Local Nazi's

BikerDude · August 10, 2011, 12:35:51 PM

Check out what the Nazi's down at the league office have done in my home town.

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* Lighting up a cigarette at city park or playground could soon land a smoker in jail for up to 15 days. The Common Council adopted a local law to prohibit smoking of cigarettes, cigars, pipes or any other form of tobacco products at city-owned parks, pools, beaches, playgrounds and other outdoor recreation areas. The city already had a smoking ban put in place several years ago by a Common Council resolution, but there were no penalties for violation. Under the local law, which will take effect in two to three weeks, violators, upon conviction, can be punished by a fine of up to $250, or imprisonment of up to 15 days, or both.

Rev. Gary (revgms) · August 10, 2011, 12:45:39 PM

Jail?! WTF?

Smokins bad, mmmkay, but jeesh, outdoor smoking is not like in the workplace, and really, jail?

BikerDude · August 10, 2011, 01:00:10 PM

Quote from: revgms on August 10, 2011, 12:45:39 PM
Jail?! WTF?

Smokins bad, mmmkay, but jeesh, outdoor smoking is not like in the workplace, and really, jail?

Yeah. You can't believe the way this town is run. It's horrible.
You pay taxes and the only thing the money gets used for is like 3 or 4 blocks downtown where there are some businesses. It's the public face of the town with a small civic center and restaurants and bars and a public library that rivals one in New York or Boston.
Every election they put a rider on the ballot about funding the library. Strangely they word it in such a way that you can't even tell what you are voting for. They had a yes or no vote about whether the library should be "funded by a..." and I can't remember the incredibly obscure word for a tax that is based on the property value of the tax payer. Basically it was asking if more tax should be used to fund the library from business and wealthy paraquat. You simply couldn't vote against funding the library.
Most people would of course vote "NO" thinking they were voting against any tax. But what they were actually doing by voting "NO" was voting that a poor family of 8 should pay the same amount as a business or someone wealthy. I actually held up the line and would not vote until someone could begin to explain the meaning.
Of course eventually I just didn't check either and later researched it and found out just what paraquat they are.
Our town is run by a collection of businessmen who screw the taxpayers over and basic infrastructure is ignored.

And the way they got the library through in the first place was by having the vote be based on the county.
People from all the towns in the county got to vote about whether they would build the library or not. But when it comes to funding it it's taxpayers just in our town. 4 million bucks a year to run the place and I pretty much guarantee that somebodies cousin or brother in law is pulling down some serious mojo. It's just horrible. Lately they have stopped picking up yard stuff like branches and crap from the curb unless it's bagged up. I joked with my wife that I'd be putting mine on the sidewalk in front of the library. I pretty much guarantee that it will be picked up there.

Don't even get me started. My blood pressure rises. Some things I can not abide.
I freely admit that I become very undude about this sort of nonsense.

4weeddude · August 10, 2011, 06:45:11 PM

Hey be grateful ........ the next generation will be fined for farting in public.... and belching...... and god knows what else?

DigitalBuddha · August 10, 2011, 07:09:55 PM

Fucking park rangers! This is NOT Nam; we don't need that many rules.

Landshark · August 11, 2011, 02:58:56 AM

In Iowa they put in a state wide ban. You can't smoke in restaurants, bars, businesses, on government property, or within 20 feet of any of the places mentioned. Naturally though it is still ok to smoke in the designated smoking areas inside casinos, the majority of their income goes to local government.

It still grinds my gears that flavored cigarettes were banned except for menthol.

brother_erwin · August 11, 2011, 03:57:33 AM

Hey dudes, when I read all this it makes me feel like I live in the country of the free and pampered.

Ok, we have smoking banned in most restaurants and pubs and places like this, too, but in comparison the situation over here seems to be rather relaxed.

Cheers
BE

DigitalBuddha · August 16, 2011, 05:23:38 AM

Not being permitted to smoke in a pub or bar is a bit stupid; people go to bars and pubs to smoke for god's sake!! What next, no drinking in pubs or bars? We're drowning in rules.

Rev. Ed C · August 16, 2011, 07:09:05 AM

The UK ban was well-placed and implemented, and I for one am very very happy with it. Drinking is one thing, but smoking affects all around you. I choose to stand outside with smokers, and if I don't want to puff in, I can stay indoors. It works. The problem was always for the staff who have to work sometimes 12 hour shifts in secondhand smoke. As for restaurants... man, way to kill an appetite. So I think the public ban works, no one abuses it.

However, what you've been saying here (I assume this is in the US) does seem a little extreme on the consequences. Of course, if people adhere, there's no need to use those, but the waving around of them does seem a little harsh. But then again, the US does use the death penalty, so I guess I'm not surprised that they've upped the ante for minor crimes as well.

If the justice system was more about reform and less about punishment, we'd have a more more dudely society around the world. Alas...

cckeiser · August 16, 2011, 07:37:14 AM

Anymore the US justice system is about Profit. Capitalism Rules!

BikerDude · August 16, 2011, 08:30:21 AM

Quote from: DigitalBuddha on August 16, 2011, 05:23:38 AM
Not being permitted to smoke in a pub or bar is a bit stupid; people go to bars and pubs to smoke for god's sake!! What next, no drinking in pubs or bars? We're drowning in rules.

Amen. I think the owners should set the policy and advertise it very publicly.
The main argument for this is that by law businesses (all businesses) are required to provide a smoke free environment for employees who prefer it. But it becomes a little stupid. I mean if you are afraid of heights you don't get to be a pilot. If you don't like smoke I would suggest not working in a bar. Duh!

Landshark · August 16, 2011, 08:48:01 PM

Quote from: cckeiser on August 16, 2011, 07:37:14 AM
Anymore the US justice system is about Profit. Capitalism Rules!

and imparting a personal or political agenda.

DigitalBuddha · August 16, 2011, 10:59:39 PM

Quote from: BikerDude on August 16, 2011, 08:30:21 AM
Quote from: DigitalBuddha on August 16, 2011, 05:23:38 AM
Not being permitted to smoke in a pub or bar is a bit stupid; people go to bars and pubs to smoke for god's sake!! What next, no drinking in pubs or bars? We're drowning in rules.

Amen. I think the owners should set the policy and advertise it very publicly.
The main argument for this is that by law businesses (all businesses) are required to provide a smoke free environment for employees who prefer it. But it becomes a little stupid. I mean if you are afraid of heights you don't get to be a pilot. If you don't like smoke I would suggest not working in a bar. Duh!

I like that idea; let the free market decide smoking policy for pubs, bars, or for that matter, any private establishments offered for public use. It should be decided by the customers, not the government.

Owners could offer "smoke free" bars, pubs, etc. catering to customers who want a "smoke free" environment, and other locations could be offered as "smoking permitted" for customers who choose that option.

Of course, that would be too much freedom for the public to choose what they want and governments don't like that kind of freedom. It scares the hell out of them.

This used to mean something, it is rapidly losing it's meaning...........

BikerDude · August 17, 2011, 08:21:42 AM

It's pretty much a lost cause. I heard this morning that the government is now going to require that cigarettes be packaged with "warnings" that show a pair of healthy lungs and a pair of lungs with cancer from smoking.
I shit you not. It will cover the entire package.
The cigarette companies are suing for an injunction and as much of human paraquat as they are I do sympathize.
Cigarettes are legal and as long as they are the government should not force them to do anything that will impact sales. Except perhaps when it comes to marketing to kids.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/cigarette-warnings-labels-photos-fda_n_880885.html

I mean perhaps every Big Mac should come wrapped in a picture of a morbidly obese person.
Maybe beer should have pictures of drunks in the gutter.
Just stupid. Where does it end?
The thing that all of this illustrates is the arrogance of a particular group or class of people who spend their lives looking down their noses and thinking that people are incapable of making decisions for themselves. They truly believe that they are some kind of saviors. That the world has been screwed up because it was just waiting for someone like them to come along.
It's so infuriating.