Here in Arizona, Ballot Propositions are very popular. The most popular from the 2004 election was Prop. 200 which required reasonable ID for would- be voters. It passed with a 56% vote. It has just been put on hold by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Heaven forbid that someone should have to identify himself in order to vote. (UPDATE: SCOTUS reinstated the law so ID will be required in the 2006 election)
This year's bevy of Props includes two that address Smoking Bans. One would ban smoking in all public places. The other would allow bars to permit smoking as long as they had air evacuation systems to ensure that the atmosphere in the place doesn't get too smoky.
It is astonishing to me that otherwise normal Americans could possibly conceive any advantage in essentially appropriating the property of others so as to have it used in a manner they consider correct. Of all the "slippery slopes" long warned of this is, in my view, the most dangerous.
The market place should take care of issues like this, not the legislature and not the smoking police. If you don't want to come to my bar or restaurant because I allow smoking in it then go somewhere else. This is so uncomplicated and efficient that it causes me to wonder what the real agenda of the smoke banners is. But I don't wonder for long. No point in it.
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