Nobody's being punished. If you don't like the smoke, go to a bar that a lot of people don't smoke in. Restaurants and stuff okay I can get down with that I agree nobody wants to smell stale smoke while trying to eat a steak, but you don't go to some bars for the nice atmosphere. You go there to get drunk and play pool and shit. A cigarette goes so nicely. In the right bar you may simply be there to search out some drugs, it's a lot less awkward if you're chilling smoking a butt rather than standing there with your hands in your pockets looking around.
In January when it's fucking 6 degrees and windy outside there's nothing nice about having to go out there to smoke. Plus it makes a big event out of something as simple as having a smoke. I'm not trying to go take some important phone call outside, I just want to light up a cigarette and keep doing what I'm doing. You have to drop what you're doing and go out there. And if you're the only one having a cigarette you have to go stand out there in silence by yourself like an asshole and freeze. Many places without patios you have to put your drink down, hope you don't lose your spot on the pool table, interrupt your conversation, etc, just because some people hate the smell of your "stinky cigarette". It's fucking on fire dude, nobody expects it to smell good. I hate the smell of seafood it really makes me lose my appetite but when I'm out to eat and the guy at the next table over orders a big plate of shellfish I don't tell him to go eat that shit outside
And kids don't need soda you're right, but why take it away from the ones that can do it once in a while without having problems? It's moderation. Besides the fact that I didn't drink soda as a kid, if a child were to have one once in a while their teeth don't all of a sudden rot out and get diabetes. Just teach your kids not to be morons and don't send them to school with 20 dollars spending money because of course they'll spend it on stupid shit. Also if the school sees some kid spending his money on soda or candy and not buying anything for lunch of course they don't allow that. When I was a kid I think fridays were a special day where you could buy an ice cream sandwich after lunch, and they'd check to make sure you actually ate your lunch you couldn't just go buy that shit and nothing else.
I think that comes down to parenting and common sense, it's not the government's job to be making all of these decisions for everyone, same as the smoking thing. It's not your place, keep out of my shit. The same way they can give you a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt, it's not like I'm dui and risking other people's lives. The only person's safety I am risking is my own, and I've got my own reasons for if I do or do not chose to wear the damn thing. The govt really just needs to back the fuck off and stop trying to get all up in everyone's business over stupid shit, that's what this is all about. Sure kids don't need junk food, but how is that the state's problem? Sure cigarettes are bad, but people still like to smoke them. There's just too many laws these days trying to protect people from themselves and it's really a fucking huge invasion of personal free choice.
And cigarettes after taxes do come out to close to $10 a pack around here, even more depending on what brand. I just think it's fucked that they're trying to make decisions for us, who are they to try to scheme us into stopping smoking. It's our own choice to smoke, isn't this supposed to be a free country? It's not like I'm trying to run around naked, I just want to burn some leaves and breathe in the smoke. Eating McDonalds is a fucking disgusting habit but that's still legal to eat there. That and I don't see them banning fat bitches from bars. This is america, we're supposed to be able to make our own free decisions, not be told every little thing that we can or can't do in daily life. Pretty soon they'll be telling what clothes we can wear and what websites we're allowed to visit and what type of music we can listen to. Every year they take more and more freedoms away from us, and they're so small but after a while they build up and we just can't do shit.