Ballad of the Sad Cafes

This place was nearly unbearable during the winter before the ban. We stayed home and prayed for warmer weather when we could choose to eat outside and escape the impenetrable smoke clouds that filled the restaurants in Paris. Fine author, you can complain that the "ambiance" of Paris has been damaged by a smoking ban. I bless the people of Paris who wanted this and finally made it happen. Paris belongs to the non-smokers who live here too.

Smoking is a foul and fillthy habit that take away the non-smoker's right to smoke-free air and litter-free paths. Smoke until you drop for all I care, just do it out of my airspace, and don't make our world your ashtray.

I think here in Florida they have come up with a decent compromise. Being a smoker I have learned to live with it, not like it but live with it.

If more that 20% of your revenue comes from food sales, no smoking is allowed except outside.
If less that 20% is food sales, smoke it up.

This does give some business owners the ability to adjust their business to cater to smokers if they so choose. We are lucky enough to have a pretty decent climate so it's not as big of a deal.

Smoking is afoul and filthy habit that pollutes everyone's air space and trashes everyone's world. Smokers do not have the right to choose to take away a non-smoker's right to smoke-free air and a litter-free path.

I've never even taken a single puff of a cigarette in my 43 years of life oh hooray for me but I believe smoking bans are a terrible idea This should be up to the business, not the state. The last thing coutnries need is more government intrusion.

First, let's rememember that the French outlive us (U.S.) even though they smoke more than us. The Chinese outlive us while smoking more. The Chinese have 1/1000 of the DOCTORS as the U.S. per person. So MR. MD., with the facts cracking your back like a whip of reality, explain how they live longer. Perhaps its the totality of lifestyle more than any one factor.
Also, 1/3 of all people with lung cancer did not smoke nor were secondhand smokers.
The thing is - a DOCTOR will never tell a lifelong smoker that there was a 1 in 3 chance that they would have gotten lung cancer anyway.
A DOCTOR won't fess up to the fact that it is only the dangers of childbirth and childhood disease having been reduced that has resulted in our incresed life expectancy. If you go to old cemetaries you can see all of the infants, children, and pregnant/birthing women. When you average a zero years of age with a Ben Franklin old big number, you get the smaller lifespans of days gone by.
Smoking is not good for you, but the government doctors have said that an ultra light cig. with a one inch filter is NO safer than a camel unfiltered. Have they ever smoked? When our DOCTORS stand by false propaganda, we have to wonder when or if they are telling the truth. When was the last time you heard of a DOCTOR admitting to a mistake? That has to be dragged out of them (if it ever emerges) in court and only if a honest nurse risks their career and tells the patient what really happened.
The risks of secondhand smoke are overblown.
AND no one, not even a DOCTOR, can answer the question - if secondhand smoke is so bad, why does the GOVERNMENT have to force places to be nonsmoking. Wouldn't there be such a strong demand for nonsmoking facilities that smokers would have to hunt to find a place?
But maybe its that SMOKING = FREEDOM, and that even nonsmokers prefer a place that is fun with good food, a place with a relaxed atmosphere. AND you can't have a relaxed atmosphere with smoking NAZIS controlling your every move.
Maybe that's a major part of the collapse of the French cafe culture.

CATON STREET TRADING COMPANY / Maybe you should pay attention to the details...see below...
"PAY ATTENTION TOTHE LITTLE DETAILS. IN WRITING, IT ISMPORTANT TO GET THE DETAILS-------RIGHT!"
I see a couple of things where you didn't get the details right...first one, (TOTHE), second one, (IT ISMPORTANT).
Prior to you railing on someone about details you might want to get your own house in order first...
Just an observation.

I clearly remember Paris of the early 1960s a wide open thrilling sensual city for both old and young. It is sad to read of the changes but one must realize it is for the best when the health and welfare of future generations are at stake. Lets all say Vive La France !!

Smoking bans are a sign of the times. Unfortunatly our times are lacking any responsibility. We are a nation of Liabilities instead of responsibilities. Blame has become so epidemic that stores put waring lables on coffees, CD's and soda bottles. If your so mind numbingly stupid that you do not realize coffee is hot, profanity might be on a Snoop Dog CD or that sodas have carbonation and might explode, then you should sue your parnets for raising a moron and leave the rest of us alone! American and the rest of the world should go ahead and kiss the Mom and Pop businesses goodbye because they can not afford the liability insurance needed to CYA in todays society. Get used to the Wal-Marts, Starbucks and Coscos coming to a neighborhood close to you, because they are the only ones who will be able to operate in a world full of whining, finger pointing babies we have become.

What people have to realize is that smoking a cigarette or cigar is not illegal and if I as a property owner wish to have an establishment where smoking is encouraged or even embraced I should have the right to have such an establishment.Non smokers should be put on notice of this fact and have the choice of not patronizing such an establishment.That is the manner that people with different taste used to coexist in a free society. In the present nanny/socialistic society one world order,the rights of all are in danger of forever being lost.to an overbearing government that will continue to intrude on the rights of the individual. I write this as a non smoker my entrire life who believes that adults have the right to weigh the benefits and liabilities of legal but potentially dangerous activites that adults will on occasion participate in.

It's amazing how many of "you" are complaining about smoke in public places. Do you not know the difference between public and private ownership? For the government (any government) to tell you what you can and cannot do in your privately owned restaurant, cafe, whatever, is wrong. Set the laws for your truly public parks and such, but leave my privately owned business to me. When someone's personal choice becomes everyone's law, where does it end? Obviously, it doesn't. I own my house and I own my business as well as the building and the land that the business is in and on. I pay taxes for both. If you are going to tell me what I can and can't do in my place of business, how long until you tell me I can't smoke in my home either because "it might be harmful to the next owner". Bite me.

My grandfather smoked and he hung out of a fighter plane in World War 2 to preserve that ability to choose. Thanks for proving that Hitler's ideals still exist today and my grandfather fought in vain.

Smoking bans are a sign of the times. Unfortunaltly our time is one lacking any responsibility. The word of the new millennium is "Liability". We are now a world wide society of whiners! Blame is the so widespread that McDonalds had to lower the temprature of it coffee, CD's have warning disclaimers, and only the largest and most wealthy companines are able to afford liability insurance, and therefore are taking over the world. So long Mom and Pop, move over for Wal-Mart and Starbucks!