This week the law banning smoking in public spaces took effect. This is Mayor Bloomberg’s latest assault on our basic freedoms and the next step in his war on tobacco. Some people, especially those who don’t like tobacco smoke, might think there is nothing wrong with the government protecting our health, just like the Department of Health protects us by regulating food quality in restaurants.
However, the two could not be more different.
When you patronize any food service establishment, you expect that the food has been handled with proper safety measures in place. No one chooses to eat food that has been contaminated, prepared in an unclean environment or not stored at the proper temperature. Violating these basic safety guidelines is always bad and can result in anything from an upset stomach to severe food poisoning.
Bloomberg’s nanny-state laws, on the other hand, are over things that ‘might’ be bad for you, if you don’t consume them in moderation. Not everyone who consumes salt gets high blood pressure, not everyone who eats trans-fats gains weight, and not everyone who smokes gets cancer. These are personal choices, whether and how much to consume, that every individual needs to decide for themselves.
But not in the world according to Bloomberg.
He thinks the proper role of government is to decide these things for you, to make sure that you make the right choices by making these choices for you.
When the original smoking ban was passed in 2003, it seemed tame by comparison. Even the many people opposed to the law as an intrusion on the personal freedoms of both the smoker and the bar owner still saw some benefit to it and figured this was going to be Bloomberg’s one indulgence into Brave New World style personal regulation.
Little did we know how emboldened he would become and the extent to which he would try to enforce his personal views on healthy living. New Yorkers need to draw the line now before this becomes so common we don’t even realize it is happening.
Engage in a little civil disobedience. Light up in the horrendous pedestrian plazas that litter midtown and where smoking is now prohibited. Enjoy a little nicotine fix while at the beach this summer. Lounge in a city park with a latte and a smoke. And with every puff, inhale the sweet smell of freedom.
Robert Hornak is a Queens-based political consultant, blogger, and an active member of the Queens Republican Party. He has never smoked cigarettes but does enjoy an occasional cigar.
