Yesterday, my friend and fellow Spectrum blogger Neil FitzPatrick posted a passionate rebuke of the proposed campus-wide smoking ban. I respect him bringing a less orthodox opinion to the debate, which requires cleverness and courage. Still, I find some fundamental flaws in his argument.
The public opinion question
I heartily disagree with Neil’s plea to the USenate to ignore public opinion—this contradicts both the concept of the USenate itself, and the nature of the issue at hand. The USenate is representative of the student body, and rules and regulations regarding the use of “public” spaces are made (hopefully) in regard for the public welfare. As such, public opinion is vital to such policy making. Furthermore, the smoking ban issue is one that will affect the day-to-day experience for students on campus, no matter how it is resolved. Thus, ignoring public opinion is not only unwise, it's unethical.
