Nail Hit On Head

It took two columns to lay it out, but Craig Westover has the most complete argument I have seen yet against the passage of a smoking ban. Here's a taste of his response to a recent Pioneer Press editorial:

...public health is not the main motivation behind the statewide smoking ban however much the Pioneer Press would like it to be. It is about borrowing the undefined, unlimited public health authority to ban smoking "as a convenience" for the impatient majority that sees no tyranny when the immediate finality of legislation is chosen over the uncertain results of education and individual choice over time.

I was once given an internal memo, originally sent from a county-employed smoking cessation officer to the local faithful, which spoke of going business to business "chasing" smoking - and smokers - right out of town. I contacted the individual and told him I planned to publish the e-mail in the context of smoking bans, government overreach, and wasteful spending (his job as a whole).

At his request, I promised I would not until I had spoken with some anti-smoking big wig, who subsequently called me from his vacation in Arizona. He claimed in no uncertain terms that every time a business banned smoking, the smoking rate dropped 10 percent among employees. That, he said, was the point. To use, in that case, the persuasiveness of the government purse to "encourage" business to ban smoking and thus reduce the number of smokers.

As it seemed to me, it was a clear case of using the power of government to bully policies upon private industry in order to facilitate societal change desired by a special interest. Big wig enthusiastically agreed that I had accurately described the tactic. However, because it was his special interest, with a stated goal of "improving people's the quality of life," he saw no problem with it.

Long story short, Westover is absolutely right. It isn't about public health. It is about making smokers as uncomfortable as possible in as many places as possible. Segregation and ostrasization, organized by and conducted through government.

In the many opinions the paper has received in response to my column on the subject, smoking ban supporters seem almost enthusiastic about wielding that power. I have yet to determine if that enthusiasm stems from a lack of understanding about civics and the role of goverment, or from willful disregard.

I'm also not sure which prospect I find more frightening.