They Like the Idea of Fresh Air: a brief rant on the smoking ban.
I saw a bus yesterday that announced the smoking ban with a billboard that read: fresh air coming to bars and restaurants near you. Seems a little odd coming from a bus. The smoking ban in Minneapolis, Bloomington, and St. Paul went into affect March 31st. I think it’s lame, cityhall (or whoever) trying to impose “clean air” into venues where it doesn’t belong. When I go to a bar or nightclub, part of the experience for me is the second hand smoke. I’ve dabbled in smoking but it’s not a vice I took up fulltime. I like the smell of smoke and appreciate the additional filter second-hand smoke provides. Plus, smoke disguises the rank of sweaty drunkies at nightclubs. Now, people have to go outside, where at least before it was contained. I think fresh air is important on the outside. I would rather wash the cigarette smoke out of my hair and clothes than hear about another air quality warning where delicate lungs should stay indoors. If people drove less gas-guzzlers, clean air might have a fighting chance. But the people like their large cars, they’ll do anything to keep them and still believe in clean air. So the smoking ban it is.