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Sure there is an argument for letting me do anything, but when you keep persuing and reducing the argument, it eventually boils down to "Why do we even have laws at all?"
The answer to that question is "because we as a society decided to." By their very nature, laws created by people are arbitrary and intangible, their only actual effect is derived from society's willingness to actually enforce them.
If the laws were actually agreed upon by the people... but they aren't. And most are really to protect businesses, not people.
But no, it doesn't boil down to why have laws at all. Laws should protect people's rights. Like the right to not get murdered. But that's not what this is.
Okay, let's play this out. Laws against murder remove my right to murder people. Just because you weren't going to use that right doesn't mean that I wasn't going to.
Maybe you came in on a side thread. The only rights that should be considered for law are rights that impact others. It's still a super large list. But your right to snoke in you basement isn't on it. Your right to murder is.
It has nothing to do with using it or not. Just who it impacts directly.
People smoking in their basements present a fire hazard, major issue if you live with other people.
People smoking (at all) creates second-hand smoke, which harms the people that come into them, or their spaces (like say, a contractor, or first responders, utility technicians...)
People who smoke end up using more critical and limited medical resources because of their habits.
I'm not as daft as to say that smoking harms to the same degree as outright murder, but it's equally stupid, if not more so, to say that smoking (even in your basement by yourself) harms no one else.
Also...
Who decided what rights should be considered for laws?
I'll give you a hint; it's not some universal property of the universe, nor a divine command.
At some point in time, the society I live in established that murder is against the law, and that is the sole reason I'm not allowed to murder anyone. My "right" to murder was just as valid as my "right" to smoke in my basement until there was a law created that defined (or changed) those "rights".
So, back to my still very relevant comment from earlier....
Okay, let’s play this out. Laws against murder remove my right to murder people. Just because you weren’t going to use that right doesn’t mean that I wasn’t going to.
How about we say, smoking in your basement alone, in a house only you live in to avoid the semantics. Second hand smoke exposure usually requires the smoking to be taking place at the same time or very recently. So first responders are not signficantly at risk if the person isn't smoking at the time. And their ppe should help reduce that further. If it is a concern based on data, then better ppe should be provided. 2nd hand smoke is probably the least concerning thing they are exposed to when responding. Other people like contractors and such can refuse to enter until the place is aired out.
People who smoke do end up needing more medical care. But so do people who drink alcohol, eat red meat, or any of a large number of lifestyle choices. Motorcycle riders are a great example. If they get into an accident, they will likely need greater healthcare than someone in a car. So should be ban those too?
As for who decides what rights should be considered for laws. That is litterally what we are discussing here. No it's not universal anything. It's my opinion. Universally no one has any rights.
Cool, you're going to die or move sometime, and that smoked in house will go to someone else, which will harm them.
Your house burning down harms your community by using up emergency response resources.
Hell, the smoke from your burning house harms your neighbors. I should know, since the house halfway down the street from me caught fire and fogged up the whole neighborhood for a day. I had to take my wife to stay with her parents because the smoke was extremely irritating for her.
Tell me you've never been in an indoor smoker's house without telling me.
Ah, so your opinion is law? Must be nice to be a despot. Am I talking with Kim? Maybe Vlad?
Yes... This was my point actually, and it takes away from your point that harming other people cannot be a right. Rights are determined by the society you are in. I don't have a right to murder because the society I'm in has said that murder is not a right. It's not any more complex than that.
What are you even arguing here? You've jumped around so much, I can't even really tell if you remember what your position was? I think it was something like...
"Laws should be restricted to protecting people from other people, not from themselves."
Or...
"Well to be honest, there is an argument for letting you build bombs in your basement."
I dunno. You seem to be reading different things than I am writing.
I litterally said "should" which is a pretty clear indication that it was my opinion. You saw me reference othe things that cause increased healthcare costs, but ignored the point that some group deciding which life choices that cost more are okay is, in my opinion, not something laws should be used for. And gou say Iam jumpping around when my focal point has been pretty clear. Don't legislate what people can do if it does not DIRECTLY impact others.
You talk about cleaning out a smokers house. It may smell bad, but do you have any data to show it is bad for you after the smoke has settled? And no one "has" to go clean it out. They can choose to take on that job or not. So it isn't a direct impact. It requires the person to choose to be impacted. With bombs.. if a guy has 50 acres in the middle of nowhere, why shouldn't he be allowed to make bombs in his basement.