By Trevor Lilburn

By Trevor Lilburn

Loma Linda is proposing the biggest ban on public smoking in the Inland Empire. In a recent article published by the press enterprise, the proposed ban would affect parks, restaurants, theaters, bus stops, City Hall, hospitals and 80 percent of the motels and apartments in Loma Linda. The support for the ban is high but so is the opposition.

My question to the supporters is why do they feel the need to impose their will over so many other people’s lives? The excuses that second hand smoke kills are not a myth. But the extent to which they are imposed by hecklers is ridiculous.

Social reformers imposing their will on the public “for the better good” is not what we need. It’s a power trip thing. They don’t want to be exposed to it so neither can the rest of us and the government is more than willing to legistslate to the least common denominator. This makes the few outspoken activists happy at the expense of the people who cant or don’t care.

If you are a smoker you know the penalties. As is your right, you have made a personal choice to put something potentially harmful in your body. That is your god given right and yet, as many smokers will attest to being heckled in some form, other proven harmful life choices such as obesity are not under such scrutiny.

I have never seen an obese person heckled on the streets. Nor have I heard any significant stories to confirm the act. But perhaps it needs to become more common place if only to put our behaviors in perspectives.

It can be argued that obesity is decease or that its affects are glandular. But many personal choices largely contribute to obesity in America. As it is increasingly prominent in this country.

The truth is, social mannerisms have not evolved in the way that it is acceptable to heckle people that destroy their bodies in various ways. To publicly criticize a smoker or someone who wears tattoos or extreme body piercing is not seen as shocking. But if I were to “call out” an obese person on the street then I am incentive.

But I have every right to do such a thing. And so does any tax payer. Just as a smoker costs you a healthy living place, an obese person costs you your wallet size.

A 2008 census said that the government cost for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, about $326,000.

There can never be a law banning obesity in public places. But if Loma Linda wants to ban smoking in almost every public space including sidewalks and cars, then they should also put a tax on obese people to cover the costs.

That is my will and I want to impose it on the rest of the community. And because the government legislates to the least common denominator (that’s me), I can most probably have this bill passed.

My ultimate solution is that the government leaves its people alone. Don’t tell them what is and isn’t socially acceptable. They will decide for themselves. Big brother societies where every action by its people is patrolled will never be accepted. So let’s try and stop taking us further towards this outcome.