CompuServe Messages

Ed, Belatedly: I think you're a little hard on yourself, as a smoker, when you characterize smoking as "trampling" on the rights of others. In a restaurant, both smokers and nonsmokers are entitled to be there, and the restaurant owner needs the patronage of both. Even though smoking and nonsmoking sections aren't completely satisfactory, in terms of containing the smoke, they seem to present a reasonable compromise. I'm really worried by the present crop of "do-gooders" who know what is right for everybody else, and who adopt the attitude, "do as I do, or I'll kill you." It dismays me to learn that you, Paul, Jack, Kevin, and Adrian are all smokers, because it will probably kill you if you continue. But if you want to continue, then it's none of my business–especially if you're polite enough to put the cigarette out or to go outside when someone objects. No doubt I'm influenced by living in a homeowner's association. We can't wait to get out. One of the worst things is, that people will go to the HOA board with complaints about their neighbors' slightly irregular activities (a hot tub on the fenced patio, for instance) and demand enforcement of the HOA rules (CC&Rs), when they would do absolutely NOTHING if they had to confront the neighbor themselves. But once a matter is before the Board, the group mentality takes over, and everybody starts looking around for other things to enforce. When I was on the Board, someone proposed a "standing committee on rules," and everybody at the meeting volunteered. It was the only committee that we didn't have to beg people to serve on. Fortunately, the board managed to avoid creating the thing. Lynne