UP in SMOKE!

by Russell Turner

It seems to me that we Americans as a whole have a love affair with socialism. Far too many Americans are content to let the government have more and more control of our lives. Our founding fathers were men who knew the importance of and responsibilities of freedom. When someone understands personal responsibility in a free society, it forces us to be more educated and to use good judgment. It was Thomas Jefferson that was quoted as saying, “the government that governs best governs least.” It wasn’t that long ago that the state legislature voted to ban smoking in public buildings and privately owned buildings unless they had a designated smoking area with special ventilation equipment. There were many restaurants that invested thousands of dollars to comply with that law, now there is a bill before the state legislature that would prohibit smoking even in those areas.

Senate Bill 1875 passed the Senate Business and Labor Committee, and will move to the Senate. The businesses that invested in the smoking areas were catering to a need of people who smoke, it was simply a business decision to keep or gain new customers. Some may say that smoking is a bad habit and it should be eliminated. I have never smoked and I agree that it is not good for our health, but there are other bad habits out here such as overeating, gambling, etc. I have noticed that it doesn’t bother our state government to promote the sale of lottery tickets.

I have always supported the ban of smoking in public buildings such as schools and court houses, all of us have to enter those buildings at one time or the other. In the case of the private businesses, no one is twisting my arm to enter those establishments. If those businesses are catering to someone I don’t agree with I can take my money elsewhere. That is what the free enterprise system is all about. People in the business community must continually weigh the consequences of their decisions.

I am an American; I cherish my freedom that our founding fathers entrusted in us. I believe in the right of self-determination. Free people can make good or bad decisions and I want that freedom to choose for myself. If we don’t start seeing through all of this feel good legislation our freedoms will go up in smoke.

Russell Turner is currently a County Commissioner in Adair County. Russell says he understands the need to protect our freedom at all levels of government. Russell also shares the sentiments of our founding fathers who felt that whenever we as a people are ready to trade our freedoms for security we will have have neither and deserve neither. Russell writes a weekly column that appears in several newspapers in the Stratford, OK area.

Reagan makes Decision!

Each voter will have several choices to make this November. To vote or not to vote? Which candidate? It will not help the overall Republican 'position' to 'sit-it-out' or neglect to vote. Here is one persons comment and his decision:

"Let me say this. There has been plenty of battling in the primaries, and I've been in the middle of the battle, but until now haven't committed myself to any candidate, waiting until we had a nominee. That's over.

If John McCain is the nominee of the party, this Reagan will happily campaign with him. The alternative is unthinkable to anyone who loves this nation.”
- Talk-show host Michael Reagan