Modify Illinois business smoking ban
Business owners are pushing for the right to allow smoking in their establishments.
It's pretty clear that the mainstream of American culture has turned for a variety of reasons against cigarette smokers, and they are being pushed onto the margins of society.
But business owners who feel they have been hurt by the public smoking ban in Illinois continue to push back against the ban, Their latest proposed legislative modification to the smoking ban is to allow it in bars that do less than 10 percent of their business in food, adult gambling facilities, adult entertainment venues, private clubs and an establishment hosting a convention for tobacco products.
The bill, HB 1310, is awaiting action in the General Assembly, and it may have to wait for a long time.
This proposed change represents a broadening of an earlier bill that would have allowed smoking in gambling venues only.Casino owners assert that their business has been hurt since the smoking ban went into effect, not only costing them money but also cutting tax revenue to the state at a time when it is in desperate need of cash.
Given the across-the-board effect of the smoking ban on a variety of public venues, it seems ridiculous to carve out a special exception for casinos. Extending smoking privileges to the establishments covered under HB 1310 makes a lot more sense.
Support for this modification of the ban is not driven by any sympathy for smoking or smokers. It is, instead, motivated by a desire to allow business owners to decide for themselves, based on their own preferences, whether they wish to allow smoking in their establishments or not.
Supporters of the smoking ban have repeatedly asserted that there is little to no negative economic fallout on businesses, particularly bars and restaurants, as a result of the smoking ban. But casino operators clearly feel otherwise. So may other business owners who would be affected by this legislation.
HB 1310 would allow them the opportunity to decide for themselves what's best for them and their customers.
Three points:
(1) You say, "Support for this modification of the ban is not driven by any sympathy for smoking or smokers." Well gee, that's good. Wouldn't want to have any sympathy for some of those old folks being thrown out into the snow and rain to smoke, now would we? It's not like they're actually human beings or anything.
and
(2) You say, "Supporters of the smoking ban have repeatedly asserted that there is little to no negative economic fallout on businesses, particularly bars and restaurants, as a result of the smoking ban" *Particularly* bars and restaurants eh? Take a quick visit to read the comments section at: http://www.jacobgrier.com/blog/archives/2210.html and you'll see just how much these studies are worth and how and why they come up with the answers they do (HINT: Think about $500,000 grants going to the proposals offering the best promises of ban-supportive results.) Read the comments there, and THEN think about the claim of "no negative economic fallout."
and
(3) If nothing else speaks to you, try thinking about this for a moment: If the ban supporters were telling the truth, they'd have absolutely NO reason to push for continuing the bans. If the bans were good for bars, restaurants, and casinos, then why would those places ever return to allowing smoking if the law was dropped? Do you think they'd prefer to lose money? Meanwhile the ban supporters could have a heyday over the fact that they all kept the bans on their own: Why, if they're telling the truth, would they ever oppose such an opportunity to vindicate themselves.
The answer is obvious: they're lying and they know they're lying and they would never take a chance for a moment to allow businesses and workers and patrons to have Free Choice in the matter because most of these bans would simply dissolve. If you want to read more about how they lie, read the material on the website titled "The Lies Behind The Smoking Bans" at:
http://kuneman.smokersclub.com/PASAN/StilettoGenv5h.pdf
Michael J. McFadden,
Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"
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