The News Virginian / News Virginian
Published: January 11, 2008

A thumbs-up, thumbs-down assessment of newsmakers here and beyond:

THUMBS-DOWN: Make way (again) for the government nannies, with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (again) leading the charge. Kaine wants to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in big government's tireless quest to save us from ourselves. His plan targets indoor establishments - including private clubs - that serve food. Kaine staffers believe the indoor element of the equation will add up to victory for an initiative that failed in 2006, in part, they believe, because of confusion over whether puffing also would be prohibited outdoors. Opponents charge that restaurants are being unfairly singled out. The bigger question, we think, is about liberty. Kaine's gang - which has plenty of backers on this point - cites state Health Department estimates that 1,700 people in the commonwealth die annually because of secondhand smoke. Those estimates have more than a faint air of subjectivity about them. Further, 1,000 people died in car crashes in Old Dominion last year. Should we ban cars, too- We do not deny the health hazards of smoking. But we do assert the right of people to make decisions for themselves, even when some of those decisions are unwise. Plenty of restaurants have banned smoking on their own. There is no reason for that trend to halt. People have options now. Taking them away eats away at freedom. Trust the market and individuals to set their own course. That thinking worked pretty well in America for a couple hundred years. Why can't it work now-

THUMBS-SIDE: In his flurry of legislative activism to ring in the new year, Kaine also has proposed legislation that would make weapons sales at gun shows subject to the same background checks required in sales by licensed dealers. Kaine announced his proposal on the same day President Bush signed legislation blocking the severely mentally ill from buying guns. We are sensitive to gun rights, but it is hard to argue a bill like the one Bush signed when even the National Rifle Association supported it. Virginia law already bars convicted felons, domestic abusers and the mentally ill from buying guns. Naturally, most Democrats concur with the assessment of one of their own, state Sen. Henry L. Marsh of Richmond, who calls Kaine's proposal "a no-brainer whose time has come." Del. William R. Janis, R-Henrico, probably is more to the point in labeling the legislation "a largely meaningless gesture" since private sales outside gun shows would not be covered. Inevitably, the result will be that people who abide by the law will be forced to wade into another layer of bureaucracy, while those with ill intentions continue to make their buys in the black market. But tighter restrictions are the inevitable result of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, which occurred after mentally ill killer Seung-Hui Cho purchased weapons legally from a licensed dealer. The trend - like Kaine's legislation - is one we may be forced to accept, but not celebrate.

THUMBS-DOWN: In an editorial earlier this week we referred to councilmen Frank Lucente and Tim Williams as spendthrifts. An alert reader noticed the error. Call Lucente and Williams what you will - and we have called them more than a few things - but spendthrift is not a term that fits those two. Visions of old Jacob Marley and Christmas specters spring to mind when thoughts shift to council's minority faction. This is the pair whose stubborn resistance to spending for capital projects brought us the bond referendum election. We do not always agree with the penny wisdom of Lucente and Williams, but we respect their doggedness in guarding against wasteful spending. Thanks to the e-mailer who calls himself Joe Blow for calling us on this one. Next time, we will try to mind our modifiers with the same vigilance Lucente and Williams mind the city's money.