The Inmates Rule The Cities

It was as predictable as could be - once Bloomington (a south 'burb of Minneapolis, best known as the home of the Mall of America) banned smoking, it wouldn't take long for Minneapolis or Saint Paul to do the same.

As bogged down by Highland Park DFL activists as we are in Saint Paul, there is at least a veneer of common sense on the part of some of the Democrat clacque that owns City Hall; Randy Kelly's Eastside faction is at least smart enough to veto nonsense like this.

But Minneapolis? A city that elects Greens to the city council? Oy.

Support for a smoking ban in Minneapolis bars and restaurants grew Tuesday after the Bloomington City Council approved a far-reaching ordinance forbidding smoking in most public places.

The next move belongs to the Minneapolis City Council, which is expected to vote Friday on a proposed ordinance that now has the backing of the mayor of the state's largest city. The Bloomington decision made the suburb the first metro-area community to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, and now the attention turns squarely to Minneapolis.

St. Paul remains locked in a stalemate between a City Council majority that supports some form of a ban and Mayor Randy Kelly, who vetoed the council's first attempt at restrictions.

I'm convinced - eventually, the activists in the cities will put themselves in charge of planning your houses (actually, they already do in a way), your free time, and eventually your families.

More on this later.

Posted by Mitch at July 21, 2004 07:11 AM | TrackBack