Is smoking coming to an end in South Dakota?
The word on the street is that at a legislative forum in Sioux Falls, one of the major hospitals noted that the American Heart Association is floating a poll that 70% of South Dakotans are supposedly in favor of completely banning smoking in South Dakota.
Is this true? I don't have full confirmation yet, but if it's even remotely the case, this is a major bombshell. They could either bring it to the legislature as a contentious fight, or they could take it to the people as a contentious fight.
Why would they? Right now, they're coming off of a November victory for a huge increase on tobacco taxes in SD. And they might be best in trying to strike while the iron is hot.
Higher sin taxes on everybody's favorite vice to hate are one thing. But will prohibition be going too far? Wait for this next session to see if we start hearing more about this...
Is this true? I don't have full confirmation yet, but if it's even remotely the case, this is a major bombshell. They could either bring it to the legislature as a contentious fight, or they could take it to the people as a contentious fight.
Why would they? Right now, they're coming off of a November victory for a huge increase on tobacco taxes in SD. And they might be best in trying to strike while the iron is hot.
Higher sin taxes on everybody's favorite vice to hate are one thing. But will prohibition be going too far? Wait for this next session to see if we start hearing more about this...
Comments
First off on the smoking ban that is in place; a business should have the guts to say "I don't want smoking in my business" they should have not passed the buck to the legislature. There are jobs and places of emplyment that people will not work at i feel this same principal should apply here. SD and other states stop passing the buck to the legislature and get the guts to have the business you want! It is aas simple as a sign in the window or door Smoking Allowed or Smoking Not Allowed.
Shut up and go home to smoke.
Communism is right around the corner. All we need to do is forfeit a few more of our rights in the name of "health and safety" and we'll be prime for the plucking.
But first....transfats.
Have no fear. All they're trying to do is save you from yourself.
Stop having the government do it all.
It would be tantamount to a tax cut. The tax and spend rinos and liberals here in South Dakota would have to come out of the closet if they lost smoking taxes as a revenue stream.
It's much easier to say you are for a healthy state than simply calling for higher taxes to support more spending.
I am not sure what your concept of "freedom" entails (you sound like you favor Berlin's 'positive freedom' more than 'negative freedom'), but allowing people to smoke on your own property would be encompassed in my "neanderthal" version of freedom.
The state does not own all businesses and should not be able to dictate whether or not smoking occurs within their property bounds. If you don't want to go to a smokey restaurant, go to a different restaurant. Or better yet, if there is 70% support for non-smoking places, start a non-smoking business. Just don't act like you should be able to tell other people what to do because it aligns with your preferences.
And yes, more rules and regulations concerning alcohol use are just around the corner! Everyone knows how alcohol destroys families and a lot of innocent people. We will not see prohibition, but we will see a lot more laws and regulations controlling the use of it.
If it was just the alcohol user that suffered maybe it would be somewhat different, but everyone knows how the innocent pay the price.
Smoking and alcohol use endanger everyone. You will see less tolerance of it because of the Christian influence on our political leaders. They have good Christian values and they are not going to stand for innocent people suffering because of the mistakes of others!
Yes, smoking laws are tough and are going to get tougher. Tougher alcohol use restrictions are just around the corner. And that’s the way it should be! Happy New Year!
Recently heard about a woman making around $80,000 a year who spends enough time drinking that she can't pay her telephone bill.
The problems with alcohol and tobacco don't start or end at your front door.
BTW, smoking does not endanger everyone. The World Health Organization has issued two independent reports that arrive at that conclusion. Of course, that's not what people want to hear, so nobody hears it. All we hear is trumped-up statistics from organizations with vested interests.
Jake, well-said.
I'm off to church. Merry Christmas.
I wish no one smoked, but people will start because they think it's cool or whatever, and later when they either can't afford it or are ill and want to quit, it's too late for most of them. So therefore there will always be a steady stream of tax revenue from smokers.
What really irritates is when a person is destitute, on welfare, kids on medicaid, etc etc, but boy can they ever afford their cigarettes and/or booze. It should be before a person can collect welfare benefits of any kind, he/she needs to be off tobacco and alcohol. Guess that sounds harsh, but why should the taxpayers subsidize cigs/booze?
A smoker's right to smoke ends when his/her smoke reaches my nose.
You are opposed to "cigarette breaks" for employees. Nearly everybody gets breaks while they're at work. Whether they choose to smoke or nap is up to them. I know of no employer who allows an employee to take "cigarette breaks." If they do, they've got rocks in their heads.
As for your parting comment, consider it from a little different perspective. You say a smoker's smoke ought not hit your nose. Be advised that strong perfume/cologne odors can cause people with allergies to sneeze incessantly or can even trigger asthmatic reactions. So, I'm sure you'll refrain from wearing such scents and tell those around you to do the same.
I realize everyone gets breaks, and if a person smokes in a smoking designated area then, I have no problem with that. If they feel the need for cigarettes more often and abuse the breaks just to smoke when they should be working, that's what I'm talking about.
In fact, Nonnie's standard appears to be that if Nonnie doesn't like it then nobody has the right to do it anywhere around Nonnie. If government operated under that standard, then nobody will have the right to do anything because anything you might do offends someone.
If your pickup blows too much smoke for my liking - license plates removed. If your kids are too loud for my liking - kicked out of the mall. If size of your arse offends me - house arrest. Everybody's right to offend me ends at my senses. I have the right not to be offended by anything, including comments on this blog! Comments opposing mine - banned!
And if a person is taking many breaks during the day to get their nicotine fix, that is cheating their employer. That's all I'm saying.
If a business is emitting noxious fumes as you say, I thought there were OSHA and other standards that they are violating. If so, why isn't somebody doing something about it?
Seems to me that's the belief of many people nowadays who sue or complain about being offended at the drop of a hat. How about the school bus driver who wore a Santa hat and some kindergarten kid complained that it "offended" him. The bus driver was told to remove the hat. Now that is ridiculous!
Nobody has a right to offend Nonnie. Nonnie has a right to dictate what everyone else can do or can't do. In fact, Nonnie even reserves the right to tell businesses what they can do inside their own buildings.
This is what's wrong with America. Nonnie wants to pretend that it's OTHERS who believe they have a right not to be offended by anything, but Nonnie is the one making this claim.
Nonnie, what's the difference between someone dictating clothing to a bus driver and you dictating what someone can do in someone else's business establishment?
Good thing you didn't live 100 years ago when the air was thick with smoke from people's chimneys when houses were heated with coal and wood. None of that would have stopped at your nose!
I would rather just see tougher air quality and filtration standards be put in place. If a bar or restaurant wants to allow smoking indoors then they should be required to install a state of the art air exchange and filtration system and raise their ceilings if possible. This solves most of the problem with second hand smoke.
I am severely asthmatic but I can go into Stogeez and be comfortable because they have a great air filtration system. But I can't go into some other bars in town because they don't have any sort of decent air filtration or don't want to turn it on. I have lost count of how many times I have been someplace and if someone complains about how smokey it is someone from the bar will apologize and go turn on the fans. So many places have air exchange systems and don't even bother to turn them on.
Deal with the air quality issue instead of slapping more nanny state laws on everyone.
South Dakota is getting worse than California ever was with all these stupid laws.