Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!ucbcad!ingres From: ingres@ucbcad.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Smoking . . . (Slow Motion Suicide) - (nf) Message-ID: <54@ucbcad.UUCP> Date: Fri, 10-Jun-83 22:51:44 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbcad.54 Posted: Fri Jun 10 22:51:44 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jun-83 13:01:08 EDT Lines: 22 #R:stolaf:-101300:ucbcad:2000001:000:1191 ucbcad!ingres Jun 9 17:53:00 1983 A recent netnews article claims that in California it is required to have no-smoking areas in restaurants. This is entirely false (sorry). Twice have signatures placed an initiative on the ballot to due that, and both times they were defeated in campaigns in which the tobacco companies poured millions and (in the second initiative) distorted the truth. I don't know why, but the people of California seem to be quite susceptible to this sort of garbage. We have twice been convinced that, despite the fact that we support no smoking, the specific initiative is bad (this may have been true of the first one, though). We have been convinced that we shouldn't make bottle deposits mandatory since, among other reasons, this would destroy the voluntary industry. We have been convinced that, even though polls show the state favoring gun control, that we shouldn't enact \this/ legislation. The last time the small good guys beat the big money was on the Peripheral Canal issue, and that was probably won on secondary issues (not that I'm particularly complaining). This is probably one of the problems of living in a large state where mass media pushes can outweigh common sense. Ken