Ban the Ban reports that the Restaurant Association of Metro. Washington is suing the District of Columbia for a ballot referendum on smoking. After losing in the city council, anti-smokers hoping that they can use mob rule to wage their attack on property rights. Unfortunately, they stand a very good chance of winning. Public smoking bans that make it to a popular vote often pass because smokers are a minority and there are simply too few non-smokers that care about the rights of smokers and private property owners.

Despite being a non-smoker, I could never, in good conscious, vote to extend a smoking ban to someone elses private property; something that anti-smokers and selfish non-smokers don't think twice about.

Late last year, the Washington Times noted that a survey conducted by anti-smokers showed that 60% of voters would support a smoking ban. That number seems surprisingly low, considering a similar measure to repeal property rights passed in Florida with more than 70% of the vote. Considering the Florida ban covers some private residences and any place where one or more persons engages in work, calling it a repeal of property rights is not an exaggeration at all.

Of course smoking really is about property rights. Anti-smokers and non-smokers think that they should have the right to impose their rules on your property. They think that they have a right to visit your business and not be bothered by smoke. I consider anti-smokers to be evil, temperence-minded people, and non-smokers to be their all too willing accomplices. Even our local Fox affiliate has proven to be a useful idiot when they made the bogus claim that "statistics show" that 65,000 people die of second hand smoke every year.

Just remember, that this year it is smoking. Next year it will be something else; fast food, guns, alcohol, Sport Utility Vehicles, you name it.

UPDATE: Remember that as obesity rates grow, fatty foods are next on the list.