‘field of dreams’
courtesy of ‘waferboard’
No, you read that correctly. The Virginia Legislature gave final approval to the ban, which would go into effect on December 1st (wow, guys, not pressed for time, are we?) and ban smoking in bars and restaurants in Virginia, except for private clubs, and bars that construct special rooms to keep smokers in.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
And freedom in Virginia takes another hit. So much for property rights….
The delay until December is so that bars and such can do renovations to build their smoking rooms, and not cost them business in the meantime when smokers can’t come in. Plenty of time to get the work done.
We had the same delay when Colorado did the same thing a few years ago, and it was just as controversial. As a non-smoker I enjoyed it, but several years after the fact, I still heard grumbling about it on my most recent visit to Denver late last year.
I’m sorta torn on it. I have some sympathy for Daniel’s position but on the other hand I don’t think it’s unreasonable for government to set standards in cleanliness and air quality.
I’d really prefer to see standards set for air quality and let businesses decide how to cope with it on their own. Don’t want to spend money? No smoking. Wanna put in a big old filter that processes the air? Knock yourself out.
Crazy talk, I know – that might actually stimulate spending.