|
Melusine, I know what you are talking about. I have latent asthma, and I can generally tell if any of the people in the three cars in front of me on the freeway are smoking, and can usually tell you which car it is.
And while I agree that a smoker is putting smoke into "your" air, it is just as much "his" air since public property is owned in common. Why should you get to decide how to use property that is no less his than yours?
The best answer I can think of is privatizing the public lands -- sell off the freeways, and all the upkeep expense and accompanying graft and corruption, and let the new owners decide whether to allow smoking. Or whether to allow truck traffic, or red sportscars, or drunks, or travelling salesmen, or senior citizens, or whatever else. Obviously, businesses have a vested interest in keeping their customers happy, since they don't have the option of pointing a gun at their customers and telling them to be happy or else...
|