Letter writer Daniel John Sobieski wrote a thought-provoking piece “Dangerous precedent” (Voice of the people, Oct. 12). He objects to the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars because the Constitution does not mention any right to clean air or to tell business owners how to run their businesses. He perceives this ban to be another “for your own good” proposal. What he failed to understand was the part of the Constitution that says we should “promote the general welfare.” It is not wrong for governments to promote laws that are for the common good. That is exactly what “promote the general welfare” means. What I object to are laws that prohibit a business owner from opening his establishment 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, if the owner so desires. For example, I never understood the law that prohibits a bar or liquor establishment from opening the doors before noon on Sundays, or the prohibition of automobile dealers from opening on Sundays. These restrictions do not promote the general welfare nor do they qualify under the category of common good.
