Chicago Tribune Smoking ban OKd by Chicago City Council

Even as a smoker, I don't really have a problem with this. I can still go outside and have a cigarette. I do this all the time anyway. And I can understand that non-smokers really really hate the smell / other effects of second-hand smoke.

What pisses me off is the smugness and nastiness of so many online smoking-ban-supporting posters' comments about the ban. (Not related to the link above -- just what I've seen in various forums.) You won. Why do you feel the need to talk about what awful human beings the smokers are? It just completely aggravates me.

And this is not an argument against the ban, but I wonder how the city of Chicago is going to make up the revune it's losing from cigarette taxes. Obviously smokers are still going to be buying cigarettes, but not in restaurants and bars anymore. That's where they were even higher in price than anywhere else. Since tax is a percentage of the price, I'm assuming they got more money from cigarette sales at those places. Actually, I guess I'm wondering how much revenue they'll lose. (There's also the argument that they'll make that revenue up by the savings in health-care costs... I assume that could be true, but I really don't understand how all of that works.) I'm just curious what the number in dollars would be.

The ban is hardly going to affect me at all. And as I note below I'm planning on quitting in February anyway.

For you non-smokers in Chicago -- just be happy that the ban passed and be nice.

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