GUNS, DRUGS, SEX AND THE CITIES

I'm not a big fan of the nanny society's limits on freedom, except
when I am. That's the dilemma for me, and for everyone. Reason
magazine recently ranked "the worst nanny cities in America" by
assessing their laws regulating sex, tobacco, alcohol, guns, driving,
drugs, gambling and food. Whether these things are good, bad or no
one's business is clearly up to the beholder.

Liberal hangouts -- Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin -- swoop down on
tobacco but look the other way on marijuana. For example, Washington
state bans smoking not only in public places but within 25 feet of
its doors and even closed windows. Thus, in parts of Seattle, the
Reason article said, "smokers literally have to stand in the middle
of the street to comply with the law." The opposite happens in
conservative parts of the country. Nashville, Indianapolis, Memphis
and Jacksonville go easy on tobacco but not on pot. Houston and El
Paso are tough on both smoking and marijuana, but guns are another matter.

Lax gun laws predominate in the South and Southwest, especially in
Texas. The coasts tend to be far stricter on guns and more relaxed about sex.

Like many, I'm for freedom up to a point. Smoking and drinking are
fine with me -- as long as I'm not forced to breathe the smoke or
share the road with drunks. Adult entertainment and prostitution are
acceptable as long as they're discreet.

Reason takes issue with traffic cameras that catch speeders and
runners of red lights. Not I. The cameras don't catch anything that a
police officer placed at the corner wouldn't.

The Washington, D.C., law that barred residents from keeping guns in
the home -- overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court -- was extreme.
People should have a right to defend themselves in their own homes.
But I want restrictions on who may own what kind of gun and where it
may be taken. I'd prefer that man shouting to himself in the subway
not have a Glock.

It will shock many to learn that the "worst" nanny city is Chicago.
Once a brawling town of taverns, Chicago now has many "dry"
districts, and there's a ban on serving alcohol at all-nude strip
clubs. Until recently, Chicago restaurants couldn't serve foie gras
- -- a liver pate deemed cruel because it comes from force-fed geese.

Not surprisingly, the "freest" city is Las Vegas, followed by Miami
and Denver. Vegas poses few restrictions on alcohol and may
eventually legalize prostitution. Gambling is obviously no problem.

Some differences seem odd. Philadelphia is stern on alcohol and
nearby Baltimore not at all. The Midwest cities of Cleveland,
Columbus and Detroit all tend to be in the middle of the pack for
most vices, the exception being alcohol, where they're quite strict.

Consistency would be appreciated. Indianapolis seems to have an issue
with the low-stakes gambling that is tradition in some black
neighborhoods, but not with the state-sponsored lottery, off-track
betting and other legalized betting. Then there's the Los Angeles law
that forbids smoking in municipal parks except on city-owned golf courses.

San Francisco is downright welcoming for marijuana and lax on alcohol
and sex. But it mandates the size of a pet's water bowl and requires
psychics to get a license.

Denver may be among the least restrictive, but there are moves afoot
to curtail freedom, according to Denver Post columnist David
Harsanyi. He cites proposals for a "hate hotline" that would allow
people to "snitch" on neighbors over a tasteless joke and legislation
to regulate house sizes.

Down with the hate hotline, but regulate house sizes?

Sounds like a great idea.