Madison is often considered a "progressive" or "liberal" city, where personal freedoms and rights are respected and tolerance of an array of lifestyles trumps conformity and sameness. That's why the recent smoking ban that was ratified by the Madison City Council seems more like a decision that should have been made in a right-wing conservative town like Oostburg, Wisconsin rather than a left-wing progressive one like Madison, Wisconsin. First of all, I must say that I'm not a smoker. I never have been one. And I never will be. But the smoking ban in Madison highlights a disturbing trend by the City Council away from any inkling of tolerance for alternative lifestyles and views.
Smoking ban proponents, such as Tobacco Free Dane County, say that this ban is all about workers' rights to be in a workplace absent of second hand smoke. However, there are already many alternative jobs in Madison, which mandate smoke-free environments on their own accord. If a person had applied to work at a bar in Madison prior to July 1, he or she already knew that they would be subjected to second hand smoke in the workplace.
Even more asinine is that "cigar bars" were not given an exemption to allow smoking under the ban. A person who applies to work at a cigar bar and doesn't expect to encounter smoke is like someone who applies to be a lifeguard and doesn't expect to encounter water.
Smoking ban proponents also made claims in local newspapers, like the Capital Times, that the smoking ban would help current smokers to quit by banning it in employees' workplaces. However, just days after the smoking ban went into effect, these same proponents claimed to be in shock at the amount of cigarette butts that were being littered outside the bars. It seems to me that the pro-smoking ban crowd was wrong again.
Just like the prohibition of alcohol failed in the 1930's (people flocked to speakeasies), a ban on smoking in pubs will not get smokers to quit either. All it will do is push them out of the bars to smoke in other places and litter more butts in the process. Environmentalists are now worried about the amount of butts that are being swept into our lakes through runoff. I certainly hope that we don't have thousands of nicotine-addicted fish swimming around that need to go on the patch.
There are many things that the government could regulate so as to protect us from ourselves. The government could ban the sale of fatty foods, such as cheeseburgers, French fries and chocolate shakes, in order to cut down on obesity. The government could regulate the speaker amplitude at private rock concerts in order to minimize hearing damage for concert-goers. The government could mandate at least eight hours of sleep per night since studies have shown that this is ideal for people's health. However, the government doesn't get involved in any of this because of a great concept that most people cherish called "free will".
Smokers should be free to smoke in Madison's bars, just like non-smokers should be free to enjoy a night of drinking there as well. If bar owners opt to make their establishments smoke free, then so be it. But it's not the government's job to tell a business owner whether or not he can allow smoking in his establishment. Many bar owners in Madison are already seeing their clientele move to neighboring cities' bars in places like Middleton and Verona. This puts an extremely unfair burden on the bars.
Don't believe me? Just ask the owners of Maduro's and the Wine and Cigar Room what they think of the smoking ban and they'll tell you how it has destroyed their businesses.
Telling a person that he or she can't smoke in a private establishment is far from progressive — rather it is regressive. The Madison City Council needs to wake up and realize that it's not the government's job to protect people from themselves. Allowing people the freedom to make their own choices is a fundamentally American value and it's one that we should cherish and uphold in a city that claims to be "tolerant" of others; especially if one claims to be "progressive".
Casey Hoff ([email protected]) is a UW student and the host of "New Ground with Casey Hoff," live Monday through Friday, 9-11 a.m., on Talk Radio 1670 WTDY.
