Editor:
In "Nanny government not needed" (My Write, Jan. 7), Bill Bauer belittles Santa Monica's new non-smoking ordinance for multi-unit residences. I don't smoke, but I empathize with those who do and would probably be satisfied with a policy that gave landlords and home owners' associations the power to declare buildings smoking or non.
But Mr. Bauer irrationally attacks the ordinance on the grounds that Santa Monica has ignored potential complaints based on allergies to pets and peanut butter and antipathy to love-making sounds. It makes no sense to argue against remediation of a single problem on the grounds that other problems remain.
Mr. Bauer also attacks bans on the sale of massive cups of soda and chocolate milk (in schools I suppose), arguing that "Government must stop acting like our mothers or doctors." I would have much more sympathy with this argument if people weren't so willing to pass along the cost of their unhealthy lifestyles to that same government.
Paul Bergman
Santa Monica
