progressive cyberdadaism from our nation’s capital
Seventy-two years after Prohibition was repealed, one D.C. Council member suggested yesterday that alcohol once again be off-limits in the bars and restaurants of the District.
Council member Carol Schwartz, at-large Republican, introduced her bill in response to a proposed ban on smoking in those same establishments. Her proposal imitates the arguments for a smoking ban, citing health concerns, worker safety and the nuisance of drinkers.
“I never thought I could ban drinking just because I didn’t like it, but now I know I can,” Mrs. Schwartz said. “The impending smoking ban has empowered me.”
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And she went on to add the possibility of bans on driving and sex.
I know that the smoking ban is an explosive issue. And while it may be true that bars on average are not hurt by a ban, I’ve seen first-hand that it really hurts specific bars, clubs, etc. So I’m against a ban.
As far as inconvenience to smokers goes, I see a big difference from the smoking ban in Cambridge. Here in DC there’s a large outdoor cafe contingent, and I can’t imagine smoking can be banned outdoors. Plus, Virginia is a hop, skip, and a jump away. So, it would be like Virginia is the smoking section. That sounds fair to me.
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hip·po·pot·a·mus n. A notion, perhaps distinct from conventional wisdom, that needs to be verified by reality-based scrutiny.
95. Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum (I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.)
— Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
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