Consequences

Well, the Law of Unintended Consequences hits again. The Twin Cities have been imposing smoking bans on businesses, including establishments serving adult beverages.(You can check out Craig Westover who has been following this story and the effects of this activism.)

Today, I came across this blog that shows how the effects of the "clean air" movement go far beyond individual health. A man selling Smokeeters (an air filtration system often found in bars and other smoking areas) lost his job because of the reduced demand for the machines. This left him unable to keep up with child support payments. He wasn't trying to be a deadbeat dad, having gone to the court for temporary relief due to losing his job. But the family court judge decided that the best thing to do was to toss him in jail for 90 days.

Now, this is just one side of the story, but it seems genuine. If anyone has contradictory information, please let me know. In any case, A) this judge is too full of herself, and B) governments should think out their actions before jumping in with more regulations to "do good". Read the story and see for yourself.

UPDATE: I heard from Craig Westover, and he puts some additional spin on the story:

There's more to the story. This person's business was killed by the
smoking ban -- no bar wanted to invest in air filtration equipment if there were going to be a smoking ban. However, the bench warrant was issued because he missed a court date.

Well, at least part of the original post turned out to be true, and I think the missed court date was probably due to financial difficulty, at least in part. Still, it doesn't change the fact that often there is definite economic damage done whenever government starts to stick its nose in to "do good".