Ironies of our times...

Had a chance to meet another "east sider" from St. Paul today and the topic went to a local watering hole called the "Cherry Pit".

It seems that St. Paul, in its desire to protect the common welfare banned smoking in all of the bars but soon discovered that people have cars and can go to bars not in St. Paul if they wish and so came up with a solution. No it wasn't letting people be grown ups and choose whether they want to be in a smoky bar or not. Instead the city, at taxpayer expense, decided to build outdoor patios for bars with fireplaces, heaters, and lights so the customers can still smoke, and what's more important for tax purposes drink, in St. Paul.

So if I get this straight its okay in St. Paul to drink a lot and go home with a stranger and do whatever as long as you don't smoke while you're in process. Unless, of course, you're thinking about doing that outside of St. Paul then the city will use all that spare taxpayer's money to build a nice place outside for you in the hope that you'll be lured to satisfy your alcoholic urges where they can get that precious per drink tax money.

And they wonder why people don't vote.