Stick a fork in Huckabee

Not that Mike Huckabee had much of a chance, but his recent stance on a nation-wide smoking ban in public places isn't going to please a lot of people, be they smokers, tobacco employees, or business owners.

I don't smoke anymore. I gave up that habit for my wife and her peace of mind. It wasn't easy, but just because I don't light up anymore means I'm going to jump on the anti-smoking-Nazi bandwagon. To each their own. If people choose to light up, they take all the risks into their hands, so to speak.

Furthermore, in Arizona, we've seen the fallout from such city bans. Mesa (where we live) instituted it, and restaurant owners are screaming. A few years ago, Mesa did a public ban, but was later forced to include an exemption for bars and restaurants that spent the money to separate both areas. But last year, the ban was expanded, and no exemptions were offered. The bar and restaurant owners that spent the money initially to bring back their customers got the shaft. Similar things are happening in Tempe (where vice cops are reassigned to go into bars and make sure no one is smoking), and in Flagstaff (where the enviro-friendly people don't want smoke by their trees, which dissipates after a couple feet anyway).

Smoking bans may work for the right community, but not in a nationwide ban.

HT: Mary Katherine Ham

Publius II