Your mind is literally blown

[Philberto]

How about this: Where are they going to smoke it? The main reason I don't deal with that shit is because, personally, I think it stinks. Anytime any friends of mine are smoking around me, and I catch wind of it, it truly makes me want to gag. I know there are certain others out there who may love the smell of it, but I, for one, cannot take it. Should I just assume that it's going to be like smoking cigarettes? You can only smoke outside of public buildings? I know I still wouldn't enjoy walking down a street and it smell horribly of marijuana.

Then here's my other angle, when I managed at Steak N Shake (even a fuckwad like me can handle a night shift when I was 18-20) I knew who did and didn't do it. I also knew that on their breaks they'd go out and toke it up. Afterwards, they were less motivated employees in general. So can we expect that businesses will ban the usage during breaks and such? And if so, couldn't the employees claim the business is taking away a right that they have by law? I would expect that some provisions must be in place to prevent that.

Personally, I wouldn't mind pot being legal. I can see the concerns of slippery slopes but I would think the benefits might outweigh the costs. If the legalization turned out to cause more harm, then it may have to be revisited. I just hope that IF lawmakers go down this route they consider many of the different options, and make sure that there is not really too much ambiguity in any piece of legislation. Make it specific and cover many different things to hopefully alleviate many of the possible problems.

Are we to assume you support municipal smoking bans, then, Republican?

You know, as long as the legislation is specific and unambiguous?

That would be a negative, but hell as long as the ACLU and the government is out there to protect "MY" rights, then if I don't want to be subjected to the smell (which is much stronger and smells worse than cigs), then don't they have the *duty* to protect "MY" rights. I mean, I'm an American godammit. They need to make sure I'm not getting my right to clean air infringed on... and while they're at it, I don't want people or symbols fucking offending me.

You're really good at changing your voice from sarcastic to serious in the same argument to make sure that nobody understand what the fuck you're talking about.

What Slakee said...are you really concerned about the smell of pot bothering you while you're walking down the street? The smoking ban was a public health issue, not an 'Ew, cigarettes smell gross!' issue. I'm just a simple caveman but I don't think the smell of marijuana on the street, where there are lots of ethers and evolved gay people farts in the air to soak it up, is a public health issue.

Public health issue? How is it that? Is our health care taken care of by the government? I'm thinking that's still a no at this point. Until that day comes, they don't really have a right to control what a private business allows in their restaurant, as long as it's within the confines of *real* laws and it doesn't pose a clear and present danger (to people who can't avoid the problem). The reason I put that clarification there is because going into a restaurant that allows smoking can cause things like lung cancer via secondhand smoke, as STUDIES have shown. However, *GASP* it's the consumer's choice to go in there! Holy hell, that's a novel fucking concept. People can make choices in this country. If the person doesn't want to go into a restaurant that allows smoking they don't have to. The restaurant owner can take on the consequences of the possible loss of business. Or the restaurant could have chosen to be a smoke-free restaurant, which some were doing. Long story short, keep decisions like these in the hands of the restaurant/bar owners. That smoking ban was as big of a cockshit law as the seatbelt law...

As a side note, I don't smoke at all, so this hasn't really affected me personally. I just think it's horseshit.

[Canadouche]

But Yeti, people don't have the ability to make that kind of decision on their own!  From the TV shows they watch, to the radio stations they listen to, to the massive loans they choose to take, to the kinds of food that they choose to eat and the places they eat them in, people have shown us that they are incapable of deciding.  They must be inherently protected!  Why, what if a parent allows their child to play an extremely violent video game, and that kid grows up to be an extremely violent adult?  Clearly we must stop this from happening!  And the only possible option available is to remove the dangerous product from being consumed by a helpless public!  So ban smoking, ban violent video games, ban suggestive tv and radio, and while we're at it let's ban all religions but Christianity and all references of the church from Christmas itself! 

Or in short, let the Pussification of America continue!

[Philberto]

If we're in the business of protecting public health, then how about we protect the health of the smokers? Sending those poor folks out into the cold could have damaging effects if the smoking has already fucked up their lungs and they can't breathe out there. Also, they could get sick easier being out in that weather. Or they could get frostbite. Slip on some ice and break a leg. I'm sure the IL government thought of that though because their smoking ban was very much a move to think about the future of this state.

[ChuckD]

*real* laws

Oh, please do elaborate!

[Philberto]

*real* laws

Oh, please do elaborate!

Real laws are ones that I decide are right or wrong

[RV]

But Yeti, people don't have the ability to make that kind of decision on their own!  From the TV shows they watch, to the radio stations they listen to, to the massive loans they choose to take, to the kinds of food that they choose to eat and the places they eat them in, people have shown us that they are incapable of deciding.  They must be inherently protected!  Why, what if a parent allows their child to play an extremely violent video game, and that kid grows up to be an extremely violent adult?  Clearly we must stop this from happening!  And the only possible option available is to remove the dangerous product from being consumed by a helpless public!  So ban smoking, ban violent video games, ban suggestive tv and radio, and while we're at it let's ban all religions but Christianity and all references of the church from Christmas itself! 

Or in short, let the Pussification of America continue!

Who are you, Mike North? Also, your sarcasm is, not surprisingly, unfunny.

[Canadouche]

But Yeti, people don't have the ability to make that kind of decision on their own!  From the TV shows they watch, to the radio stations they listen to, to the massive loans they choose to take, to the kinds of food that they choose to eat and the places they eat them in, people have shown us that they are incapable of deciding.  They must be inherently protected!  Why, what if a parent allows their child to play an extremely violent video game, and that kid grows up to be an extremely violent adult?  Clearly we must stop this from happening!  And the only possible option available is to remove the dangerous product from being consumed by a helpless public!  So ban smoking, ban violent video games, ban suggestive tv and radio, and while we're at it let's ban all religions but Christianity and all references of the church from Christmas itself! 

Or in short, let the Pussification of America continue!

Who are you, Mike North? Also, your sarcasm is, not surprisingly, unfunny.

Please, Mike North didn't coin that phrase.  And what is unfunny is that a shocking number of dopes actually think that way.  Or do you think we should get in the business of passing laws because people can't be trusted enough to make good judgments on their own?

[ChuckD]

*real* laws

Oh, please do elaborate!

Real laws are ones that I decide are right or wrong

So any law upon which you've made a decision is a real law? As you've decided that the smoking ban is wrong, does that not make it a real law? (Not a) LAWYERED!

Also, this.

[RV]

Is our health care taken care of by the government? I'm thinking that's still a no at this point.

Well that's kind of a separate issue, but you're wrong. Unless you consider 27.8% of Americans to be an insignificant number.

People can make choices in this country. If the person doesn't want to go into a restaurant that allows smoking they don't have to.

What if I'm a waitress who doesn't want to inhale secondhand smoke? Should my employment choices only be limited to restaurants with a voluntary smoking ban?

[BH]

Or do you think we should get in the business of passing laws because people can't be trusted enough to make good judgments on their own?

Depends.

[BH]

What if I'm a waitress who doesn't want to inhale secondhand smoke? Should my employment choices only be limited to restaurants with a voluntary smoking ban?

How does RV the waitress have so much time to be on the intraweb and the shoutbox if she's not taking smoke breaks....

[ChuckD]

Is our health care taken care of by the government? I'm thinking that's still a no at this point.

Well that's kind of a separate issue, but you're wrong. Unless you consider 27.8% of Americans to be an insignificant number.

People can make choices in this country. If the person doesn't want to go into a restaurant that allows smoking they don't have to.

What if I'm a waitress who doesn't want to inhale secondhand smoke? Should my employment choices only be limited to restaurants with a voluntary smoking ban?

You're looking at it from the wrong perspective. It's the restaurant proprietor who has the choice. Can he not move to an area without a smoking ban?

[Philberto]

What if I'm a waitress who doesn't want to inhale secondhand smoke? Should my employment choices only be limited to restaurants with a voluntary smoking ban?

If that's what you prefer, yes. I don't know if you noticed but before these bans went into place there were more and more restaurants moving towards this. So your idea that very few restaurants have a voluntary ban would probably have been wrong because many changed to non-smoking

[Tank]

But Yeti, people don't have the ability to make that kind of decision on their own!  From the TV shows they watch, to the radio stations they listen to, to the massive loans they choose to take, to the kinds of food that they choose to eat and the places they eat them in, people have shown us that they are incapable of deciding.  They must be inherently protected!  Why, what if a parent allows their child to play an extremely violent video game, and that kid grows up to be an extremely violent adult?  Clearly we must stop this from happening!  And the only possible option available is to remove the dangerous product from being consumed by a helpless public!  So ban smoking, ban violent video games, ban suggestive tv and radio, and while we're at it let's ban all religions but Christianity and all references of the church from Christmas itself! 

Or in short, let the Pussification of America continue!

Who are you, Mike North? Also, your sarcasm is, not surprisingly, unfunny.

Please, Mike North didn't coin that phrase.

I believe Kim du Toit* did.

http://www.theothersideofkim.com/index.php/tos/printv/41/

*I like to think this is pronounced "doo twat"

[Canadouche]

Or do you think we should get in the business of passing laws because people can't be trusted enough to make good judgments on their own?

Depends.

Is this an adult diaper joke?