Staff Reflections: Welcoming the Heavy Arm of the Law

In the year of the H1N1 hysteria, I was thrilled to learn this past May that the SB181 had come to Wisconsin. No, this is not another code name for a flu associated with an animal, but a piece of Wisconsin legislation signed by our Governor Doyle better known as the Smoke Free Wisconsin Bill.

This bill to take effect July 5, 2010 will ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, in an effort to protect non-smokers against second-hand smoke.

Never before can I recall a piece of freshly inked Wisconsin legislation having a direct and positive affect on my personal life. For a non-smoker who moonlights as a bartender and has been known to warm up the occasional bar stool, this was unbelievably exciting news. So exciting, that I have been patiently pinching myself for the 14 long months until it comes true.

Although I still struggle to believe that this bill is fair to business owners, I selfishly revel in its positive impact on me and my fellow non-smokers. I have always been amused and somewhat annoyed when the government attempts to protect us from ourselves, but this time I welcome the heavy arm of the law with open arms.

I can guarantee that my Fourth of July celebration next year will be extra special. I will raise my glass and make a toast to our unalienable rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the last night I come home from a bar with my lungs and clothes full of smoke.