Don't Ban Smoking - Does Virginia Really Want To Be more Restrictive than Washington?

        The article “Don't Ban Smoking - Does Virginia Really Want To Be more Restrictive than Washington?” by Radley Balko from the CATO Institute, is an article about how a smoking ban in virginia isn’t the proper choice. The author’s purpose in this article is persuade; one part that shows that the author is persuading is “Smoking bans mean fewer tips, lower wages and fewer jobs for workers. Given the choice between enduring secondhand smoke on the job and having no job at all, many cooks, bartenders and waitresses would prefer the former.” The author only gives his opinion about the smoking ban, and has an extreme bias slanting towards not banning cigarettes. The author used pathos to persuade; one part that showed me he was using pathos was “Does Virginia really want to be more restrictive than Washington when it comes to lawmakers imposing their own vision of healthy living on the states' restaurateurs, bar owners and entrepreneurs?” The author used pathos in that quote to strike emotions into the reader.

        

        The author’s viewpoint in this article is against having a smoking ban in virginia. From just looking at the title, you can already notice he’s against the ban. The author gets his message across to the reader sometimes, by saying “do we really want this...” Which appeals the readers emotions. The author doesn’t use facts to support his viewpoint, but uses examples such as “But even if those numbers were accurate, they shouldn't matter. Bans on public smoking aren't an infringement only on the rights of smokers, they're an infringement on the rights of property owners” to help get his point across to the reader. 

        The author that wrote this article is an experienced writer that works as a senior editor at Reason magazine. This article doesn’t provide any facts, but makes good points about people’s individual rights. When the author gives one of his points, he doesn’t back them up with detailed studies. I would recommend this article to someone wanting to understand, and appreciate why someone would be against a smoking ban.