Don't know what the policies are in SF with regard smokers and non, but 
i'm presuming it all is a sin tax 'cause really, there aint that many 
externalities that aren't taken care of already by taxes on cigarettes 
(that is, if these are taxed to the level they are in Canada) ....

I'm all for *not* socializing negative externalities, don't get me 
wrong, but what Mr. Perkel points out are definite irregularities in the 
act of doing so.

Nicolas

On 3/22/2011 8:17 PM, Dan Krimm wrote:
> You had me until you went for the car in SF.  ;-)
>
> That's about negative externalities, which are not sins but impose costs
> on other people -- you're just paying for the costs you impose on others.
>
> I work in SF but live outside -- I rarely drive in, usually drive to BART
> and ride in.  There's just no room for all those cars.  Congestion has a
> price, and congestion is the price of population density (which has
> networking benefits).  It's all trade-offs.
>
> Not *everything* is about religion...  ;-)
>
> Dan
>
> PS:  As a non-smoker, I can't really deal with other people's second-hand
> smoke, makes me choke -- it imposes a cost on me when I'm forced to
> breathe it (or try to hold my breath until I can walk away).  So part of
> this is about who gets to impose what costs on others, and gets to prevent
> costs being imposed on themselves.
>
> So ultimately it's about power, not morality, though morality is often
> offered up as an excuse for power-driven policies...
>
>