City Wide Smoking ban- including bars (hair salon, college, live)

[darnit]

I don’t chime in often enough on this board, but since I am a smoker… I don’t smoke in restaurants, even if it’s allowed, I only smoke outside at my house, I usually stand far away from people when I am outside, and I don’t walk down a street smoking. But that really isn’t the point here.
The point is if you do not you want business to be allowed to have freedom of choice, then by that admission you do not have a choice and must eat there . We have shifted away from allowing business owners their rights. The fact is that if we allow a business to choose, a smart business will make choices based on the bottom line.
If you frequent a restaurant and you and friends threaten their bottom line due to smoking, a smart business will change they way they offer their services.
Now let’s look at it from a consumer side.
If I don’t want to eat at a restaurant.. I CAN COOK! To go out to eat is a choice.. NOT a RIGHT! So exercise your right, your voice, and your cash.
Now concerning the employee’s, because they are the only one really in this whole debate that has any right to complain.
If a business allows smoking, be it a restaurant or any other PRIVATE establishment, then they should carry supplemental insurance to cover possible side effects of that.
Their will always be hazards associate with some jobs, but employers increase safety standards.
And for the record, yes, all drugs should be legal. Whole discussion concerning cause, effect, consequences, responsibilities and actions would be called for.

[dmarie123]

darnit- good points. BUT, if I'm a bar owner, and I ban smoking... I will lose the busines of the smokers because they will go to the bars that allow it. However, if none of the bars allow it, I won't lose business to them.

I'm so torn on this. Part of me HATES smoke, and wishes it were banned, but I also do feel that a bar owner should have the right to choose. But the owner of a clothing store can't allow smokers, and the owner of a spa can't allow smokers, a doctor who owns his business can't allow smokers, a restaurant can't allow smokers, a gas station can't allow indoor smokers.... so why should bar owners have MORE rights than other business owners???

[SnappyBob]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

darnit- good points. BUT, if I'm a bar owner, and I ban smoking... I will lose the busines of the smokers because they will go to the bars that allow it. However, if none of the bars allow it, I won't lose business to them.

I'm so torn on this. Part of me HATES smoke, and wishes it were banned, but I also do feel that a bar owner should have the right to choose. But the owner of a clothing store can't allow smokers, and the owner of a spa can't allow smokers, a doctor who owns his business can't allow smokers, a restaurant can't allow smokers, a gas station can't allow indoor smokers.... so why should bar owners have MORE rights than other business owners???

Lose business??? I thought all of the studies showed that business increased whensmoking was not allowed because the vast majority of people don't like the smoke. Now you're saying that you have to ban smoking in all of the bars or the bars that don't allow smoking will lose business because most of the people in bars like to smoke. If that's the case then it sounds like the minority is telling the majority what to do.

[sapphire]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

so why should bar owners have MORE rights than other business owners???

Just guessing on this one, but don't they pay big bucks for their liquor licenses? Seems like they have a lot more responsibility/liability, so wouldn't that come with more rights as well? Just a guess, as I said, I don't know, and really don't care who wins this one. I'm an evil ex-smoker, can't stand the smell (well, except maybe outdoors on a windy day and I catch a tiny whiff) and wish cigarettes would go away forever.

[darnit]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

darnit- good points. BUT, if I'm a bar owner, and I ban smoking... I will lose the busines of the smokers because they will go to the bars that allow it. However, if none of the bars allow it, I won't lose business to them.

I'm so torn on this. Part of me HATES smoke, and wishes it were banned, but I also do feel that a bar owner should have the right to choose. But the owner of a clothing store can't allow smokers, and the owner of a spa can't allow smokers, a doctor who owns his business can't allow smokers, a restaurant can't allow smokers, a gas station can't allow indoor smokers.... so why should bar owners have MORE rights than other business owners???

But that is the problem, these places should have a choice! The market will make them choose to have smokers or not. The difficulty is that instead of complaining to owners and banding together for each bussiness you want to stop smoking, we gave the goverment some undeserved powers to blanket everything.
Becareful, the blanket may smother you as well.
We have gotten so lazy we think that taking away RIGHTS of others to ensure multiple CHOICES of others seems to be for "the good of all". but I guess most have never heard of "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

But the owner of a clothing store can't allow smokers, and the owner of a spa can't allow smokers, a doctor who owns his business can't allow smokers, a restaurant can't allow smokers, a gas station can't allow indoor smokers....
so why should bar owners have MORE rights than other business owners???

Except for restaurants, none of them have the same rights than a bar (to sell alcohol)

[AtticMonkey]

It's foolish for people to think this is an issue of business owners rights. This is an issue of public health. Smokers are not just hurting themselves but everyone around them when they choose to smoke in public.

The idea that businesses will lose revenue is silly. The minimal amount of people who wont go somewhere due to a smoking ban will be greatly outweighed by the amount of people who will go more frequently now due to the ban. People arent just going to quit drinking in bars due to a ban. At least not in this city where alcoholism is rampant.

[Dopo]

I understand restaurants, because there's going to be all kind of people there, elderly, kids, etc.
I don't think that anybody that goes to a bar is concerned about lung cancer

[TexasRedneck]

AtticMonkey...let the market decide. If a business sees that they do better *without* smoking, they'll choose that. It's NOT up to us to tell THEM what to allow within the property that THEY own. No one is forced to enter - if an employee doesn't want to be exposed to smoke, they can choose not to work there.
Let me let you in on a little secret - there's a VERY new group out there pushing to ban perfume/cologne, citing health reasons as well. You want to try THAT ban on for size?!??

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

AtticMonkey...let the market decide. If a business sees that they do better *without* smoking, they'll choose that. It's NOT up to us to tell THEM what to allow within the property that THEY own.

We could make the exact same argument about marijuana = Let the market decide.