Legislation was filed to ban smoking. Could NC join some other states and ban smoking in restaurants, etc? If it comes to a vote this could be a big issue in a tobacco growing state. I believe the odds are against banning smoking in restaurants in NC in 2007. www.wral.com/news/local/story/1209535/
I'd vote to ban smoking in public places, esp restaurants. When California first considered the idea, the restaurant industry cried that it would take away customers. What they found out was that because customers didn't hang around after the meal, the tables actually turned over more frequently, thus improving business, tips, etc. When we go out to eat, we always ask for NS. If get seated in the NS area that borders the smoking area, we ask for better seating. If it isn't reasonably available, we leave. Eventually, business owners will get a clue.
The Bd is held hostage by the amount of tobacco farming done here, unfortunately. And, in Bizarro world, since Fred is a developer and needs land on which to build sub divisions, perhaps Bizarro Fred would actually vote to ban smoking, resulting in a decreased demand for tobacco, and thus freeing up more land for his development company. The days of Big Tobaccy in NC are in the past. Having cropped it as a kid, I had enough by age 12. Tried smoking and got caught. Had to eat a pack as punishment. THAT cured me.
It's been several years ago, but when my oldest son was going to South Johnston, a teacher of his used to regularly take smoke breaks during instructional time. It really peeved me! I went to the principal...whose name I can't remember (thank gawd) said, "Well, he never gets a break." How's that for public education!? I was soooooooooo happy when West opened and my youngest got to finish up there! For what it's worth, I was a smoker and I don't object to it, it just seems that in some public areas, they don't seem to have the ventilation to control it.
I don't believe it is the government's job to tell me what I can or cannot do in my business, as long as the activity is legal anywhere else. It's not a matter of losing business or gaining business (BTW, the California argument the law was the same as mine). It's a matter of the government controlling yet one more aspect of our lives. If a business offers a smoking area, and you don't like to be around it, go somewhere else. Instead of the government forcing it on us, let the economy decide it.
Go ahead, bite the hand that feeds you! Maybe you'd like to know that over $6.5 million was distributed in our county alone this year from the Tobacco Industry Settlement. 50% of that goes to farmers and the other 50% goes to support lost revenue in our economy. The tobacco industry agreed to pay $206 billion to the states over 25 years. North Carolina's share will be $4.6 billion. The more you stab the system the more of that money leaves the growers hands which means less money in the county. Lets put those cigarrette companies out of business so we can loose that $189 million a year freebe. The distribution of that money is already being gobbled up by big out of state investors buying up NC tobacco allotments strickly for the yearly settlement payout. Go ahead, make another law, give another industry a reason to sue for whats left of the fund. The funny part of this is that the actual victims, smokers, get nothing from the fund! Less than 25% of the yearly allotment is distributed for prevention and medical suppliment. In actual, about 8% is used for medical purposes. A link if you want to learn more (it's old but gives you a general idea): http://www.common-sense.org/?fnoc=/common_sense_says/00_may
Excuse me, but that's just not true. Check out what the 5 leading causes of death are, as reported by the CDC, and how many of those can be caused by smoking cigarettes or by exposure to second hand smoke. Snuff
HERE is the link to the CDC statistics. The top 5 are: [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Heart disease: 654,092[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Cancer: 550,270[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 150,147[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Chronic lower respiratory diseases:123,884[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Accidents (unintentional injuries): 108,694[/FONT] The top three can be attributed to either drinking or smoking (or a variety of other causes), so you can't make a judgement call either way.
How can you tell, about the second hand smoke? It may be one of many factors. Whereas, when one is killed by a drunk driver, the cause is pretty obvious.
You mean the death is generally visible and easily determined rather than over a period of time and less easily determined? How many of the people you have seen in your life to date will die as a result of second hand smoke exposure? That is an important aspect of the discussion and one which is poorly addressed.
Really?!?! You have never seen anyone who has or will ide form exposer to second hand smoke? More likely you do not KNOW if there is or was a connection. Not really, since the results were pretty substantial if you actually look at the data instead of the more popular anecdotal incidents. Do you know the number of saloons that closed never to reopen, the associated loan sharking, and illegal activiites that went hand in hand with those saloons? http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/nc/nc2a.htm Outcome. What, then, did Prohibition accomplish? To a great extent it eliminated the saloon from American life. While bars and taverns reopened joyfully following repeal, they ceased to be the centers of systematic political corruption and debauchery which they had once been. Part of this may be attributable to the greater sophistication of the electorate and politics generally. Part, no doubt, is owing to the fact that women were welcome as customers in the new cocktail lounges, having shown themselves to be eager patrons of the speakeasies. And finally, the change in the character of the saloon was effected by public determination that it should be changed. This attitude was expressed in the post-repeal statutes concerned with the physical appearance of the saloon and the character of persons authorized to operate them. Prohibition did make the nation conscious that corruption of the law and of the populace may be the consequence of a law which is not reflective of the morals and mores of the time. It played out some of the deepest social class resentments, culminating in the realization that the behavioral standards of some could not be impressed upon others. It demonstrated that the fervor of war and the cult of patriotism may be abused-and abuse the country in return. Repeal reimposed the burden of regulation upon the states. They were required to develop a system of control directed at the particular objectives they wished to achieve. The post-repeal era was to prove an exercise not only in states' rights but in states' responsibilities.
A bit of trivia about prohibition... Prohibition was enacted before women were constitutionally allowed to vote. Prohibition was repealed after women were constitutionally guaranteed the right to vote. Coincidence?
I couldn't care less. I welcome the day our state is completely clean of the stench from this FDR "New Deal" house of cards. Government subsidies hurt everyone in the long run. And the money wasted needlessly from the health effects of smoking can never be paid back. I have no doubt that smoking will eventually be banned in all public buildings. We all have a right to breathe smoke-free air. Its just common sense. If your business serves the public, it certainly is the government's job. I don't want to be trapped in your business during a fire, I don't want to eat dirty food from your kitchen, and I don't want to breathe second hand smoke. Do I trust you to always make the right decisions as a free market player. Maybe, but lets let the government look in on you just to be sure. But what if you have asthma like I do, and there IS nowhere else. Until just recently that was the case, but thank goodness its changing now. I recently went to Lone Star and will never go back until the whole place is smoke free. To all the smokers: When other people are trying to enjoy a big juicy steak, and you're puffing away on a cigarette, what on God's Earth is going through your head? Do you just not care, or are you immune to the stench? I have been in convenient stores that were so bad I had to come home, take a shower, and change clothes. You stink, your houses stink (even if you only smoke outdoors), your cars stink, your kids stink, their backpacks stink, and basically every object you own stinks. Wake up!