Photo courtesy RebelAt of English Wikipedia
The early days of a session of the Missouri legislature can generally be counted on to produce some pretty good chuckles, usually in the form of draconian bills or bizarre proclamations destined for “News of the Weird.”
In the spirit of the season, the House Rules Committee wasted little time generating this eye-roller: The inalienable right of state representatives to smoke in their State Capitol offices shall not be abridged.
Never mind that multiple legislators often share offices, that they receive a wide range of visitors at large, and that smoking is prohibited in all other state government buildings (and most other indoor workplaces in the free world). And there’s the peripheral issue of death (among the side effects of second-hand smoke) to consider. Unless, that is, you are on the House Rules Committee.
With an apparently straight face, St. Louis’ own Rep. John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says you just can’t “take away people’s individual prerogative to do something in the privacy of their own offices.”
Let your imaginations run wild, folks. This is a family website, so we won’t bother to speculate as to the visions conjured up of politicians (and their lobbyist friends) “doing something in the privacy of their own offices.” (Give them the benefit of the doubt: It’s probably nothing worse than smoking and making slimy backroom deal.) Look at the bright side: This is as close as the Missouri House gets to considering a human-rights issue.
But it’s not a laughing matter to State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (D-St. Louis), who is a member of the endangered species dubbed the “Missouri Progressive” by archaeologists. Oxford suffers from severe asthma and says without exaggeration that smoking poses a “life-and-death” threat to her. Oxford, however, is neither an unborn child nor a person especially revered by the wing nuts overrunning her chamber, so it’s not clear that her plea for life will get much response when she tries to bring the matter to a full House vote.
Missouri politicians are, after all, head over heels in a love affair with Big Tobacco. The state can “proudly” claim it has the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation—less than one-eighth of the national average—presumably out of respect for the Missouri tobacco industry, which unfortunately cannot return the love because it essentially doesn’t exist.
Sure, the state is broke. But at least it’s the cheapest place to smoke in America.
The situation has only grown more ludicrous on a statewide basis since we addressed the subject in June 2009.
On the other hand, St. Louis County voters overwhelmingly approved a smoking ban since that story appeared and just this week, it was the subject of some apparent tinkering. Also this week came word that more local educational institutions are addressing the smoking issue with a new mindset.
And even the House Rules committee took a radical step by banning smoking in a back chamber of the House, where only representatives are allowed to gather.
In a public “missive” as to how the wheels of progress roll, Rep. David Sater (R-Cassville ) certainly seemed to feel that the moral high ground had been discovered. “The House, in my opinion, was not setting a very good example by allowing smoking in a common area of the House,” he explained.
Right. But what about those public, taxpayer-funded offices where the public comes to visit while you do the public’s work?
Oh, right, that’s where the “privacy” thing happens. No need to set an example there.
Update, 1/13/11: This morning, after roughly an hour of debate, the House voted against Oxford's "life-and-death" argument by a whopping 113-45 margin.
SLM co-owner Ray Hartmann is a panelist on KETC Channel 9’s Donnybrook, which airs Thursdays at 7 p.m.
