I object to government legislation relating to health maintenance, and I reject the premise that government has a right to legislate thus as it saves taxpayer’s money. Its a major philosophical and ideological error to make government responsible for one’s health. (what can they ever do right?)
I also object to smoking legislation on the grounds that is is a vile intrusion upon the rights of property owners. That it was championed by crypto-fascists like Labour’s Steve Chadwick, a drooling knuckle dragging statist ghoul who should not be within a light year of our parliament, should be warning enough to anyone. The last point of course is that there is no proof that second hand smoke causes anyone any harm.
I believe the tide will turn against these people and their intrusive anti-human busy bodying and big government allegiances. In Illinois they’re waking up. As you would expect in that state, the changes are based upon loss of revenue as smoking patrons take their business elsewhere, and not on the principles that should take precedence.
Sure, its a long way from NZ, but our political trends begin in the States and in the UK. Eventually what happens there will drift our way. This does not mean everything coming from there will be good, as both those regions are awash in evil and destructive Progressive ideas, but this recall of anti-smoking legislation is one of the rare good examples.
Disclaimer: I dislike smoking and have never smoked a cigarette in my life. Anyway, to the subject article-
On Tuesday, the Illinois House voted 62-52 to end a ban on smoking inside riverboat casinos, which, if passed could affect all 10 riverboat casinos in the state of Illinois. The ban was passed back in 2007, which is when the state began the ban in all indoor work places. But today’s decision to push for the lift on the smoking ban could completely change that.
The House’s decision came after heated debates over what was more important: the health of casino-goers and casino employees or the loss of revenue from gamblers going to out-of-state casinos where smoking is allowed indoors. The House decided that the latter was much more vital to Illinois, especially after statistics showed that since the smoking ban was put in place, gambling revenue was down about 32 percent and had already cost the state around $800 million in taxes from the casinos’ business.
But advocates for retaining the ban, like the American Lung Association in Illinois, said that the healthcare cost savings were nearly over $1.18 billion since the ban was instated in 2007. Additionally, health advocates said that the ban protected both workers and casino-goers who would otherwise be smoking themselves or sitting around breathing in secondhand smoke for hours.
But still, the health cost savings could not sway the majority of the House and now that it has passed with a 62-52 vote, the next step will be for the bill to head to the Senate. Opponents of the original ban are hoping that by lifting it, Illinois will see more revenue and business that was being lost to the nearby states of Iowa and Missouri, both of which allow smoking in their riverboat casinos.
Some casino-goes are in support of lifting the ban. Doug Simpson, a 42-year-old resident of the Quad Cities, said, “it’s a lot easier to go to out-of-state if you smoke. Having to get up and leave several times can be a huge inconvenience, so if you can smoke inside, it’s a lot more accommodating.”
Jan Kerris, a Chicago resident and frequent casino-goer, said, “More people are non-smokers, so you’re catering to those who do. I like being able to go and not sit in secondhand smoke all day. I think that if the ban is lifted, I’ll go much less often.”
After the initial smoking ban in indoor work places, numerous measures were taken to allow smokers to light up in casinos. Back November, elected officials began pushing for the bill that would allow Illinois casinos to create separate rooms for gamblers with special air filtering systems. It would also require workers who wanted to work in the smoking rooms to sign a waiver stating their knowledge of the dangers of secondhand smoke.
For this to happen in NZ, we urgently need to stop voting for sick wet nanny state Progressives who defy us to draw any political line between them and the opposition Labour party.
TrueblueNZ 