Idaho Gov. Butch Otter obviously hasn't learned he can't trifle with the public's business by acting out playful political eccentricities like an oddball character out of rural Idaho. Otter seems to believe government is the problem, not the solution it can be when used intelligently.
When he vetoed overwhelmingly supported legislation to include bowling alleys in the state's no-smoking ban in public places, Otter cited "property rights" of bowling alley operators. He then showed childish pique by mocking several lawmakers who had criticized him for "social engineering" in demanding more relief on food sales taxes for lower income residents than those with higher incomes. Otter counter-jabbed by poking fun at the no-smoking law as "social engineering."
A governor with larger ambitions for his state and a more statesmanlike vision wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss the opportunity to end smoking wherever he can as a major benefit to health. Government regulations over property rights have gone a long way toward improving the quality of life for Americans.
In addition to the ghastly toll among smokers ($167 billion dollar nationally in health-related losses and 438,000 deaths annually), the costs of second-hand smoke are as perilous, with as many as 69,000 heart disease deaths nationally among non-smokers who breathe second hand smoke.
Virtually all the economic and human costs of tobacco eventually impact public well-being somewhere in the civic food chain. The public good, not his libertarian-style politics, is Gov. Otter's sworn duty.
"Property rights" has a seductive ring to it. But when the public's health and welfare are at risk, "property rights" can become a free pass for irresponsible behavior.
