No-smoking issue dominates Springfield City Council meeting again

KY3 TV ^ | 8/26/03 | Christine Bielawski

[Just another Joe]

Some owners of restaurants that don’t meet one of the exemptions say they have lost a significant amount of business since the law went into effect.

Why is it anyone's business besides the business owners?

[Just another Joe]

I think I'm going to try to get hold of this Greg Roberts and see what kind of info I can provide for him.

[Revolting cat!]

Well, where is the mayor?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

What value does smoking add ?

[Mark]

I would like to see a city that has a majority of smokers pass an ordinance requiring all business to have smoking, provide ashtrays, and maybe allow them to have a non smoking section in some corner of their business. I'm sure that the other towns would agree with that policy-- majority rules.

[Madame Dufarge]

What value does smoking add ?

How about the value of private property rights, and the added value of excluding neurotics from the patronage so that everyone else can enjoy themselves?

[Madame Dufarge]

Well, I just did a Google search on him and found nothing.

Granted, I didn't devote a whole lot of time.

But then, I'm pretty much convinced of Google's political correctness.

[Great Dane]

What value does smoking add ?

To smokers........ a whole bunch, besides what does value have to do with it.

[headsonpikes]

And where is Chief Wiggins? Do you think he'll bust Barney's tavern when he can be bought off for a doughnut?

I'm counting on civic leaders such as Monty Burns to hold the line against liberal do-goodism!

[gatorgriz]

So typical, they form a committee whose mission is to find a compromise... Well I've got news for you, the anti-smoking nazis don't compromise... And as soon as they got their anti-smoking statutes on the books, watch out; they'll be after your lawn mowers, barbeques, weed wackers, and leaf blowers next...

There's no compromising with nazis, and thats the bottom line!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Smoking's not good for you or the people around you.

Quit !

[Eric in the Ozarks]

An ungergrad friend of mine who went on to medical school came up with a theory that healthy males had "20 pack-years" (a pack a day for 20 years) before irreversible damage would occur to lung tissue. He further theorized that 15 years of smoke free breathing was required before lungs would repair themselves.
I can't think of a single thing smoking adds to life on Earth. American Indians should be paying reparations...

[Wright is right!]

"except those that derive at least 50 percent of their profits from liquor sales, or sell at least $200,000 worth of liquor each year, or sell liquor and have a separately ventilated area for smokers to dine, or have fewer than 50 seats."

If those were voluntary exceptions, I'd say they're pretty reasonable. That's a LOT of places exempt. Any chain restaurant, like Fridays. O'Charley's, Ruby Tuesdays, Outback, is going to sell over $200,000 in retail liquor sales per year, so they're exempt. They don't even have to have a separate vent system. Aunt Ethel's Diner is exempt, because it has fewer than 50 seats, as does any Waffle House. A Ruth Chris' Steak House MIGHT have trouble meeting the volume requirement, but I'd bet most places could slide in under one of those exemptions.

But still, it should be left to the owners of the restaurants to decide.

Michael

[Just another Joe]

If those were voluntary exceptions, I'd say they're pretty reasonable.

If they were voluntary exemptions we wouldn't be having any problems with it.

[Just another Joe]

Smoking's not good for you or the people around you.

Quit !

This entire debate isn't about whether smoking is good for you or not. It's about private property rights and how far the government can go taking them away without proof.

[Publius6961]

What value does smoking add ?

Freedom of choice?

Smokers are content to stay out of "no smoking" establishments.
Anti-smokers are not happy with staying out of smoking establishments.

It's not rocket science.

[Publius6961]

Smoking's not good for you or the people around you.
Quit !

Being tiny and feeling inadequate does not give you license to be a controlling twit.

Quit!

[Publius6961]

I just read your tag line.
Never mind. There's a classic label for people like you.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Quit !
You have nothing to loose but your ashtrays and stinky clothes.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Is that like the peeing area of a swimming pool ?