Posted on 01/24/2007 3:42:54 AM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult
Six months from now, most Charleston businesses will go smoke-free.
In a vote of 9 to 4, the Charleston City Council and Mayor Joe Riley passed a ban on smoking in work places.
Councilman James Lewis voted against the smoking ban.
“This ordinance is one of the stupidest things I think we've wrote in a long time,” Lewis said.
Councilman Robert Mitchell, a smoker, also voted against the ordinance.
“This is just another form of slavery to me,” Mitchell said.
The reality of a city-wide smoking ordinance is both frustrating and maddening for many bar owners.
“The council members aren't even considering the fact that we're local business owners. We spend a lot of money in taxes to the city and it's hard for us to keep our payrolls paid and our businesses a flush without having them work against us,” Jennifer Kulick said.
But, smoke-free advocates say the vote was the right move to protect the workforce.
“As a matter of fact the majority of business owners care about the health of their employees. There's a small vocal minority out there who seems to have their own ideas about science but I prefer to trust the Surgeon General's report,” Dan Terrigan said.
Voodoo Bar owner, Jennifer Kulick said the ban has little to do with her employees.
“This is a personal agenda by the Heart Association, by lobbyists who aren't even from Charleston,” she said.
“More than half the rest of the country is covered by some form of smoke free law. Charleston deserves to be in that majority,” he said.
After an amendment, smokers now only have to stand a safe distance away from a building and not the previous 15 feet. That distance is left to common sense.
Those caught smoking in the wrong place could face fines up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail.
The smoking ban will not go into effect until July.
I know that some smokers here are pretty militant, but statements like these tend to do little more than making a laughing stock of the forum. If the good people of Charleston don't want this ban, then they can vote out those council members and the mayor who put it in place. Or in the alternative, if as some here believe, smoking is a constitutional right, then file a suit in federal district court. IOW, try a little sanity for a change.
It so like the left. They cause a problem, and one they were told was going to happen, then they want to spend even more of our money to "solve" the problem that they caused in the 1st place.
I just want to be left alone! I'm all growed up, I can tie my own shoes, I know to look both ways before crossing the street....
And guess what else is coming down the pike here in Wisconsin? After all of 'Rat Governor Doyle's closed-mouthed policy on the subject during his last campaign, it now turns out that he's planning to increase taxes on a pack of smokes here in Wisconsin by $1.25 a pack!
Just BAN the stuff already, would ya? If it's such a health hazard to all concerned, just ban it! Yeesh.
Bingo. The reason you won't see that happening is that as much as they claim smokers are addicted (most are not) the politicians are far more addicted to the tax revenue generated by the smokers.
And to think a nickle tea tax was one of the few things that started this country.
Thanks for the ping!
I live near the NC SC border. Charleston is about 3 hours away. I love it there, especially The Battery and Isle of Palms.
SC laws never made much sense to me. Until last year, you could ride down the road on a motorcycle without a helmet firing bottle rockets off the handlebars, but you could not get a tattoo.
just saying....
I look for alcohol to be banned in bars soon.
And running with scissors to carry a hefty fine as well.
Thanks for the ping!
I and a lot of other conservatives LIKE it. Smoking sucks.
Thank you but I already have a mother and don't need the government trying to be an extra one.
"I and a lot of other conservatives LIKE it. Smoking sucks."
Only the convenient conservatives that are willing to further usurp private property rights by the force of expansion of government powers. The convenient conservatives lack any fortitude and principles. They are fine with the use of government to trample on other folks rights.
If you really support smoking bans, then you need to be consistent and proclaim your support for the Kelo decision.
This is the real funny on the smoking fines in Charleston:
Fine for cigarette $500
Fine for a joint (marijuana) $125
Fine for crack $95
Now just who do these politicians work for? LOL
Those were the words of a dangerous type of conservative. A *strictly* "social" conservative, who has lost perspective on limited government, and instead prefers to use the power of government (taxation, expanded beureaucracy, police powers, etc) to foist their "perfect" lifestyles on everyone else. They are right in all ways, and have all the answers. They will make us all better people through the power of law. The world will be so much better when we are all the same!
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