For John, BLUF: Banning smoking in apartments and condos is a move against the working man and woman. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Today's edition of The [Lowell] Sun has an article by Allison Thomasseau, titled "Bill eyes smoking ban for apartments condos". It is about a bill sponsored by State Representative Jennifer Benson, a Democrat from Lunenburg, at the request of a constituent.
I dislike second hand cigarette smoke. It is right up there, just above, second hand coffee aroma. However, in a week in which some are celebrating the extension of the rights to privacy given us by Lawrence v Texas, not that I want to enjoy those rights, but still, rights to privacy, we want to again go into peoples homes and police activity? If this passes it suggests that we are not really about personal privacy and the rights of individuals, but only about the rights of those we favor. If the General Court passes this and the Supreme Judicial Court does not strike it down it will be a statement that Maggie Marshall was a fraud.
Aside from that, I have no strong views on this.
Did I say fraud? Yes, that is exactly what I meant.
Most smokers are low income folks. This isn't New York City. Most apartments are filled with low income folks. This is about the Hoity Toity trying to keep the lower classes out of trouble. For their own good, mind you.
This can only lead to smokers looking for workaround and if they don't find them, moving into rebellion. Does anyone think it will significantly reduce smoking? Doesn't anyone remember learning in school about Prohibition?
Regards — Cliff
2 comments:
I think that the issue of second hand smoke isn't so much about hoity toity trying to run the lives of the poor and downtrodden. I think it is simply about not having to share a cigarette with someone.
The crux of the argument is this. People certainly have every right to smoke if they choose. But people also have every right to air that is not infused with the cigarette smoke of others.
In 1987, I paid a boatload of money for a house in what is called a planned residential development....a hoity toity euphemism for homeowner's association. Thus, there is an association board that inserts its authority between each resident and the US Constitution.
We loved our home. It was in all ways perfect, and the association board, while mostly pompous and occasionally ridiculous, was tolerable. Then this little social climber snowflake with a perfect husband and two perfect kids living in a very perfect world constructed and aggressively maintained by her, came to power as the association president.....and also wormed her way into buying the house next to ours. She smokes. She chainsmokes. Her husband doesn't smoke. She is of course, a perfect wife and mother, so she doesn't want to expose her beautiful perfect family to cigarette smoke...and of course....sully the interior of her perfect house....so she stands outside in all kinds of weather puffing away. As luck would have it, the landscape and prevailing wind wafted all of her exhaled smoke across our yard and infused itself into our house via the soffit and the roof ridge vents.
Needless to say, as she was smoking in "common area" there was no means of checking it. She had a right to smoke....and our right to breathe clean air was, well, secondary. As she explained to the board, "I can't be responsible for where the wind blows."
After years of smoking with her 24/7, we finally sold our home and moved to a relatively smoke free environment. Cost us an arm and a leg to do so and arguably, our current home is much, much nicer than our old, smokey home. But why should moving be the only option available to us in order to exercise OUR rights?
To me, the issue of second hand smoke has a simple solution. If you want to smoke, you do so in private...that is....in space you own exclusively and space that does not allow your practice to leak out and impinge on the environment of others. Your family or roommate doesn't like it? Well, that is a personal problem to solve.
In the People's Republic Of Massachusetts, Lahey Clinic in Burlington has solved the second hand smoke problem quite effectively. Smoking is simply banned on any part of the Lahey campus...which is of considerable size. Folks who want to smoke must wander completely off the campus to do so. Thus, one can exit one's car, walk through the parking lots or garage and into the doors to the facilities...all without so much as a hint of cigarette smoke. It's.....well.....refreshing.
I would argue on the side of landlords wanted to save on property insurance. When I lived at Delmont Gardens in South Lowell, someone tossed their cigarette butt off the third floor balcony onto dry mulch in front of my ground floor apartment.
We had to call the first department. If it wasn't daytime, and we were asleep it would of been much worse.
The general tossing of cigarettes I find to be more reckless then second hand smoke in one's apartment.
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