The Ames Tribune writer Mr. Lewis informed us yesterday in a lead story about the smoking ban that “it would not affect private places, such as people’s homes.” The nerve of that statement, and the Tobacco Task Force and City Council, makes my skin crawl.

They need to reassure us that it will still be all right to smoke in private homes, it just won’t be all right to smoke in a restaurant, or a bar, or any public place. What about a side walk? What about a parking lot? There are people everywhere who are sensitive to smoke. Why do they need to reassure us we are still free, for now, in our own homes? Because if we look out our window, they are camping on our front door!

If you think this is not your problem, wait until they decide you can’t smoke in your home because you have children. Smoking can be banned in apartments that circulate the same air. Is smoking the only health hazard out there?

Drinking often affects other people. I can conclude that there isn’t a member of these organizations who wouldn’t consider making Ames a “dry” town, based on their current direction. What else don’t they want you to do in this free country of ours?

Where are the ISU students who used to rise up and recognize freedoms being eroded? Have they become so complacent? Or is that why the city has not had the guts to put this up for public debate and vote? What do you think this ban will do to Campustown bars? To your favorite restaurants?

Students need to stand up for our rights and keep government in check. If you don’t have an opinion on this issue, you can be sure they will apply this precedent to other things you do care about. This is not a slippery slope people, it is a mud slide!

This political action is not about health. This is about a small group of people with a lot of time on their hands, and egos that have outgrown them. We are talking about legal substances, about private businesses, about grown ups who already have freedom to choose where to go or not go based on their allergies or their preferences. Your city government wants to limit your choices to none!

Well, wake up — you may need to lock your front door tonight because they will be coming into your home next. And that is no Halloween trick.

Sara Martin

Senior

Early childhood education