Personal Freedoms are Taking a Hit During the Pandemic
Editorial by concerned citizen
Our homes are our refuge. Leave us alone.
If we believe the story running on 48hills and a number of San Francisco local media outlets, there is an effort to curtail smoking in San Francisco homes in buildings with 2 or more tenants. So far the no smoking rules apply to tobacco and marijuana. A fine of $1000 per day would apply to any tenant or homeowner who is caught smoking under these new regulations. If this is a new ploy to run more tenants out of San Francisco, they couldn’t have come up with a better plot.
We witnessed a serious attack on due process protections during the pandemic. A recent ruling against some of the Governor’s emergency powers may signal a return to the rule of law is eminent.
At a time when patience and unity are most needed, some San Francisco supervisors are heading down a path that could backfire and create a lot more animosity between neighbors.
Why do San Francisco supervisors feel the need to curtail our personal freedoms during the pandemic? How many ways can city authorities find to add to our stress, misery, and discontent? Are they trying to force more people out of the city by threatening us with fines and fees for smoking in our homes and waving the specter of congestion pricing in our faces during a pandemic when the streets are largely empty, or would be if the SFMTA quit removing traffic lanes and parking.
In this time of stay-at-home politics, and self-imposed house arrest, city officials should waste no time or money on methods to control what we do in our homes.
If any controls are needed they are corporate controls. When the emergency is lifted, and evictions are allowed, many people will face the decision on whether to stay in debt or leave the city. We also can surmise that there are many vulture investors and corporate interests ready to pounce on the underwater properties. They are waiting in the wings to snatch up leases, mortgages, empty condos, and single family homes as soon as the evictions resume. City authorities need to prepare for the big problems ahead and leave eveyone who is fortunate enough to be housed and debt free alone.
San Francisco lead the effort to keep government out of our bedrooms. Are they seriously considering spying on us in our homes or turning our neighbors into snitches now to get a few more bucks out of us?
San Francisco did not elect the most progressive city council because we want to give up our personal freedoms. We want to be left alone and extend that right to everyone else. Whatever we do in our homes is our business, not that of the government or nosy neighbors. And we are not alone. Most Americans feel the same way.
After the last election, marijuana is only fully illegal in 6 states — Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina. Trying to control the use of a legal substance in our homes is the least popular move anyone can make, especially during a pandemic when many people are stuck at home, feeling frustrated, and losing patience with health protocols. Americans voted for a shakeup of the criminal justice system not piling on more government controls that strip away our personal liberties.
Tobacco is a legal sedative that satisfies the user in a manner that is still somewhat affordable and generally does not add to the crime rate. There are plenty of controls already on the books for regulating how and where this product is consumed. We don’t need any more. You cannot eat, drink or smoke with a mask. The safest place for these activities right now is in your home.
Get off our backs and stay out of our homes.
Dissatisfied San Francisco citizen who doesn’t smoke.
