Bar owners want compensated for smoking ban

[lilcountriegal]

I'm a smoker from a very small town. Also being a single mother, I rarely get to have "nights on the town" unless my daughter is with her dad. I couldnt imagine going out for drinks to an establishment that I couldnt light up. I usually pal around with two of my friends when I head out, both of whom are non-smokers. We recently discussed (after my ranting about my NYC trip and the non-smoking bars) the smoking ban. Both, one a former smoker and one a lifelong non-smoker, were both against such an insane law.

I think I'm just stumped as to how, with so many against it, this actually got passed into law. Who's got the ink on their hands from signing that bill? The Mayor?

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by lilcountriegal
I think I'm just stumped as to how, with so many against it, this actually got passed into law. Who's got the ink on their hands from signing that bill? The Mayor?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg AND Governor Pataki

This is a statewide ban, not just NYC

 

[lilcountriegal]

Thanks for clearing that up Jim.

Guess he'll be sweating it when his term is up for election.

Man... I really feel for you. Ya'll got this guy AND Billary. My sympathy.

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by lilcountriegal
Man... I really feel for you. Ya'll got this guy AND Billary. My sympathy.

And try reading politics in the local papers here, that's all you read about is those 2. Bloomberg is a multi-millionaire from running big business, in my opinion this big business didn't translate into NYC. He had the police on a 'ticket blitz' last year, people were getting ticketed for anything and everything. One woman was ticketed for resting on the subway steps - she was pregnant! Another man was ticketed for sitting on a milk crate on a public sidewalk. Hundreds of people were ticketed for their garbage being in front of their homes too long - even though the sanitation dept. didn't pickup their garbage in a timely manner.

A simple parking ticket (expired meter or no parking zone) were increased to $55 for certain areas and $125 in business areas (like 20th street up to 96th street). Subway increases. Metro North increases. Taxi increases. Tax hikes.

Yes, he'll be remembered come election time.

 

[5stringJeff]

The same ban was recently passed in my county. The same issues were brought up - public health vs. business rights. It's going to court as we speak, because there is a state law in place that gives restraunts the right to determine what their smoking policies will be.
And the ban was not passed by the county council, either. It was passed by the head of the county health board - a Republican who is running for governor. Unpopular to begin with, he has lost a lot of support from the GOP base over this.

 

[MtnBiker]

Originally posted by gop_jeff
The same issues were brought up - public health vs. business rights

This is the part that I do not like. Bars and restuarants while being a place for the public to come together are privately owned. The owner should be able to decide what is best for his business. Not a city or county council or worse a health board.

 

[Moi]

Originally posted by MtnBiker
This is the part that I do not like. Bars and restuarants while being a place for the public to come together are privately owned. The owner should be able to decide what is best for his business. Not a city or county council or worse a health board.

I agree becuase when you come right down to it, isn't drinking liquor or eating desserts going to be bad a health problem some peole too?

If there's this supposed right to privacy protected by the constitution, it should be that a person who owns a business should have the right to decide for himself what he will tolerate. If an employee doesn't want to work around smoke, choose another place. This isn't a communist place where you are ordered to perform particular work in a particular locale.

 

[acludem]

They are trying this in my community as well. I am against such bans as well. It should be up to a business owner whether or not to allow smoking. Many restaurants have chosen to go non-smoking, if you don't like smoke, go to these businesses. It is my experience that many people at bars smoke. I don't smoke or drink, but go to bars with friends as designated driver. They're also trying to ban smoking at the bowling alleys and other places of amusement. One bowling alley in our community came up with a good solution, they have smoking limited to a certain area, and also to certain hours, especially during the late evening. The big argument those who favor these bans make is to protect kids from smoke. Where I live, you have to be 21 to get into most bars.

If non-smokers want to boycott business where smoking is allowed, let them, but the government shouldn't be making these decisions.

 

[Johnney]

must have missed this one!
seen alot of good arguments on this thread.
the way i see it, if where segregating the smokers now, how long will it be before we go back to the old whites in the front blacks in the back?
So a bar wants to have smokers? whoopty fucking do! you dont like it? go some place else. there is a fine line between catering to smokers/ non-smokers and loosing customers.
im a smoker, and there are some places that i dont like to go drink at because the smoke is heavy , so i go other places. but im limited around this area for one simple reason. the younger legal adults and teens that happen to infiltrate a bar/ club. thats where they need to be spending their time, underage drinkers. im not the nicest guy in the world in the first place, add some booze and im mr. asshole. and to butt head with a younger person.... not good.
But let the bars and such decide

 

[Graeme Kessey]

In Australiabans on smoking in pubs/clubs are in force as well. I live in New South Wales, you can still smoke but you must not smoke at the bar and have to be 1 metre away(3 feet) it is stupid do the pollies think the smoke is'nt going to drift. At my RSL Club (VFW) they have non smoking tables next to tables where ppl can smoke in the same room. By July 04 all pubs/clubs with more than one bar will have to provide a N/S area this will force many owners to pay for costly renovations to segregate smokers from N/S. In a small rural town this will force ppl down the gurgler.

 

[Johnney]

but is a gurgler like a drain?

 

[NightTrain]

I think it's a toilet? (or a dunnie, as our Aussie friends say)

 

[Graeme Kessey]

Johnny got it right down the gurgler is slang for down the drain

 

[Johnney]

see ya learn something new everyday

 

[jon_forward]

if the non-smokers want a smokefree bar..let them open one up...is there enough nonsmokers around to support a bar of this style? i THINK NOT. maybe they want to stop the drinking bars all together???? damn shitdips

 

[Ike]

Here in Ottawa, where I live, there's been a smoking ban for a while. The bars kicked and cried, but thank heavens, they lost.

A bars beer revenue is not more important than the health of their customers or the health of their employees.

This is not a question of civil liberties. You want to smoke, goddamn, smoke OUTSIDE. The health ramifications cant be denied. Second hand smoke is deadly.

Any bar owner, or patron, who says " you know what, if you dont want to increase your chances of getting cancer, just dont work here" is a complete asshole, or idiot.

How much can you care for your fellow man if you say its okey for people at your establishment to get cancer?

If this is about rights, fine. YOu can argue that position. But lets not forget the rights of NON smokers to a smoke free bar. Should we have to just stay home? That ridiculous. What about our right? THey choose to smoke, their rights are less hampered by simply smoking outside. Our rights are severly hampered by having to sit is a smokey bar, or not go out at all.

LEt the owner choose what patrons they accept....
Bad idea.
Wasnt that what we let them do before?
YOu do that, and you'll have every bar, accepting eveyone. That position is tantamount to saying there will be zero places where nobody smokes.
Stop complaining, and put that goddamn cigarette out!

Later,
THe brilliant Canadian.

 

[Johnney]

LEt the owner choose what patrons they accept....
Bad idea.
Wasnt that what we let them do before?
YOu do that, and you'll have every bar, accepting eveyone. That position is tantamount to saying there will be zero places where nobody smokes.
Stop complaining, and put that goddamn cigarette out!

Well Stalin, who made you the rule maker? And jsut why cant bar/ resturant owners decide on if they want smoking in their establisment? after all, it was their money and time and hard work that made that place posible. why should the city/ state step in and throw out bullshit laws? How would you feel if you had some type of business and the govt came in and said you had to change the way you did business?
bottom line is if you dont like it, go some place else. ten to one theres a smoker that is waiting to take your place

 

[Ike]

Take a look at history.

The words come straight out of your mouth.
_________________________________________________
" How would you feel if you had some type of business and the govt came in and said you had to change the way you did business? "
____________________________________________________

40 years ago the government did just that. They went into bars and said, we dont care that you own the place, you have to accept black patrons.

YOu're arguement is the exact same one those idiots used. "ITs my bar, i can accept whoever i want! Yehaww!!!"

If people like you were in charge back then, there would still be separate bars for colored folk.

THe basis of your arguement is stupid. Sorry. Bar owners are subject to all sorts of restrictions. ITs their bar...but our country.

And for the record...thats MR . STALIN to you kid.

 

[Johnney]

Moron
stop reading between the lines. and, in case you didnt know, this is 2004, not 1964.
not once did i say SEGRIGATE. I dont know where you got this from.
No one is going to come into MY bar and TELL me i cant have smokers. that is bullshit from the first word.

adn for the record, i call NO ONE mr. specially a canadian

 

[Ike]

IOWA eh? YOu're probably still growing hay down there to survive.

Look, what you clearly dont understand is that the logic in your arguement, is the same as the logic in their.

"the bar is mine, therefore, i can do what i want with it"

This logic was wrong then...and its still wrong now. ITs that simple.

Oh, and learn to spell. I dont know what "SEGRIGATE" means. I think you meant....Segregate.

Dumbass.