re: Mandeville to consider banning smoking in bars

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In both places that I have lived that have bans, you can do either/or at every bar in the town. There is just designated areas to smoke. No one is taking away your ability to drink a beer and smoke a cig at a bar.

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And no one is taking your ability to go to a bar that doesn't allow smoking inside. If a bar owner wants to allow people to smoke, then let them. It doesn't effect anyone who doesn't willingly participate by going into the bar

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and that's fine, but in my own personal opinion, the public interest outweighs the ability to make that decision. I would be much more sympathetic to your argument if the owner was actually facing some sort of appreciable injury, but he's simply not for the reasons that I already stated. Smokers are still going to come and more non-smokers will too.

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Creating a ban eliminates a competing advantage for both sides. Everyone loses.

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The extent of everyone's freedom in this country, in my opinion, end where the exercise of freedom begins to negatively affect others. The vast, vast majority of laws in this country are based on this principal. Absolute freedom would allow you to do anything/everything from kill others to drive as fast you possibly could should you choose to. We limit this freedom in the interest of the greater society.

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Then you should be arguing for the banning of ciggerettes in its entirety. Limiting businesses ability to appeal to smokers is not a public health issue, it's an economical one.