If you're walking around Centennial Park in the middle of the afternoon, or walking around DeWitt Park, and picking up your butts, and there are no public events being held, then you should be left alone if you want to smoke. This is an overreach.
I would agree, that some smokers are responsible but not all. I am a smoker and I still would vote for smoke-free parks. There are too many idiot parents, adults, and teens taht will smoke right on top of children and that isn't fair to the child. Take a walk through Austin Park one of these days and tell me smoking should be allowed. If one wishes to smoke and ruin their own health, that's their right. But the children's rights to health and clean air should be just as high of a priority, especially since they can do little to get away from smoke if it is all around them.
All they have to do to pretty much please everyone, is to say that smoking is not allowed within 500 feet from a children's play area in the public parks. But then it would also be nice to say that a parent or guardian MUST be within 100 feet of said play area to ensure that smoking parents are forced to stay close enough to their children to provide adequate supervision.
Austin Park's spray park has some really disgusting characters hanging around... and that includes some of the people who bring their children. Lots of kids who are far too big to be acting out like they do, when there are little bitty kids trying to enjoy the water. Nobody is there to enforce any rules. Teenaged kids run through or ride bikes through the spray area, without regard to little ones. Let me tell you, if some teen on a bike hits and injures one of MY little ones (great nieces), I will stomp the shit out of their bikes and probably be arrested for knocking some serious sense into their heads!
It's not so much smoking in the park that bothers me, but all the butts left behind. If smokers would pick up their butts, especially in parks, that would be a huge accomplishment. That cannot be legislated reasonably, but it sure would make less of a mess. If we haven't gotten everybody sensitive to the environment we live in yet I thought that we had at least shamed most people into not littering in front of others. I see people flicking their butts out the window of the car and in park areas all of the time, in the city and the country.
If you have ever done a park or roadside clean-up you know what a huge mess it is. Not a big problem? How much do you think I enjoy keeping my 23 month granddaughter from picking up butts in the park? Do those filthy filters ever degrade?
Chris, exactly. And you can't have a ban and sign that says "You can smoke if there are no children." There either needs to be a sign saying No Smoking or nothing at all. It's a moral issue more than anything. Any person who smokes around their children or others children is wrong. People go to the park to relax, exercise, stay more or less healthy. If you need a cig, go somewhere else I guess.
I have to say after going to other states who haven't banned smoking in public buildings and coming back home to smoke free restaurants, bars, etc it is definitly nice to have.
Cory, "go somewhere else". That's part of the issue. The nanny state told us no smoking in public areas like Jackson Square when there are events. Fine, no problem. But now you will be told no smoking even when you are the only person there. What's next, no smoking on you property outside?
I have no problem with banning smoking near play areas in parks. But like at Austin Park, there is a lot of space for smokers to go without being near kids.
At what point do we say enough is enough of the nanny state?
"I'd be fine with the ban. My question is, who's going to enforce it?"
Ten new fine funded smoking police, that's who, and that's why the idea sucks. TAX on you.
James;I'm with you. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, but pick up your stinking butts. Along with your fast food wrappers too. Someone will come and get your cans and bottles, but don't throw those around either. I was going to say pretend it's your own backyard, but then I've seen some people's backyards. Just have some common decency and respect if you want to go to the public parks. Doesn't seem like too much to ask.
RE: Posted by Lori Silvernail on June 27, 2011 - 10:23am - "if some teen on a bike hits and injures one of MY little ones (great nieces), I will stomp the shit out of their bikes and probably be arrested for knocking some serious sense into their heads!"
Wow Lori, you sound like an exemplary custodian of behaviors to teach children.....okay...not really.
Ha ha ha! How's this instead... if some teen on a bike hits and injures Doug Yeomans, I will sit back quietly and say to myself, "oh, those darned kids!" and take a picture of Doug lying under the sprinklers to send in to The Batavian :-)
If you're walking around
If you're walking around Centennial Park in the middle of the afternoon, or walking around DeWitt Park, and picking up your butts, and there are no public events being held, then you should be left alone if you want to smoke. This is an overreach.
I would agree, that some
I would agree, that some smokers are responsible but not all. I am a smoker and I still would vote for smoke-free parks. There are too many idiot parents, adults, and teens taht will smoke right on top of children and that isn't fair to the child. Take a walk through Austin Park one of these days and tell me smoking should be allowed. If one wishes to smoke and ruin their own health, that's their right. But the children's rights to health and clean air should be just as high of a priority, especially since they can do little to get away from smoke if it is all around them.
All they have to do to pretty
All they have to do to pretty much please everyone, is to say that smoking is not allowed within 500 feet from a children's play area in the public parks. But then it would also be nice to say that a parent or guardian MUST be within 100 feet of said play area to ensure that smoking parents are forced to stay close enough to their children to provide adequate supervision.
Austin Park's spray park has some really disgusting characters hanging around... and that includes some of the people who bring their children. Lots of kids who are far too big to be acting out like they do, when there are little bitty kids trying to enjoy the water. Nobody is there to enforce any rules. Teenaged kids run through or ride bikes through the spray area, without regard to little ones. Let me tell you, if some teen on a bike hits and injures one of MY little ones (great nieces), I will stomp the shit out of their bikes and probably be arrested for knocking some serious sense into their heads!
I'd be fine with the ban. My
I'd be fine with the ban. My question is, who's going to enforce it?
It's not so much smoking in
It's not so much smoking in the park that bothers me, but all the butts left behind. If smokers would pick up their butts, especially in parks, that would be a huge accomplishment. That cannot be legislated reasonably, but it sure would make less of a mess. If we haven't gotten everybody sensitive to the environment we live in yet I thought that we had at least shamed most people into not littering in front of others. I see people flicking their butts out the window of the car and in park areas all of the time, in the city and the country.
If you have ever done a park or roadside clean-up you know what a huge mess it is. Not a big problem? How much do you think I enjoy keeping my 23 month granddaughter from picking up butts in the park? Do those filthy filters ever degrade?
Chris, exactly. And you can't
Chris, exactly. And you can't have a ban and sign that says "You can smoke if there are no children." There either needs to be a sign saying No Smoking or nothing at all. It's a moral issue more than anything. Any person who smokes around their children or others children is wrong. People go to the park to relax, exercise, stay more or less healthy. If you need a cig, go somewhere else I guess.
I have to say after going to other states who haven't banned smoking in public buildings and coming back home to smoke free restaurants, bars, etc it is definitly nice to have.
Cory, "go somewhere else".
Cory, "go somewhere else". That's part of the issue. The nanny state told us no smoking in public areas like Jackson Square when there are events. Fine, no problem. But now you will be told no smoking even when you are the only person there. What's next, no smoking on you property outside?
I have no problem with banning smoking near play areas in parks. But like at Austin Park, there is a lot of space for smokers to go without being near kids.
At what point do we say enough is enough of the nanny state?
Let cigarette smokers have to
Let cigarette smokers have to hide like pot smokers do. It's like self abuse, just fine as long as no one sees you do it.
"I'd be fine with the ban. My
"I'd be fine with the ban. My question is, who's going to enforce it?"
Ten new fine funded smoking police, that's who, and that's why the idea sucks. TAX on you.
James;I'm with you. Smoke 'em
James;I'm with you. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, but pick up your stinking butts. Along with your fast food wrappers too. Someone will come and get your cans and bottles, but don't throw those around either. I was going to say pretend it's your own backyard, but then I've seen some people's backyards. Just have some common decency and respect if you want to go to the public parks. Doesn't seem like too much to ask.
RE: Posted by Lori Silvernail
RE: Posted by Lori Silvernail on June 27, 2011 - 10:23am - "if some teen on a bike hits and injures one of MY little ones (great nieces), I will stomp the shit out of their bikes and probably be arrested for knocking some serious sense into their heads!"
Wow Lori, you sound like an exemplary custodian of behaviors to teach children.....okay...not really.
Ha ha ha! How's this
Ha ha ha! How's this instead... if some teen on a bike hits and injures Doug Yeomans, I will sit back quietly and say to myself, "oh, those darned kids!" and take a picture of Doug lying under the sprinklers to send in to The Batavian :-)