Well, it’s heading outside to the patios, at least. The Smoke-Free Illinois Act becomes the law of Lincoln Land on January 1st, 2008. Our “good” governor Blago stopped staring at himself in the mirror long enough to do something decent for a change – he signed the Act into law yesterday.
The right to smoke ends as soon as the smoke touches another person’s lungs. It’s as simple as that, and it’s about damn time that the law recognized this obvious truth.
The inconsiderate & onerous infliction of a smoker’s deadly habit upon others clearly differentiates smoking from other scions of bad health. The over-indulgence in trans fats and complex carbohydrates by my neighbor in a restaurant does not endanger my health or the health of those that work there.
The dreaded “slippery slope” of “nanny state” regulation that some fear is about as frictionless as fly-paper. The much feared fat bans will die in Illinois as soon as the first Southside Chicagocrat can’t get his favorite kielbasa anymore. 
10 responses so far ↓
1
Vonster
// Jul 25, 2007 at 2:15 pm
“The dreaded “slippery slope†of “nanny state†regulation that some fear is about as frictionless as fly-paper.”
Keep telling yourself that.
2
raoul duke
// Jul 25, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I am now hoping we will enact laws banning sick people from public places, they endanger my health and the health of my family. If you knowingly leave the house with anything contagious you should be fined. Now that we have the ball lets run with it.
3
knightindragonland
// Jul 25, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Equating smoking with infectious disease? Yeah … right … sure. That follows logically.
(GONG) Thank you for playing!
4
Anon Omus
// Jul 25, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Look out obesity is ‘Socially Contagious’
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/25/ap3951974.html
Next we will have FAT people regulated next. Then what ugly people?
5
Anon Omus
// Jul 25, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Can not type either, must be those “Socially Contagious” FAT fingers!
6
knightindragonland
// Jul 25, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Anon,
I don’t think government will be trying to regulate friendships anytime soon (the obesity study you mentioned looked at “close social relationships”). If they do try, you’ll have me on your side in protest. But in regards to smoking, I’m a proud nanny.
7
chef Kevin
// Jul 25, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Hey, Knight…off subject a bit but here is one for you. I have heard that people have been returning food to grocery stores and people in restaurants have got up and left because neither establishment couldn’t “prove” that the foods didn’t come from China. Trans fats are old news.
It’s getting waaaaay too twisted.
Even though I’m still against the smoking ban, at least EVERY restaurant & bar is affected and just not certain ones.
8
knightindragonland
// Jul 26, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Good luck trying to go without products that are made in China. Someone tried to do that recently and wrote a book about it. I heard the author interviewed recently, and they couldn’t keep it up once the book was finished. It was impossible.
9
chef Kevin
// Jul 27, 2007 at 10:30 am
Knight –
there are some people who just need to buy some land out in the country and raise their own meat & veggies if they are this concerned.
10
Michelle
// Jul 29, 2007 at 11:08 am
Chef Kevin, I would absolutely love to buy some land out in the country and raise my own fruits, veggies, wheat, beans and herbs. There’s no question in my mind that some of the things we are doing to our food are bad for us. I’d love to have total control over what goes into my body. Unfortunately, the cost of the acreage is pretty prohibitive.
I buy organic when I can. I eat very little meat or dairy. I cross my fingers about the rest.
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