Smoking ban a business choice

Regarding the proposed smoking ban in private businesses: Free enterprise, on which our country is based, has an implied concept of minimal government interference. For instance, if a business owner bans you as a customer, do you believe the courts would voice an opinion in your favor allowing you to continue to do business there?

A business owner, and no one else, has the right to determine whether smoking is allowed in their establishment. Smoking is not an illegal activity.

Smoking should not be allowed in any city, state or federal facility. It is outrageous some public schools still allow smoking. In private business, however, customers are not forced to come to that establishment nor are its employees forced to work there. There is a great difference when you have choices about being exposed to smoke.

If you want to change the way private business deals with smoking, taking away their rights as a business owner is not the way to achieve that. For instance, if you do not want a particular business to allow smoking because you like to frequent their establishment, start a petition drive asking for signatures of people who feel the same way and stating that they will not frequent the establishment any longer until smoking is banned.

If the business owner believes it will affect profit, then a smoking ban policy will likely be established. It is, however, the choice of the business owner and not ours as voters.

NANCY KENNEMORE, Cape Girardeau