A year later, Michigan's smoking ban has mixed impact

[gazhekwe]

What? We DYes nonsmokers are the only ones who decided to enact the ban? It feels so great to be so powerful! What else can we get into?

[bailey]

a proposal was made that because of the behavior of smokers, and the sickness associated with smoking, that all public funding or subsidized health care for people who became sick from smoking be eliminated...

i only made comparison to aids, as, although not 100%, several of the most likely ways of getting aids is through behavior, or a choice of behavior, such as intraveneous drug use or unprotected anal sex... just as one might get lung cancer from smoking, although all lung cancer is not caused by smoking, smoking and unprotected sex are both behavioral choices and individual makes....

so this poster felt it would be ok to cut off health care for one group of people [[smokers) who become sick, but would continue to fund health care for other risky behavior that could lead to disease... make sense?

being african american isn't a behavior... you don't just get it because you are african american, so i don't understand what you are saying...

regardless, liberals love freedom of choice, for only two things, homosexuality and abortion, other than that they prefer the government tell people what to do..... like where you can smoke....

and before you run at the mouth calling me homo-phobic, i could care less and support gay marriage [[actually I am anti-government-licenced-marriage in general), and am also pro-choice....

goose..in you're ridiculous hiv non sequitor above and before the thread go off topic ... it's interesting that you've never addressed the issue of why my freedom and the staff's freedom to breathe clean air is trumped by your freedom to blow smoke into my face while I'm eating or they're working? Now, I can not take my food or drink off the premises to eat, but you can surely get up and smoke outside. seems a reasonable compromise wherein everyone gets to enjoy their freedoms.

It's interesting that conservatives are all about majority rules decisions until they find themselves in the minority on an issue ...only THEN do we hear from the right on how important it is that minority rights are protected. funny how that works out.

[[and for about the tenth time... yes the casino exemption is unconstitutional . Also so is the inclusion of private clubs. but that is another issue)

[Lowell]

A most unfortunate aspect of the Michigan smoking ban was that it was legislated. It was done to head off a referendum that was certain to come and allowed for the disgraceful casino exemptions. Had it gone to referendum, it would have been a total ban and would have been overwhelmingly passed.

I was at a casino last week to dine. Walking through the stench of smoke on the gaming floors reconfirmed my how important the ban is. I had forgotten how miserable this was.