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Smoking in Cars

What do you think about smoking in cars?

  • Total voters
    41
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Trite, but I cannot think of a more appropriate expression of the absurdity of the topic. I realize the current trend is going in this direction, but I hope my son does not have to live in such a sterile world.
 
I think about the last thing we need is one more way for the government to tell parents what they can and can't do with respect to their children. It has subsumed far too much parental authority as it is.

I say this as a smoker who has never and will never smoke in the car while the kids are along for the ride.
 
Meathead said:
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Trite, but I cannot think of a more appropriate expression of the absurdity of the topic. I realize the current trend is going in this direction, but I hope my son does not have to live in such a sterile world.
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You don't want your son to grow up in a world where children's growth isn't stunted by second-hand smoke and aren't exposed to carcinogens constantly? That "sterile" world?

Get real. This is a public health issue. Your son will not be harmed because adults can't smoke in a car, even if the government has to make them stop being so stupid. What's next, are you going to mourn the good old days when kids could wallow in asbestos and drink lead in their water free from the bad old government spoiling their fun? WTF?
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
I think about the last thing we need is one more way for the government to tell parents what they can and can't do with respect to their children. It has subsumed far too much parental authority as it is.
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I think we definitely need the government to impose its power on parents to stop them from exposing their children to harmful fumes. And I think it's absurd to think otherwise. The ONLY reason people accept this is because they are used to it. If someone were burning wood, or carrying some kind of caustic chemicals that emitted harmful fumes known to cause many health problems, in their car with their kids, you'd all be the first to call for the parents to be arrested.

I say this as a smoker who has never and will never smoke in the car while the kids are along for the ride.
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Good for you! Unfortunately, some kids have parents stupider than you and must have their health protected from them.
 
I'd much rather we make it illegal to expose kids to high-fructose corn syrup, non-stop television & video games, total lack of sufficient exercise, and high-fat foods.
 
Wake said:
I think Arkansas is doing the right thing. Who gets to speak up for the kids in the back seat who have to inhale those toxic fumes? 5+ years of damage to those kids would probably be pretty bad, right?
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No. Lots of people smoke. Particularly back in the day when there was less information lots of people smoked around children. It didn't seem to make a significant impact on our population. Many of them grew up to be just fine in fact.
 
misterman said:
You don't want your son to grow up in a world where children's growth isn't stunted by second-hand smoke and aren't exposed to carcinogens constantly? That "sterile" world?

Get real. This is a public health issue. Your son will not be harmed because adults can't smoke in a car, even if the government has to make them stop being so stupid. What's next, are you going to mourn the good old days when kids could wallow in asbestos and drink lead in their water free from the bad old government spoiling their fun? WTF?
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How much harm is done by being in the car with the smoker? Should we put cameras in houses too...someone may be smoking around a child and we should stop it, yes?
 
Thunder said:
I'd much rather we make it illegal to expose kids to high-fructose corn syrup, non-stop television & video games, total lack of sufficient exercise, and high-fat foods.
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Third fallacy of the thread - the straw man. And your old false dilemma is in there too, with a little slippery slope fallacy peeking out.

Children should not be exposed to any kind of smoke in an enclosed area. If you can't agree with that, you explain why.
 
Ikari said:
How much harm is done by being in the car with the smoker?
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You want me to post all the studies showing the many harmful effects of second-hand smoke on children?

Besides, it's SMOKE, for God's sake. Come on.

Should we put cameras in houses too...someone may be smoking around a child and we should stop it, yes?
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Don't play that game.
 
Ikari said:
No. Lots of people smoke. Particularly back in the day when there was less information lots of people smoked around children. It didn't seem to make a significant impact on our population. Many of them grew up to be just fine in fact.
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No they didn't. Lots of people had all kinds of terrible diseases, from asthma to cancer. You just didn't notice because you were used to it, or you didn't know that their diseases were linked to smoking, or they died and you forgot about them.
 
misterman said:
You want me to post all the studies showing the many harmful effects of second-hand smoke on children?

Besides, it's SMOKE, for God's sake. Come on....
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guess we should also ban campfires, as they create lots of smoke...breathed in by innocent children.
 
misterman said:
You want me to post all the studies showing the many harmful effects of second-hand smoke on children?

Besides, it's SMOKE, for God's sake. Come on.
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Yes. Lots of people say this and that is bad; but aggregate it. It has harmful chemicals, how much are actually inhaled as second hand? If a kid is in 1 car ride with an adult who smokes 1 cigarette, quantify the damage done. I've seen kids raised in the house of smokers, been in cars when I was a kid with smokers. I ain't dead. And I ain't any more or less healthy than I would have been without that exposure.

misterman said:
Don't play that game.
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Why? It's important to have the rule, yes? It's important to use government force to protect the children from second hand smoke, yes? Why not then? Why will you not think of the children at home as well? You said "Children should not be exposed to any kind of smoke in an enclosed area." Is a house not an enclosed area?
 
misterman said:
No they didn't. Lots of people had all kinds of terrible diseases, from asthma to cancer. You just didn't notice because you were used to it, or you didn't know that their diseases were linked to smoking, or they died and you forgot about them.
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Quantify this please. How many, what percent over what exposure time?
 
Thunder said:
guess we should also ban campfires, as they create lots of smoke...breathed in by innocent children.
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I'll take this a step further. How about we eliminate car fumes from harming our children. Would you rather be in an enclosed garage with a one car running for several hours or 10 smokers?
 
Ikari said:
No. Lots of people smoke. Particularly back in the day when there was less information lots of people smoked around children. It didn't seem to make a significant impact on our population. Many of them grew up to be just fine in fact.
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How children of smokers are affected.

I really don't know on this one. I can see and understand both points. Misterman has a point that children have no control over being exposed to what are very dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke. Furthermore, children of smokers are more likely to smoke themselves, the aggregate effect of which has a large impact on our health care system in terms of higher health care costs. Why should children be forced to inhale ciagrette smoke?

On the other hand, Thunder and Ikari have points about the ridiculousness of writing and enforcing such a law. How many cigarettes, at what distance is it considered "child abuse"? If I idle by a school bus in summer in my car, am I abusing kids if I'm smoking a cigarette? What if I move my family into a house or apartment that used to have smokers in it? Who would enforce such a technical law?

I'm really at a loss on this one. I don't know how feel about this. I'm truly on the fence.
 
Thunder said:
guess we should also ban campfires, as they create lots of smoke...breathed in by innocent children.
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Yes, campfires inside cars on a daily basis should also be banned.

Don't play this game, it's stupid.
 
RadicalModerate said:
On the other hand, Thunder and Ikari have points about the ridiculousness of writing and enforcing such a law. How many cigarettes, at what distance is it considered "child abuse"?
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As if we don't handle details like this in the law every day. It's not easy, but that doesn't mean we don't try.
 
misterman said:
As if we don't handle details like this in the law every day. It's not easy, but that doesn't mean we don't try.
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Yeah, but we need to balance the overall benefit of the law with the added cost of enforcing it. It might be a wash or negative? And do we really want to have such mundane actions be micromanaged? We have a law in my town that no smoking is allowed within 20ft of a doorway. I've actually seen people come out with tape measures. And what about wind? If I'm 18ft away but there is a strong wind blowing my smoke away from the door, can I argue that in court when I am ticketed? What if I'm fifty feet away but the wind is blowing my smoke towards the door? Can the police still ticket me?

It borders on ludicrous.
 
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misterman said:
You don't want your son to grow up in a world where children's growth isn't stunted by second-hand smoke and aren't exposed to carcinogens constantly? That "sterile" world?

Get real. This is a public health issue. Your son will not be harmed because adults can't smoke in a car, even if the government has to make them stop being so stupid. What's next, are you going to mourn the good old days when kids could wallow in asbestos and drink lead in their water free from the bad old government spoiling their fun? WTF?
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This is not a public health issue you (impersonal of course ;)) snotty imbecile. I do not smoke in enclosed spaces with my son or anyone else. I just find that your presumption to know the limits of what others may or may not do is anathema to me. I have rarely seen such an abject idiotic argument. Are you for real? Do you have any friends?
 
misterman said:
Yes, campfires inside cars on a daily basis should also be banned.

Don't play this game, it's stupid.
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car exhaust has CO and other bad fumes. should we ban cars from having their windows open or using the fan to bring in outside air?

think about..the children.
 
Meathead said:
This is not a public health issue you (impersonal of course ;)) snotty imbecile. I do not smoke in enclosed spaces with my son or anyone else. I just find that your presumption to know the limits of what others may or may not do is anathema to me. I have rarely seen such an abject idiotic argument. Are you for real? Do you have any friends?
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In retrospect, I apologize in advance, but truth to tell, I have difficulty in hiding my contempt.
 
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