Austin Smoking Ban?

The following response is in regards to a fellow colleagues blog concerning the recent developments in the Austin Smoking Ban.
This blog can be viewed at:
http://herdeman79.blogspot.com/2008/03/hey-austin-butt-out-of-smokers-business.html

I have to disagree with you on this topic. Laws like these are difficult decisions to make but in the long run are for the good of our nation’s future. In 50 years it will probably seem ridiculous that this was even up for discussion. By making this ban I think its sending a clear message to the next generation that we are aware of the effects of smoking and trying to minimize the amount of new smokers. It would be ridiculous for us to just keep cruising along fat, dumb, and happy all the while knowing that multi-billion dollar companies are marketing poison to our kids and we are not trying to take steps to stop it. When people are trying to get these laws passed they are not saying to themselves this will be great I am going to really stick it to the business owners, they are saying good another bump in the road for lung cancer emphysema etc. This is just a small step that needs to be taken toward the eventual bankruptcy of the tobacco companies making money off killing people. It took a very longtime for people to have been smoking long enough for us to gather enough information to be certain of the effects of smoking and now that we know, it would be irresponsible not to at attempt to phase it out. It probably won’t happen in my lifetime and who knows how many generations it will take, but when it does happen it will be our generation in the history books they will be crediting for it.