It has long bothered me to see strict enforcement of rules
against trivial things while allowing serious stuff to go unpunished. Also, there must be equal justice under the
law regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Let’s go back to my school years. I had an elementary school Gym teacher who
took away my recess for heinous crimes such as forgetting to push in my chair
or standing up when I was supposed to be sitting down. Yet, he allowed kids to put others in a
headlock and throw them down headfirst without any punishment at all. Indeed, several other teachers who were lax
when it came to bullying made darn sure that nobody ever did something as awful
as chew gum in their class or wear a baseball cap in the hallway on the way to
the bus. In high school, I had a
teammate who punched another kid in the face for making fun of his Mom. He went unpunished and I’m quite sure it was
because he was a straight-A student and Varsity athlete. If he was merely an average kid that didn’t
matter much, you better believe he’d be suspended.
Now, let’s go back to the adult world. There is a school of thought that you ought
to be permitted to do whatever you like as long as you do not hurt or pose a
danger to anyone other than yourself. I
do not go that far. The more appropriate
question is this: Would there be a
negative impact on society if a large percentage of the population engaged in
that activity? If the answer is yes,
there should be at least some restrictions.
On a scale of 0-100 with 100 being the most Libertarian, I’m probably
between a 50 and a 60. That number has
increased a bit in recent years. As a
Conservative, I tend to support Capitalism and free market economies while
favoring more restrictions on personal conduct but again, I would usually let
the small stuff go.
When it comes to smoking, yes, I do support bans inside
shopping malls, movie theaters, and most indoor venues. No smoking within 15 feet of an entrance to a
building? That’s a little overkill. As far as bars and restaurants, I would leave
it up to the individual establishment.
If everything is equal, I would opt for the non-smoking establishment,
but I would be willing to make an exception for good food and/or outstanding
service. I used to eat lunch at a local
pub that allowed smoking because I got a hug from one of the servers before I
left. Sure, I’m willing to tolerate a
little second-hand smoke for something like that. Occasional exposure won’t hurt me but no, I
would not want that every day. For the
record, I’ve not been back much since my friend left that job.
In Wildwood, there is a strict no smoking policy on the
boardwalk outdoors and a police officer even warned a man not to VAPE on the
boardwalk. C’mon man! That’s not hurting anyone even if lots of
people did it. It’s virtually odorless
especially if it’s done outdoors. Drinking
and smoking age? I’d make both of them
19 or perhaps 20, but I’d lower it from 21.
High school kids should not have easy access and there is still high
potential for abuse among college freshmen but once you are college age, you
are old enough to make those decisions.
No boogie boards on a beach because you might hit a child? Stupid!
Just designate a section of a beach for surfers and boarders if it is a
problem. New Orleans, Memphis and
Savannah allow open alcohol containers in their entertainment districts. I have no problem with that. Same with boardwalks or the beach
itself. Just don’t get intoxicated.
California in particular has got a lot of things bass
ackwards. A trans-woman can expose their
penis to small children in a spa or changing room. Shooting up heroin on the streets of San
Francisco is rarely punished and shoplifting up to $1000 will not be
prosecuted. However, drinking out of
plastic straws? Smoking or vaping too
close to an entrance of a building? Oh
no! We can’t have any of that! No, I would not throw the book at you for
petty theft but there needs to be at least some deterrent because it raises the
prices for honest folks and no business (jobs) can survive if much of their
inventory is stolen.
The big debate nowadays is marijuana legalization. I still remain opposed to it on the grounds
that it is not a good thing for society if lots of people did it
regularly. Colorado’s culture has
changed in recent years and not for the better.
True, some pot smokers can be productive citizens, but many others
cannot. Moreover, I do believe it is a
gateway drug that can lead to much harder stuff. Nobody on Intervention started with heroin or
methamphetamine. They all started with
marijuana. With all that said, my view
is evolving. I’m fully on board with
decriminalization. You pay a fine and
that’s it. Nothing on your permanent
record and no harm to your job prospects.
Medical marijuana? I believe
there are better ways to treat those illnesses but I’d rather you smoke weed
than opt for opioids. I believe the THC
content is lower for the medical variety.
In a recent shift, I no longer support punishing athletes
for a positive marijuana test. It’s not
a PED. It hinders your performance. If a cop or firefighter tests positive or
shows up for work stoned? Yes, I’d fire them because it puts the public in
danger. An athlete poses no danger to
the public. Let Richardson run in the
Olympics.
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