Ill. Gov likely to approve statewide smoking ban

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Restaurants, bars, workplaces and all public buildings in Illinois would go smoke-free by Jan. 1 under landmark legislation passed Tuesday by the Illinois House and embraced by Gov. Blagojevich.

The proposal, which passed 73-42, would even out the patchwork of local smoking bans already established across the state.

"This bill is not about smokers or smokers' rights. It's about the rights of non-smokers, of children, of the elderly and the hardworking people who take our dinner orders and clean our tables," said state Rep. Karen Yarbrough (D-Maywood).

Comrade Yarbrough views certain people in need of a nanny.