To the editor,
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the government of Nova Scotia for developing and implementing its recent anti-smoking legislation. As an average citizen, I am far too stupid to make my own decisions, and my life is much too important to be placed into my own hands. Without government supervision, I am lost. I am a sheep without its shepherd. Before this wonderful legislation was conceived, my life was hell. I am too weak, you see, to stay away from a place of business that allows smoking. I have no personal responsibility. There’s no doubt in my mind that undermining the freedom of a business owner to allow whatever legal activity he or she wishes, and for my sake, took a lot of nerve. I’m flattered that a government comprised of people so much smarter and more capable of making ethical decisions than I am would waste its time on a small-brained individual like myself.
By Alex G.
This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2006.