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New Smoking Ban Good or Bad?

What of the New Ban.

  • Good

    Votes: 19 27.1%

  • Too far

    Votes: 49 70.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 2.9%
  • Total voters
    70
liblady said:
mixed feelings. it's disgusting to see cigarette butts all over the beach and the streets and parks. the pigs are the ones who brought this ban on.
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I agree..........


But dozens of municipalities across the nation have had enough. Weary of the butts’ unsightliness and the costs of sweeping them up, cities have passed bans on smoking on beaches and playgrounds. In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom said last week that he would go a step further, seeking a 33-cents-a-pack tax to cover the $11 million that the city spends annually to remove cigarette litter.

Nationally, cigarette butts account for one-quarter or more of the items tossed onto streets and other roadways, San Francisco and other cities report.
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Ikari said:
OMG....you mean that if we want nice stuff, we have to pay for it! Perish the thought!
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No we are paying to clean up someone elses mess. It was nice stuff before they soiled it.

Smokers have no one to blame but themselves.
 
USA-1 said:
No we are paying to clean up someone elses mess. It was nice stuff before they soiled it.

Smokers have no one to blame but themselves.
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Ok, so by banning smoking, does that mean NY city will need fewer city employees? There's someone maintaining the parks now right, so they should be able to get rid of one of those people to save the city money. Think that'll happen?
 
Arcana XV said:
It's either a complete ban or putting a fines system in place that would be impossible to enforce. :shrug: Public parks and beaches are not private property. Their upkeep is the responsibility of the state. I have no problem with this at all. I'm against smoking bans on private property, though, like bars, restaurants etc...
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I wondered about this, we had a heated discussion in the Europe forum when Spain introduced the ban in bars and restaurants.

I find it odd that I disagree a ban in public space where wind will take away the smoke and I agree a ban in enclosed spaces like bars and restaurants where non smokers have had to endure other people's smoke and you are the opposite on both. I know the argument that people can just go to another bar - so why can't a non smoker simply walk a little upwind or further away in public? Why support a ban in open air space?

I don't get it..

Personally, I feel a ban in public open spaces is just going too far.
 
Give Tyranny/Democrats an inch......and they will seize your ruler......


First they came for the Cigarette smokers.......

............I said nothing, for I was not a smoker.

Then they came for the Salt Users.....

The soda drinkers.......

The Gun owners.....
.
.
.
.
 
USA-1 said:
It's probably more about litter. It costs the city money to supply butt receptacles, empty them, dispose of the butts and clean up after smokers. Littering laws are ineffective and hard to enforce. Smokers not policing themselves led to this law. They can blame themselves.
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Butt recepticles?? :lol: We could hire.....never mind.
 
Badmutha said:
Give Tyranny/Democrats an inch......and they will seize your ruler......


First they came for the Cigarette smokers.......

............I said nothing, for I was not a smoker.

Then they came for the Salt Users.....

The soda drinkers.......

The Gun owners.....
.
.
.
.
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Don't you mean independents.
 
X Factor said:
Ok, so by banning smoking, does that mean NY city will need fewer city employees? There's someone maintaining the parks now right, so they should be able to get rid of one of those people to save the city money. Think that'll happen?
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I am not for banning smoking outdoors, but smokers have brought this all on themselves by being slobs. Why should other people pay to clean up their mess? Would you support more cigarette taxes to cover cost of clean up or just let the rest of us pay for it?
 
USA-1 said:
I am not for banning smoking outdoors, but smokers have brought this all on themselves by being slobs. Why should other people pay to clean up their mess? Would you support more cigarette taxes to cover cost of clean up or just let the rest of us pay for it?
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My point is that NYC already has people paid to maintain parks. By your logic, the ban should save tax money by needing fewer workers, right. As far as smokers being slobs, it's no worse than those other things I mentioned. Shoot, I'd rather see a few cigarette butts than a ****ty diaper. I've totally run across this, btw, a few weeks ago I was at a football game and somebody just left their litter, complete with crappy diaper, in the parking lot. So, should we ban babies from football games?
 
Arcana XV said:
It depends. Is the ban really about the clean, fresh air or is it more about the fact that people are slobs and keep littering the place with cigarette butts?
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This is something about smoking that actually makes me self-conscious as a smoker. I pick up the cigarette butts that other people ditch outside my building and maintain my own butt bin because I don't want someone else's slobbish behavior to make me look bad.



At any rate, whatever the reason, this ban is absurd. We have littering laws for a reason. Should we ban food consumption in open-air venues because we're sick of people tossing Whopper wrappers on the grass?
 
Infinite Chaos said:
I wondered about this, we had a heated discussion in the Europe forum when Spain introduced the ban in bars and restaurants.

I find it odd that I disagree a ban in public space where wind will take away the smoke and I agree a ban in enclosed spaces like bars and restaurants where non smokers have had to endure other people's smoke and you are the opposite on both. I know the argument that people can just go to another bar - so why can't a non smoker simply walk a little upwind or further away in public? Why support a ban in open air space?

I don't get it..

Personally, I feel a ban in public open spaces is just going too far.
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It's not the air quality I'm wondering about. It's how bad cigarette butts littering really is. If it's really that bad, I don't have a problem with the ban. It's either that or raising taxes to hire more people to clean other people's mess. :shrug:
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
This is something about smoking that actually makes me self-conscious as a smoker. I pick up the cigarette butts that other people ditch outside my building and maintain my own butt bin because I don't want someone else's slobbish behavior to make me look bad.



At any rate, whatever the reason, this ban is absurd. We have littering laws for a reason. Should we ban food consumption in open-air venues because we're sick of people tossing Whopper wrappers on the grass?
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So enforce the laws. :shrug: And if the littering gets really bad, you know that they will ban picnics next. There's no doubt about it. Cleaning up after millions of slobs costs a lot of money.
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
This is something about smoking that actually makes me self-conscious as a smoker. I pick up the cigarette butts that other people ditch outside my building and maintain my own butt bin because I don't want someone else's slobbish behavior to make me look bad.
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If everyone was like you this thread would not exist. Most smokers are slobs. They throw their butts wherever they want, even out the window of their cars. Smoking is a big cause of home fires which we all end up paying for through higher insurance premiums. As long as smokers don't affect my life they should be able to do what they want.

FACT: Smoking materials (i.e., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.) are the leading cause of fire deaths in the United States. Roughly one of every four fire deaths in 2007 was attributed to smoking materials.

In 2007, there were an estimated 140,700 smoking-material fires in the United States. These fires caused 720 civilian deaths and 1,580 civilian injuries.
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USA-1 said:
Smoking is a big cause of home fires which we all end up paying for through higher insurance premiums. As long as smokers don't affect my life they should be able to do what they want.
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If that's how you look at it, why not ban all risky behavior?
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
If that's how you look at it, why not ban all risky behavior?
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I just get tired of paying for other people's destructive behavior and to clean up the messes they make. I have little sympathy for their cause.
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
That's a reasonable complaint. Unfortunately, it's physically impossible to remedy it. :)
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True, but you can make them pay. I believe people are free to do whatever they want as long as they harm no one else or the environment.
 
USA-1 said:
True, but you can make them pay. I believe people are free to do whatever they want as long as they harm no one else or the environment.
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Fine, want to make them pay? Then raise the taxes on cigarettes. Actually use that money to pay for the clean up. At least that wouldn't interfere with someones right to use a LEGAL substance.
 
Kal'Stang said:
Fine, want to make them pay? Then raise the taxes on cigarettes. Actually use that money to pay for the clean up. At least that wouldn't interfere with someones right to use a LEGAL substance.
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That would be fine with me.
 
It goes too far. I'm all for smoking bans indoors, where the smoke can't escape. There's no need for them outside though.
 
molten_dragon said:
It goes too far. I'm all for smoking bans indoors, where the smoke can't escape. There's no need for them outside though.
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Depends on where outdoors though... I used to participate in state level athletic events and people would sit in the stands and smoke. Should be banned...
 
USA-1 said:
That would be fine with me.
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Everything that NY state has said they were raising cigarette taxes to pay for was a bunch of crap. The money always went into the general fund and got used to buy off the power players -- just like always.

2/3 - 3/4 of the price of a pack is tax. Smokers already pay full freight and more.
 
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