Posting may be light today as this non-smoker celebrates the failure of the N.C. smoking ban. It was close, however, as even conservatives got confused on the matter: "I think someone else’s freedom ends when it enters my lungs" said Republican Jeff Barnhart of Cabarrus County. Such a rationale would make perfect sense if we were standing in his living room. But property rights circumscribe most other rights. If people want to gather and take legal health risks together on private property, they should be allowed to do so as long as the proprietor allows it. Such is the essence of private property and personal freedom. And if I want to benefit from the preferences of those who take such risks, such is the essence of capitalism. If you don’t like a smoke-filled bar, don’t patronize it. Simple. (I’ll leave it to the government to explain to the citizens why smoking is allowed in the public thoroughfares — you know, the non-private spaces we must share and pay for.)
Anyhoo, personal freedom and property rights in N.C. live to see another day. (Coverage: here, here and here.)
(Update: Fitzsimon and the gang aren’t happy about the failure of the bill’s passage. They are clearly wedded to some collectivist notion that the preferences and health concerns of groups should outweigh the property rights of individuals. But Chris: we don’t need you to protect us from carcinogens. We can do that ourselves. It’s called choice.)
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