. I just don’t care, but for the sake of this argument I will acquiesce that it is harmful.

So if it’s harmful, and people are aware that it is harmful, why do they just not avoid it? There are plenty of bars, restaurants and pubs that the OWNERS chose to be smoke free. Why not just go there? If you go to an establishment that you know allows smoking, then you are choosing to expose yourself to it. If you can’t control your own actions, then maybe you should not leave your house with out proper supervision. If you take your kids to one of these places, it’s your own damned fault for doing so. But NOOOOoooo, instead these whiney self-centered jerks went off and got the government to inconvenience everyone else just so THEY could go to places they wanted.

Personally, I think the whole smoking issue should be up the individual that smokes and the establishment owner. If a person wants to smoke, that is there right. If a proprietor wants to allow smoking at their place of business, that should be their decision. The government needs to keep to running the country and not our lives. They need to look after the war, the illegal immigrants and enforcing the laws that exist.

It’s time to start voting these jokers out of office.