Edwards and Huckabee smokin' somethin'
Edwards and Huckabee have odd and oddly similar views on federalism and its relationship to public smoking. For Huckabee, it's particularly strange since he claims to be a (relatively) small government conservative. If that's his rule, then his views on health seem to be an important exception.
Hat tip: Chuck Muth (Muth's Truths)
NANNY-IN-CHIEF
"Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., told a 2008 presidential candidates' forum on cancer Monday that he would favor a nationwide federal ban on smoking in public places."
- San Francisco Chronicle, 8/29/07
HUCK SEZ: ME, TOO!
"(GOP presidential candidate Mike) Huckabee committed to sign a nationwide smoking ban in public places, should such a measure win approval in Congress."
- Des Moines Register, 8/28/07
posted by Eric Schansberg @ 12:24 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Yeah, I talked to a huckabee supporter about this. Unfortunately, they don't care. Most of his supporters are typical evangelicals.
They don't care if it follows the principles of federalism. They have no concept of Man's true depravity. As a result, they think it's perfectly acceptable to enforce their ideals on everyone else with the barrel of a gun.
Huckabee is a health advocate because of his own personal experience: He was obese and was diagnosed with type two diabetes, but became a marathoner and now needs no medications for his diabetes. So I can't really fault him for wanting to direct the power of the government to protect people from their unhealthy lifestyles. Anyone who has seen a loved one die of lung cancer (as have I) has sympathy for anything that discourages smoking. Yet I remain essentially libertarian on these issues; I oppose smoking bans except in enclosed public spaces. If there is to be government involvement, perhaps the best thing it can do is support effective education (media campaigns or school curricula). California achieved a significant decrease in teen smoking by running a series of brutal anti-smoking spots on television.
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