Civil libertarians in the U.S. are critical of a recent Canadian law that they see as part of an increasing trend of encroachment against private property and parental rights.
The Canadian province of Ontario has banned adults from smoking in cars where children under age 16 are present. Supporters of Ontario's in-car smoking ban say they have no intention of expanding the prohibition into homes with children. But, Thomas Firey -- policy analyst with the Cato Institute -- doubts their sincerity. He believes they have every intention of increasing the ban to include homes. And he points to efforts in the United States to support that claim. "... [W]e've had some efforts to do that in apartment buildings because, you know ... smoke could waft out," says Firey. "There's been some talk, some proposals floated that, if you're a parent, you have to go outside to smoke if there's a child in the home," he notes. Although Firey does not object to sincere attempts to protect children's health, he doubts that is the true reasoning behind the legislative proposals. "... [Y]ou know, children's health is an excuse to allow certain people to force their values to be applied to everyone else," he argues -- adding it is a tactic that crosses party lines. He agrees with Christians who are concerned that the "for the children" mantra could be used by government to challenge the traditional values they teach their children. "If I start trying to force my views on other people using government," he continues, "then I have to recognize that ... those people are also going to use government to force their views on me ...." Many government officials are more than willing to accept new powers, says Firey, no matter which side of the culture war supports them. Unfortunately, he argues, government is more interested in gaining power over the people, rather than serving the people.
If you believe OneNewsNow.com is an important source for Christian news, please consider a small tax-deductible gift for this service.
