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I totally understand your concerns. I wish that nobody smoked, but the simple fact is that it is a legal activity. as long as it is, people who smoke should be able to do so wherever they are.
your statement was very general and generic. you make it too easy for me. I was born in detroit and grew up in suburban washington, DC. yep, I am from northern virginia. virginia is a southern state, yet I can assure you that it is an incredibly wealthy area. the jobs in northern VA pay as much or more than any other city in the US. it is the capital of the US and the military capital of the world. there are several thriving cities in the south. my accusatory tone was a response to your comment on how much higher salaries were up there. as for the spanking part, it was sarcasm. but given your very liberal response, I am going to assume that you are probably from new york or something. a lot of liberals are. know how I know? cause they are all moving to the carolinas to get away from the "outrageous taxes!" yes folks, it seems that even liberals don't understand the connection between liberalism and high taxes! I will give you my observations from the south and guest poster can tell me what he thinks. most people in the south have no problem with people relocating. most welcome it. especially if they embrace the way of life. the problem comes when people move down with an attitude like, "you're just going to have to make some changes to accommodate me." you might not believe it, but a lot of people move here with that attitude. things like banning smoking in local restaurants. the south, hell the united states, was built on tobacco. I am not a smoker, but I would have a huge problem with someone telling me I couldn't smoke because someone from out of town had a problem with it. nobody wants someone telling them how to live in their own backyard. but a lot of people just move down to relax and they are very well accepted.
Wow! Where do I even begin? Let's see. Several things here and I'm going address them at random; First, my post have been anything, but hostile to anyone. Second, for the greater part of a generation, me and my family have owned property in the South as well as the Pacific Northwest. Now that, that's out of the way.
As for smoking in public places. Unfortunately, (for smokers) there isn't an inherent right to smoke. In the U.S.A. as I'm sure your well aware, you can't engage in activity that causes or has the potential to cause harm to anyone else. Legislation has been passed and there is really not a whole lot to this argument.
No one is trying to tell you what to do in your backyard. However, you should keep in mind that your opinions, suggestions, and/or comments aren't the only ones that count.
I reiterate, this us against out of towners, because they don't want their asthmatic child inhaling secondhand cigarette smoke is a losing argument. We are all Americans.Try to remember that one.
I'm a smoker. However, I would not assume to pretend, that my smoking is some kind of right to infringe on anothers right to oxygenated air. Wherever I am, I go outside to smoke as to not contaminate the area with carcinogens I freely elect to inhale.
I'm not a liberal, but thanks for the compliment. You did get one right though, I'am from N.Y.
I will address your comments one by one as well. the first one being this......being called a liberal isn't a compliment coming from a libertarian. your comments aren't really hostile, but they attempt to be condescending. oh, and I have family from alabama to maine. you have to think a little bit outside the box. yes there are people in the south with an us against them attitude. just like there are people from the north who move to the south with an us against them attitude. being from the DC area, I was considered by many here in NC to be a yankee. people poked fun at me a bit but for the most part, I have only met friendly people. on the other hand, I worked at a company in VA that hired a lot of people from a certain college in upstate new york. I have never met people with such an us vs. them mentality. not a day would go by when I wouldn't hear comments like "people around here are idiots," "people around here can't drive," "you can't get any descent food around here," "well, back home they did this." the list goes on. instead of ignoring it, I just chose to come back with facts. here is a fun little Q&A based on reply to them when they made their stupid statements.
Q;people around here can't drive.
A:actually new york and new jersey rank #1 and #2 in worst drivers.
Q:well, back home they did this.
A:well if they did things better back home, you'd probably have a job.
Q:you can't get any good food around here.
A:I guess your town of 700 in upstate NY had better quality and selection than a metro area of over 5,000,000.
Q;people around here are idiots.
A:actually fairfax county has the highest rate of college graduates of any place in the united states. perhaps you should go to the pentagon and see how bright you feel instead of comparing yourself to the person at the burger king drive thru.
you know, it was 1776 when a virginian laid out the rights of the american people. now, over 230 years later, another virginian, me, is going to have to remind us of them. "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." nothing more, nothing less. you don't have the right to smoke. smoking is a choice. people don't have the right to smoke free restaurants. people can chose to eat wherever they want. if they can "pursue their happiness" at a non smoking restaurant, then eat at that one. they can also choose to voice a complaint to management. enough complaints and that restaurant will go to a non smoking place of business.
finally, let me give you an example of why a statewide ban of smoking at restaurants is a horrible idea for both smokers and non smokers. lets say you own a restaurant that makes 40% of their profit from their hip cigar/martini lounge. some families like to eat there too because the kids love the chicken finger platter and milkshakes. if the state bans smoking, this guy just lost 40% of his business. at a 15% profit margin, he is forced to close. no more chicken tender platters for the kids! you could make the argument that they would get more business if they didn't smoke but it wouldn't make up that 40% because a $7.95 chicken tender platter can't compete with a $35 cigar washed down with a $9 martini. the moral is this. if you don't like smoking in restaurants, talk to management. tell your friends to talk to management. if enough people do it, places turn into non smoking establishments.
You have several good points. Pub's (bars) in England, are experiencing the same economic effects of smoking bans within their respective establishments.
The sardonic comment pertaining to being a liberal as a compliment is irrelevant. It was just banter. But, you really shouldn't take issue with the liberals anyways. There are other groups more worthy of your content.
In the Q/A area I have heard comments from both areas similar to your post. However, they seemed more like statements or comments instead of questions.
America is a very uptight place right now. And its just not exclusive to one area. We all should display some understanding and compassion to one another. From one American to another. We have been through enough bull. Lets not take out on each other.
hahaha! my Q&A wasn't really one. like I said, those guys used to say those things all the time to me so I had well thought out witty replies. they were more along the lines of comebacks than answers.
the liberal thing is sarcastic. I give hell to some ultra conservatives as well. without a moderate voice like mine, it's just two wings. then you just have two wings without a brain or a heart.
I am sure you can tell from my political stances that I believe that about 2% of issues are political and the other 98% are personal choice.
in no way shape or form was I meaning to be rude or anything. I am sure you are a very nice person, as I am sure that guestposter is a nice person. we are all americans and most americans are tired of being lumped into categories. we are individuals and some might take offense to being labeled a "southerner" or a "yankee." I mean, not me personally because nothing offends me.
having lived in as many places, I can say that I don't consider myself better than anybody, unless that person is a criminal. you will meet good people from everywhere and the way you will be accepted is up to the individual. go someplace, I don't care where it is, with an attitude and don't expect friendly people. go someplace with a positive attitude and telling the locals what you really enjoy about their area, you will make friends quickly.
guestposter, that is when you arm yourself with stats and facts. I don't think anyone in the south is stupid at all. I think that stupid people are stupid people. I want to ask you a question. a guy like me. born in detroit, raised outside washington DC, would you object to someone like me moving there? when I move someplace, I embrace the culture and embrace the people. I don't complain about a lack of chinese food or pizza, instead I laud the great BBQ. I look for the positives. am I the type of person whom you would welcome?
guestposter, that is when you arm yourself with stats and facts. I don't think anyone in the south is stupid at all. I think that stupid people are stupid people. I want to ask you a question. a guy like me. born in detroit, raised outside washington DC, would you object to someone like me moving there? when I move someplace, I embrace the culture and embrace the people. I don't complain about a lack of chinese food or pizza, instead I laud the great BBQ. I look for the positives. am I the type of person whom you would welcome?
I have no personal problem with yankees. Good grief, I got friends who are yankees.
It's just that whether they mean to or not, it damages the culture. Do I want you moving here?well...eh no. Do I think you could be a great person? Sure. I just don't want the culture damaged.
I have no personal problem with yankees. Good grief, I got friends who are yankees.
It's just that whether they mean to or not, it damages the culture. Do I want you moving here?well...eh no. Do I think you could be a great person? Sure. I just don't want the culture damaged.
Culture is not a static beast - it changes over time. This is true everywhere. People move, exchange ideas, beliefs, food, etc. In other words, they exchange cultures. You can't just stop this inevitability and hope that your home stays as it was when you were a kid, or whenever. While you think of it as "damage" to a culture, it is really just change. And some people are more afraid of that than others.
don't want the culture damaged? I am sure that is what the Catawba tribe thought as well. no wait, they welcomed the new comers. what follows is what you "native south carolinians" gave them.
In 1760 the treaty of Pine Hill established a fifteen square mile reservation along the Catawba River. Almost immediately, however, this small apportionment of land suffered white encroachment. Although the Government of South Carolina agreed to evict all white settlers within the Reservation territory, nothing was done to enforce these promises. By 1826 nearly all of the reservation area was gone. 110 Catawba were crammed into an area just one square mile in size.
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Re:
your comments aren't really hostile, but they attempt to be condescending. oh, and I have family from alabama to maine. you have to think a little bit outside the box. yes there are people in the south with an us against them attitude. just like there are people from the north who move to the south with an us against them attitude. being from the DC area, I was considered by many here in NC to be a yankee. people poked fun at me a bit but for the most part, I have only met friendly people. on the other hand, I worked at a company in VA that hired a lot of people from a certain college in upstate new york. I have never met people with such an us vs. them mentality. not a day would go by when I wouldn't hear comments like "people around here are idiots," "people around here can't drive," "you can't get any descent food around here," "well, back home they did this." the list goes on. instead of ignoring it, I just chose to come back with facts. here is a fun little Q&A based on reply to them when they made their stupid statements.
