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Comprehensive smoke ban values all lives equally

By BOB COBLE

Guest Columnist

The Columbia City Council will give final reading to our no-smoking ordinance this Wednesday. ThisCoblebob vote will be a critical step in making Columbia's work spaces and public places safer and healthier. Columbia passed a no-smoking ordinance in November of 2006, but we did not enforce our ordinance until the state Supreme Court upheld the validity of cities enacting such provisions.

The court ruled in March that cities and counties could pass such ordinances, and outlined how the ordinances must be enforced. The ordinance that City Council will consider enforces a violation as a civil penalty. Additionally, council will consider making the smoking ban apply to bars as well as restaurants. I believe that a comprehensive ban, including bars, is essential to the health of all of our citizens....

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    Prayer, community bring healing

    My husband, Michael Carlisle, recently was stricken with a life threatening illness — Group A Strep Pneumonia. Treatment was lengthy and complications nearly a daily event. Hospitalization lasted for seven weeks, followed by two weeks of inpatient rehabilitation and six weeks of outpatient rehabilitation, currently in progress.

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    YOU CAN’T TALK about House District 96 without talking about vouchers. Rep. Kit Spires owes his election in great part to out-of-state voucher supporters who flooded the district two years ago with a nasty, misleading assault on then-Rep. Ken Clark.

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THE STATE'S EDITORIAL WRITERS

Warren Bolton
Warren Bolton is an associate editor. He covers local and state government.
Mike Fitts
Mike Fitts is an associate editor in The State's editorial department.
Cindi Ross Scoppe
Cindi Ross Scoppe is an associate editor. She covers the S.C. General Assembly and state government.
Brad Warthen
Brad Warthen is the editorial page editor and a South Carolina native.
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