Appleton voters in April 2005 approved a smoking ban that affects workplaces and many other places like restaurants, bars, and hallways in apartment complexes. Our local newspaper, the Post-Crescent, now has a collection of information on the smoking ban on their Website.

It has caused a great deal of controversy and may yet be changed or overthrown. Bar and restaurant owners content that it is driving business away to other cities and hurting jobs in Appleton.

Personally, I oppose smoking, but am not sure that it's right to tell private property owners that smoking is suddenly illegal in their establishments. Yes, I prefer smoke-free restaurants, but I don't think I or other citizens should have the right to tell Appleton bars that their patrons can't smoke, while it's still legal at their competitors in Menasha or Neenah. I guess I'm one of those folks that worries about the erosion of civil liberties, the loss of property rights, and the limitless growth of government. Call me crazy!

The good news, for those of us who can't stand tobacco smoke (I'm one!), is that it's easier to enjoy oneself in Appleton without the occasional whiff of smoke. I didn't think it was that much of a problem before the ban, but this week another news story reports that there were surprisingly high hazardous levels of secondhand smoke in Appleton's bars before the ban, so the public health issue may be more significant than some of us realized.