At 12:44 AM 3/25/97 -0500, ckr wrote:
As an example of legislation gone awry...
In Missoula, Montana, stringent non-smoking laws were passed.
Now, it's illegal to burn wood in your fireplace in the city. (I have a
friend who lives there.)
Carol
>Actually, this is happening now, to smokers. (I can hear the ire of you
>non-smokers rising even now ...) Following your advice, I might just decide
>to light up in the next grocery I'm in and see what happens. ;) But, more
>seriously, if it can happen to us smokers, it can happen to us drivers, too.
>I've even mentioned on a few occasions to some of the smokefree nazis out
>there that my cigarettes cause less air pollution than your average 64 Chevy
>or 96 Hyudai. Or your average coal-fired power plant. Do they listen? Of
>course not. These are the people who believe that Mt. Rushmore is a natural
>rock formation, or that France is somewhere in Canada. Rational argument
>doesn't do much with them, nor does asserting your rights. Their rights (or
>what they perceive them to be) and their emotional pendulum swing of the
>moment are all that matter to them. As that wise philosopher, P.T. Barnum,
>once said, "Never underestimate the stupidity of the American public."
>Today, they're working on my right to smoke. Tomorrow, they'll work on our
>rights to drive our cars. Don't be too quick to jump on the 'ban it'
bandwagon.
>Your pet hobby may be next. "That government governs best which governs
>least" and "the infringement of anyone's rights anywhere is a threat to
>everyone's rights everywhere" are sentiments lost on these buffoons. One
>might hope that the pendulum will swing towards a little more libertarianism
>in the future, but I don't look for it anytime soon. In the meantime, keep
>those cards and letters coming. And drive your car anyway.
>
>Corey
>75 MGB 'Rags'
>
>
|