The reason the smoking-ban issue is an excellent test of one’s commitment to individual freedom is that smoking does, indeed, pose significant health risks.
Whether through impatience, intolerance, or inadequate consideration of the issues involved, many North Carolinians are willing to countenance the abrogation of liberty to get what they want.
When the government regulates a private behavior, your freedom can be diminished even if you don’t intend ever to engage in it.
Should smoking be banned from all restaurants in North Carolina? That's the question that HB 76 will answer with a "Yes" if it is passed by the North Carolina Legislature. Advocates of a statewide restaurant smoking ban pose the issue as a way to improve health and control health care costs.
A bill filed Thursday would prohibit smoking in nearly all restaurants in the state. This gives nonsmokers no additional rights -- it only takes away the rights of others.
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