“The new puritans have been highly successful. All of the preconditions for new prohibitions on alcohol and tobacco are in place. … Indeed, the future agenda of the federal government has already been established to outlaw alcohol and tobacco in the near future. … If current trends persist, America will be moving toward stricter prohibitions, greater restrictions, and more centralized control over consumption. This represents an erosion of liberty at its most fundamental level.”
– Mark Thornton
Source: “The Fall and Rise of Puritanical Policy in America”, Journal of Libertarian Studies, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1996), p. 159
http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Mark.Thornton.Quote.6569
Mr. Thornton’s remarks are a good starting point for us. Reflecting on the events of the last two weeks leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Atlantic City Council unanimously passed an enhanced smoking ban for Atlantic City casinos. Not one Councilman stood up against the ban. Not one Councilman stood up for the right of casino operators to freely run their business affairs. Councilmen decided that they are better at running casinos than the casinos themselves.
Atlantic City Councilmen followed the lead of New Jersey’s State Legislature. The Legislature passed the NJ Clean Air Act. That legislative act is an aggregeous encroachment on the rights of business operators, property owners, and personal liberty. New Jersey politicians have decided that we are unfit to decide if smoking will occur inside our own four walls. The state has come a long way from its founding.
New Jersey was founded on a great respect for property rights, individual rights, and personal responsibility. Today, state and local governments diminish more and more of our rights and deny the people their freedoms. It is a better decision not to smoke, but it is not the government’s to make. People must make decisions on their own. Government, labor unions, and groups like the American Cancer Society are free to persuade people not to smoke. The fine line that has long been crossed by an abusive and ever-growing government is between persuasion and coercion.
Government was established to safeguard our rights. The power of government has now been turned against the citizens under the guise of public health. Will politicians like Councilman G. Bruce Ward next turn their ire against artery-clogging french fries? We are not far from seeing government propose a ban on fast food, like french fries. They are already proposing a fast food tax.
We are the masters of our own destiny and should be given the respect due to our dignity. The NJ Clean Air Act must go. The people need to stand up to the tyrannically-tinged Trenton government. Repeal the NJ Clean Air Act.
Tags: American Cancer Society, casino smoking ban, Councilman G. Bruce Ward, Fall and Rise of Puritanical Policy in America, Journal of Libertarian Studies, Mark Thornton, NJ Clean Air Act, Repeal Government Encroachment
