The city of New Orleans has its problems, as do all major urban hubs. But, New Orleans Democrats don’t like to focus on actual issues, they would rather like to tell you how to live and tell you how to run your business, quite similar to the regulations of big government New York City.

That is exactly what New Orleans City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell (D) is doing. Cantrell introduced an ordinance before the New Orleans City Council which would all-out ban smoking in New Orleans bars and public places in general. Keep in mind that there are over 100 businesses in the city of New Orleans that are smoke-free, solely because they choose to be, not because the city mandates they be.

This is big government at its finest.

However, Cantrell’s ordinance takes the smoking ban a bit further, essentially banning smoking in all public places, which is, well, everywhere in the city.

This probably reminds you of New York City’s big government smoking policies. In New York, cigarettes are so expensive because of taxes placed on the product that people sell the cigarettes one-by-one for a cheaper price, which leads to more crime.

These big government, anti-smoking tactics have led to instances like the Eric Garner case where a black man was basically put into a choke-hold and by police officers for selling loose cigarettes. Garner died during the instance. But, don’t blame Garner. Blame the ridiculousness of New York City’s big government schemes.

In New Orleans, a ban on smoking in public places would mean hefty fines for smokers, who are not to mention being widely discriminated against in this ordinance. And businesses would be forced to ban smoking or be fined. Think about the impact this would have on tourism, considering New Orleans is known for its Laissez–faire regulations on public drinking and smoking.

There will always be problems and implications when a government forces itself on the people and private businesses. It is not the role of city government to control the behaviors of the people and to control the way businesses conduct business. That is a basic right, not a left and right political issue. It just so happens that liberals fail to understand that concept, like Cantrell obviously does.

If the business owners and individuals of New Orleans do not come out in mass, there will be further prices to pay for individual liberties and rights. This will only be the beginning.

Already, the Louisiana ACLU is making a point to stay out of the issue, which is a shame considering this is a perfect case of civil liberties being violated. A representative with the ACLU said the issue would only be a civil liberties problem if smoking was being banned all throughout the streets of the city. Nonetheless, that is exactly what will happen though.

In New York City, Michael Bloomberg successfully passed a bill that bans the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 21 years old. So now, in New York City, anyone under 21 years old is considered a child who cannot make a choice for themselves.

Does New Orleans really want to become the big government New York City of the South? If so, you can say good riddance to individual freedom and hello to politicians telling you how to live.