What Should Be Done With Those Non Conforming Smokers?

Smoking is a nasty, expensive, dangerous, and frankly quite offensive habit. Cigarette smoke everywhere, butts on the ground, the lingering smell, etc. etc. Uhhh! Guess what. It is also pretty enjoyable and I am poisoning the air as I type. Having a grand time too I might add. What of the effect of second hand smoke to those around me you may ask. Politically motivated crap "science" would be my response to that.
Houston, like a lot of cities, has banned smoking in all restaurants, most public places, etc. etc. That sort of pisses me off, even though I certainly understand the motive behind it. Many people understandably find the smell of smoke offensive and bothersome, but does that alone give any government (state, local, federal) the authority to arbitrarily tinker with the society and pass asinine laws and ordinances that affect a good many tax paying citizens? No! I personally do not like to look at people wearing Dallas Cowboys or Atlanta Braves gear walking around this fair city, but I do not scream for some kind of ban. Perhaps I should. I don't like to see young males walking around with pants hanging so low that you see their boxers or worse; their butt crack. I think an ordinance is in order. Now, young ladies wearing tight hip huggers and bending down to expose their butt crack is a different thing entirely. I am a fan of that!! You see, the point is that government should not be able to just make up silly laws as they go along just to please and appease a certain segment of society.
Not so long ago I was listening to Lance Zirlien, a local sports talk radio personality. He was making a case for the anti smoking ordinance that was about to be enacted in Houston. He said that he has a right to go into a restaurant, bar, etc. and not have to be subjected to the smell of smoke. Wrong Lance! You have a right to not go into any establishment within which smoking is permitted. In a sane society, the issue of smoking, yea or nay, would be determined by the management of the establishment. If they (establishment management) believe that allowing smoking is good for business, then they should have the right (yes the right) to allow smoking. Conversely they could also have a non smoking on premises policy. They could even do it the old way and have smoking and non smoking sections in their business abode. Now I like Lance, he is one of the best sports talk guys locally, but he is wrong on this subject. Incidentally a few years back Lance and John G. were broadcasting from the Shell Houston Open and unfortunately someone left a mike open and Lance broadcast "J.F.C." across the air. I am surprised that he was not canned for that. That is a huge no no in the broadcast biz. I laughed out loud in my car as I was driving to work that morning and thought of the time that I was working as a night DJ for KZMZ Radio in Louisiana. I had an intern with me who left a mike open and dropped an F bomb in conversation. The phones lit up. I was suspended for one week and lucky I did not lose my job. I wasn't too concerned as I also sold furniture at the time and the DJ work was mainly a hobby, but I was still glad that I did not get the axe. I digress. I forgive Lance for his opinion on the subject of smoking (even though he is wrong) mainly because I like him. Now if Charlie Pallilo, another local sports talk guy, had said something like that on the air, I would have had to give him a call. I believe that I would have had to tell Charlie that I find offense with his opinion on smoking and that I would respond by calling for a citywide ban on loud mouth, jock sniffing, pencil necked geeks who are usually wrong from being allowed in public places. I guess that Charlie would then have to stay in his house. Boy if "sports journalist" John Mclain had said something like that on smoking, I would call for a ban of loud mouth lushes who are always (yes always) wrong, being allowed out in society. Maybe that would shut him up. He and Pallilo would have to stay at home. Of course I jest, but again, just because you don't like something does not mean that you should be able to force government into enacting silly laws to suit you. That is populism and perhaps fascism running rampant.
I would really love to see a someone with the balls to just tell city government enough is enough and do as they like in their business. Hats off to management at the Busy Bee Cafe in Alvin (A southern suburb of Houston) for basically doing that a few years ago. They still allow smoking in what they designate a smoking area despite a ridiculous, restrictive, city ordinance. If smoking bothers you, then you don't have to eat there.
You see, the smoking issue is just a small thing. The major problem is intrusion by government entities into your daily life. Unfortunately this is just getting worse and we have only seen the tip of the iceburg. Watch and see.