Again With The Frog In The Pan

A new study just released by the state's always-reliable Department of Taxation and Finance reveals that the smoking ban wasn't the deathblow to local taverns we expected it to be. In fact, business has even improved since the ban went into effect in 2003. There was a little dip in business for the first six months or so, but then everyone gave up the fight and agreed that they'd just step outside to smoke. After that, things picked up where they left off.

As one nonsmoking bar patron told the Post on Monday, "People are pretty adaptive, and over time, they have gotten over it."

"Adaptive" is one way of looking at it, we suppose. If you ask us, what the study reveals is just one more sad bit of evidence that you can take anything you want away from people-any right or small pleasure or scrap of freedom-and they'll soon not only get used to not having that freedom,in time they'll forget it was something they ever had in the first place. Was there ever a time when large demonstrations were allowed in Central Park? Wow. Must have been a long time ago, that.