Via the Agitator, we find this story about a UK pub owner going to jail for 6 months for refusing to pay fines forallowing people to smoke in his pub.

First, Radley Balko said he was going to jail for allowing people to smoke.
No, he's going to jail for not paying the fines for allowing people to smoke.
There's a huge difference.

I have to admit, I'm not outraged over this. They allowed the laws to happen, this is just the logical conclusion. In NYS, where they have a similar ban, some bars "rent" ashtrays. You pay for using an ashtray and when the SS comes and demands their squeeze, the bar owner has a stash of "ashtray rental" money for paying them off.
That's the law, NY doesn't really care if you smoke, they just like the extra income from the fines they collect.
It's funny, but in NYC many bars would prefer you smoke pot in them than cigs. If you're smoking pot, only you get in trouble. If you smoke cigs, the bar gets in trouble.

If this gives the British subjects an impetus for reversing the Nannarchy, well that's great.
But they have nobody to blame but themselves for this.

The law is the law. Unless you're a career criminal in Britain, you have to pay the consequences when you break it.

Posted by: Veeshir at 10:37 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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