Freedom has to stop somewhere

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

I just thought I would let people in McCook know why Lincoln decided to pass the smoking ban by a large margin.

According to the 2004 Surgeon General's report, smoking causes 25 major cancers and diseases. Mr. Hendricks says cancers are basically just genetic.

It also says in that report that smoking is the single bigest killer in the United States that can be avoided.

I agree that the United States needs freedoms; however, you don't have the freedom to kill somebody. That is exactly what is happening though in bars for people who don't want to smoke and suffer from seconhand smoke.

I live in Lincoln and talked with a key member of the City Council. He said an independent health committee was brought in and concluded that 17 people in Lincoln alone, die every year from being around smoke in bars and restaurants. Freedom has to stop somewhere.