Nannystate Inanity

POV has a post on a proposed smoking ban within 25 feet of public places in Louisiana:

First off, are we really ready to spend police resources toward enforcing laws like this? Of course not, and the Baton Rouge city council admits as such. So why pass a law that can't be enforced? To pander to the health & safety hyper-activists who'll soon convince us to wrap our children in plastic bubbles lest they pick up Ebola in the public park, which will at least be smoke free. To me its the same as passing gun laws - everybody feels better despite actual results or the ability to effectively enforce the law.

Second, per councilwoman Burgess' statement: "You can smoke -- with limitations. You can drink -- with limitations. You just can't go wild", what exactly is going wild? If I'm 25 feet away from a "public" place (and when wouldn't I be) would I be a law abiding, upstanding citizen with a poor choice of habits? Apparently so, but 24 feet away and I'm a crazed chain smoker exhaling my carcinogens on every man, woman, child and pet I can attack in my tobacco fueled carcinogenic law breaking bender. Bar the doors and close the shutters, we got a smoker in town!

Nice screed, Scott.