No. It’s silly and a waste of time and resources. Somebody please explain to me how it is that anybody ever thought that this was a legitimate function of government… Seriously.
From Indiana News Center:
Smoking Ban Proving Costly for Ohio Counties
The Toledo-Lucas County health department alone has spent $40,000 hunting down violators, while banking just $630 in fines. Costs stem from overtime, mileage and other added expenses.
Mmm hmmm…
Filed under: Ban Damage, Ohio Ban News, economic impact, reality check | Tagged: ban economics, enforcement, government, ohio smoking ban, smoking bans
This could be the end for Ohio’s leading anti-tobacco organization.
After weeks of legal and political wrangling between legislative leaders and the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation, lawmakers introduced a measure Tuesday to make the foundation disappear.
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=410032&Category=13&subCategoryID=
The bill would give the remaining $40 million in the foundation’s coffers to the Department of Health to fulfill the foundation’s current contractual obligations. After that, the department would decide whether to use what remains to continue the foundation’s anti-smoking efforts.
Sen. Bill Seitz (R., Cincinnati), author of a similar Senate bill, said the action is a response to a feeling among some that the foundation has become “a rogue agency.”
“It’s not the remedy I would have proposed,” he said as he stood outside a Statehouse entrance smoking a cigarette. “I would have said we should vote to eliminate the statewide smoking ban. That’s the nuclear option.”
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080430/NEWS24/804300428/-1/NEWS
It’s an interesting twist and one that I don’t think that they anticipated. Not that I’m at all bummed out. It actually pleases me immensely to see them fail like this.