Clearing The Air

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Who'll stop the reign.....

....of the eminence front's attack against the 5th Amendment?

A good TX senator of course. Senator Cornyn introduces:

...... legislation Monday in response to a controversial ruling by the United States Supreme Court in Kelo v City of New London. In a 5-4 decision, the Court held that government may seize the home, small business, or other private property of one owner and transfer that same property to another private owner, simply by concluding that such a transfer would benefit the community through increased economic development. The Cornyn legislation would prohibit such transfers of private property, without the owner's consent, if federal funds were used, and if the transfer was for purposes of economic development rather than public use.

"It is appropriate for Congress to take action, consistent with its limited powers under the Constitution, to restore the vital protections of the Fifth Amendment and to protect homes, small businesses, and other private property rights against unreasonable government use of the power of eminent domain," Cornyn said.

Email your U.S. Senate and House members and request they sign on to this bill as a co-sponsor.

Senate members

House members

I hope the new bill doesn't get signed into law until after The Lost Liberty Hotel is completed on what used to be Justice Souter's property.

Update: From Captain Westover Update: REP. GREG DAVIDS BILL WOULD TOUGHEN MINNESOTA'S EMINENT DOMAIN LAW

Email your MN. Senate and House members and request they sign on to this bill as a co-sponsor.

MN Senate members

MN House members

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Eminent front.......

..I'm not sure this is what the Who had in mind when they wrote that song.

However, when Mr. Clement's new "The Lost Liberty Hotel" opens on what used to be Justice Souter's property, I think the first thing you hear when checking in at the lobby ought to be Eminence Front by the Who.

According to the Oxford dictionary eminence = recognized superiority....that explains the feeling of self importance by the 5 Supreme Court Justices in overriding the U. S. Constitution's 5th Amendment. They are more enlightened than you or I, so they know that the line between public and private property use is nonexistent. The 5 shall be remembered in my mind as the "eminence front."

.....Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.

The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Cafe" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged."

Clements indicated that the hotel must be built on this particular piece of land because it is a unique site being the home of someone largely responsible for destroying property rights for all Americans

......Entrepreneurial ingenuity may prove to be the corrective measure against activist judges......................but is anybody holding their breath?

I'll reserve a smoking room thank you.

Update: Eminent fallout. The Captain is providing an up to the minute "property fisking" since the "Eminence Front's" attack.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Influence, special interest money, and the pajama clad journalists...

....the blogosphere is up in arms about the new threat of internet censorship.

Regular readers of the Attic will know of my tireless rants against the smoking ban legislation, and the special interest money used to lobby for such legislation.

Therefore, in the interest of full disclosure I vow to my vast readership that I have never taken a dime from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, nor the American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, American Medical Association, American Non-Smoker's Rights Foundation etc., or any of the other special interest groups on the pharmaceutical nicotine payroll. I promise however, that if Robert Wood Johnson or any of the above special interest groups does line my pockets with a multi-million dollar "hush" contribution, I will resign my post as contributing editor of "the Attic" post-haste.

I know...I know...some of you would be so delighted in my resignation as to want to take up contributions toward that multi-million dollar offer yourselves.....And to that end, I affirm I am a capitalist, therefore, I will accept any and all multi-million dollar offers in exchange for my resignation; however I would be particularly pleased to have Mr. Robert Wood Johnson IV sign over that check, since his actions put me in the position I am today.

I am a little offended I wasn't asked to testify before Congress....but then I probably would have informed them of the St. Louis Park secondhand smoke test results which prove secondhand smoke levels in bars is 150 times safer than OSHA regulations. (probably not relevant)

Monday, June 27, 2005

NASA is working on a corrective solution.....

.....for SCOTUS.

They are of course testing it in space first.

This is actually kind of interesting, July 4, 2005 1:52 am edt, the most expensive taxpayer funded fireworks, $333 million mission, will occur 80 million miles away from Earth. Stay awake for it folks....and no I don't believe Bruce Willis will be personally present.

Watch the flash animation here. Or check out the link above.

Friday, June 24, 2005

A House is not your Home.....(public vs. private)

If the spineless majority in Washington needed a reason to go nuclear this is it. This country needs some judges who remember what the Constitution is and what the original intent was.

In ruling against property owners everywhere in the country, Justice Stevens said...(the city) could pursue private development under the Fifth Amendment, which allows governments to take private property if the land is for public use.

Given that the land is not for public use, but rather private development, I'd say the New London case already fails the litmus test. It is absolutely amazing to me that liberals see no difference between private and public...I think it is more telling about their agenda than anything else. The left yearns for the day when government controls every aspect of American life, as well as the means, production & property.

"The message of the case to cities is yes, you can use eminent domain, but you better be careful and conduct hearings," said Thomas Merrill, a Columbia law professor who specializes in property rights.

Oh, I've been to a few hearings lately as you can imagine...and it's always the same....a mere formality....council members and commissioners have their minds made up before they even call for a hearing.

What also confounds me is that there is never an ounce of consideration to the argument of what is public and what is private. The smoking ban is of course the best example. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and its financial beneficiaries American Lung, American Cancer, Non-Smokers Rights, AMA, etc. claim the ban is justified in bars & restaurants because they're public places and of course the city councils and commissioners don't bat an eye, the question of private vs. public isn't even open for debate. But just let one restaurant owner demand that the city pay the operating costs at their "public" restaurant, and you can guess what they'd say.

Definition update:It's private property when there are operating & maintenance costs to be paid, it's public property when local government or big business wants to take it from you. Got that straight now?

http://koolaidreport.blogspot.com/2005/06/taking-for-public-use.html
http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/005932.html
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/002830.htm
http://www.nationalcenter.org/2005/06/heartland-institute-on-kelo-eminent.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8255707/#050623
http://restraininorder.blogspot.com/2005/06/whos-5th-amendment.html
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/010835.php

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Come all ye conservative faithful....

Freshman MN. House Rep. Tom Emmer Republican is published in the in the Red Star no less. No small feat, especially when you're condemning the left's media darling Dean Johnson.

The day after the regular session ended, Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson said: "The time for difficult decisions will come. But that time is not here yet.""Dean Johnson said it loudly and he said it clearly. The time for difficult decisions had not yet come. I was outraged by such a ridiculous statement from the president of the Senate. The time for tough decisions was actually during the regular session.
The time for negotiation was between Jan. 4 and May 23 when we were all present, engaged in committee meetings, operating within the regular session, and under the open scrutiny of the press. Not one single media outlet bothered to report the truth behind Johnson's words.

I have gotten to briefly know Representative Emmer while testifying before the House on the issue of the smoking ban......keep your eyes trained on him he may be future leadership material.....oh ye conservatives of little faith.

Of course Rep. Wilkins gets my greatest admiration this year.

It's my editorial board and I'll editorialize if I want to...

Karl Rove should resign because Democrats are weak-kneed, appeasing, peace at any cost, apologists, and until the puppet master came out and said it; it was just a rumor

...Bush's chief political adviser, Rove said in a speech Wednesday that "liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Conservatives, he told the New York state Conservative Party just a few miles north of Ground Zero, "saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war."Rove said the Democratic Party made the mistake of calling for "moderation and restraint" after the terrorist attacks...

All those big tough Democrats later held hands, singing kum bi yah and demanding Rove apologize.

OK, here's your apology:

"No more needs to be said about the motives of liberals,' Rove said......I'm sorry you're all pussies (he muttered under his breath)

Secret memo...for your eyes only....shred after reading....

Eckernet has leveled some pretty serious charges regarding my campaign to lift the ban on smoking which he charges will only increase the problem of global warming, thereby dooming all of Minnesota to weather that would make the state more habitable.

I have to honestly say I hadn't thought about that angle. I know, based on the unbiased test results from the city of St. Louis Park health department that secondhand smoke is not harmful to breath, but global warming?.....hmmmm

Perhaps the Sierra club could donate several multi-million dollars to Mr. Lungs, and the other non-profits as well as the U of M to obtain the necessary test results which prove global warming is indeed caused by secondhand smoke.

I have been pretty uncomfortable with the heat wave we have experienced this week. Could it really have something to do with everybody smoking outside now?

Listen Mr. Eckernet, I'll offer a Guinness if you make that information disappear.......next thing you know I'll have to sell aircleaners to bars with outdoor patios to stop the global warming.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Government and competition...

Many argue that government needs to operate like a private entity.. and I would agree with that. If government had to live within its means like businesses do, you would see streamlining, efficiency, and yes even some cutting of pork.

Others would argue that government offers services that the private sector cannot...which is true to an extent...but government should not be in the business of funding programs which private industry is better equipped to more efficiently handle.

Minnesota lawmakers are far beyond the point of funding just those necessities which the private sector cannot. So lawmakers continue to look for ways to raise taxes to further fund the behemoth they've created, though we thought electing more Republicans into office would stem that trend, listening to the debate at the Capitol these days would seem to discredit that action.

And so the idea of government & competition would seem to be at odds, government has no competition therefore it can continue to raise taxes at will, the people's wishes be damned.

Ah....but then this story surfaced.....it seems there is this MN. manufacturer of electronics-Hutchinson Technology-which decided it didn't need to pay taxes on income generated by foreign subsidiaries and the Minnesota courts agreed, state Supreme Court ruling will cost Minnesota government $250 million to $300 million in the next two-year budget cycle, I couldn't be happier for them. This company's example illustrates, or should awaken our lawmakers to the fact that MN government does indeed have competition...and that is foreign government. It may be a government overseas, where a company decides to relocate due to cheaper regulatory practices and labor, or it may be a competing government closer to home.....like say South Dakota.

I've traveled extensively over the years between MN & SD selling air cleaning systems and I am familiar with Hutchinson Technology's original plant in Hutchinson, MN. And then a couple of years ago while traveling thru Sioux Falls, SD I noticed that Hutchinson Technology was building a new plant there which was about 4 - 5 times larger than their original plant in Hutchinson, MN. Odd that MN. Government's actions, specifically raising taxes more & more every year, can have an affect on a business' decision to move out of the state, taking its jobs and taxable income with it.....outside the grasp of MN. Revenue coffers. Is there a lesson to be learned here?.....Of course there is, but don't count on our lawmakers to pick up on it anytime soon.

Whether lawmakers tax businesses out of our market so that they decide to move across the border to enjoy less restrictive taxes, or impose anti-business legislation such smoking bans.....the net result is the same.... fewer businesses and fewer residences to pay those high burdensome tax increases. But perhaps Robert Wood Johnson will bail out those drunken sailors at the state capitol.

By the way, the state of South Dakota has a smoking ban it implemented 2-3 years ago. It states smoking is banned ....unless you have a liquor license, now there's a compromise. And if you don't think MN residents from Windom to Willmar and westward won't also take their spendable income into South Dakota to frequent smoker friendly bars & restaurants, then your as delusional as some MN lawmakers.

Ditto......

Bogus has got this one covered.

Friday, June 17, 2005

God is a free market conservative......

.......some might say California is unfortunately located on an active fault......others might say it's justice

..........first the tobacco industry........now the potato chip industry.

Seems that Brie munching, Volvo driving Californians always want to be the first to require product warning labels, then subject the manufacturers to huge lawsuits, then ban the product

......well except of course for marijuana. Mark my word, cigarettes may be banned in CA. bars, but I predict in 5 -10 years smoking marijuana in CA. bars will be legal......if God hasn't enacted his revenge on that pathetic state before then.

Conservatives should heed the early warning quakes this week and leave........liberals stay right where you are ...........you're about to get religion.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

I've said it before......

...the Red Star never fails to show its liberal slant.

In this story about a local developer, which does what business is supposed to do...turn a profit; the Red Star attacks their political affiliation

Coincidentally, David Frauenshuh, who is the CEO of Frauenshuh Companies, raised more than $1 million for President Bush's 2004 campaign and is a substantial financial backer of Sen. Norm Coleman. Coleman was St. Paul's mayor during the building and sale of Lawson.

If this were a liberal business leader they would have never mentioned a Kerry campaign contribution...........hell, they probably wouldn't even report the story.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Just because you own a business.....

.......doesn't mean you have business sense.

I wrapped up a day of sales traveling in northern MN. today, finalizing a couple of Smokeeter sales. One was to a city municipal bar, which has recieved "major" compliments from employees and patrons for installing two Smokeeters 3 weeks ago. "The air is much cleaner and best of all my clothes don't smell of smoke the next day", reports one employee. A satisfied customer always makes the best salesperson I always say.

Anyway, as I was making my way back south I decided to stop in and cold call one more establishment. I got into a discussion with the owner who told me he doesn't need aircleaners, I get this response about 70% of the time so I'm used to it. But then he said something that I don't normally hear from the hundreds business owners I deal with, he said the state should make us all go smoke-free that would be the real solution.

Hey, Einstein you could go smoke-free anytime you wanted, you don't need the state to shove some legislation down your throat to figure out how to run your business.

What a moron.

You know what his reasoning for wanting to go non-smoking? The filter and maintenance costs add $1000 - $2000 a year in expense because of smoking. Oh, I said do you know what the cost of going non-smoking is? For Jax cafe in NE Minneapolis it was a loss of $64,000 in just one month. I guess it just depends on your accounting method. He must be into that new math.

There are a couple of St. Paul establishments who were naive enough to believe the same thing -Glockenspiel and Tavern on Grand- both applied for waivers though so they can allow smoking again due to the loss of money in going smoke-free. Then there's Bryant Lake Bowl -a month into the ban mangers told me it's been a financial disaster, ditto the owner of Cafe Havana but then this guy was the first to call me cheering for a smoking ban -he got his wish, I wonder if he's changed his mind?

Monday, June 13, 2005

Something to hide? The non-profits are slowly being exposed for their insidious role in smoking ban legislation.

Bob Davis' show referred to this story this morning, and Stub & Herbs owner Sue Jeffers sent this link to me over the weekend.

Cancer Society fined for lack of disclosure in anti-smoking ads
KENNETH P. VOGEL; The News TribunePublished: June 10th, 2005 12:01 AM

When the American Cancer Society last year paid to air television ads warning of the dangers of secondhand smoke, it didn't disclose the expenditure because, it contended, the ads weren't supporting a proposed smoking ban working its way through the Legislature.

The state's Public Disclosure Commission disagreed and the society eventually reported the money it spent on the ads.

But that wasn't enough for the commission, which Thursday approved a $3,500 fine against the society for missing deadlines to report the money it spent on the ads and other so-called "grass-roots lobbying" intended to generate support for smoking ban proposals.

According to a report from the commission's staff, "the violations are significant," since the $64,200 the commission spent pushing the smoking ban wasn't disclosed until after the 2004 legislative session ended. That means people watching the ads - some of which featured former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop urging them to ask their legislators to support the ban - didn't know who was paying for them.

The smoking ban proposals, which would have prohibited smoking in bars, restaurants and most other non-tribal businesses, failed. An initiative that would have done the same thing failed to make the ballot last year, though a similar one this year appears more likely to make the Nov. 8 ballot, thanks in part to nearly $600,000 in backing from the Cancer Society.

But the society has also missed deadlines for reporting its contributions to the initiative this year, according to the commission's report. As part of the agreement approved Thursday, if the society commits another violation or fails to meet other conditions, it will trigger an additional $4,000 in fines.

The commission Thursday also fined the American Heart Association $400 for missing deadlines to report nearly $15,000 it spent pushing the smoking bans.

And it fined Breathe Easy Washington, the group that pushed last year's failed smoking ban initiative, $400 for missing deadlines to report $8,500 in contributions it received last year.

Kenneth P. Vogel: 360-754-6093
ken.vogel@thenewstribune.com

On the NetWashington State Public Disclosure Commission:

www.pdc.wa.gov

Perhaps the organization NYC CLASH calling for a boycott of charitable contribution to these non-profits are on to something.

www.clean-air-quality.com

(Ventilation not Legislation. Proven effective by SLP study 2004 in 19 bars & restaurants)

Update: After posting this story I checked other blogs for similar coverage, check out Westover's post and note the time stamp and date on our two posts.... spooky, (no time stamps were altered).

I'd say great minds think alike, but that would be an insult to the Captain.

Friday, June 10, 2005

Art imitating life?.......

Or life inspiring art?........

Either way this is a great story via the Mudville gazette, Seattle musicians honoring one of our fighting brave; by publishing his farewell letter in song.

The Gazette is a blog I hadn't read in a while, it's got the interesting frontline news we never hear back home. Good stuff.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Test results for sale.....

I love this story about how 33% of scientists fabricate their results:

A significant number --15 percent -- said they had changed the design, methods or results of a study in response to pressure from a financial sponsor. These 15 percent were said to work for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Overheard in the laboratory: "If the test results don't show that secondhand smoke is deadly, there will be no more multimillion dollar grants, so start doctoring some results; Johnson & Johnson needs a football stadium."

DrJonz adds: Swiftee posted in this today too.

Did Swiftee cover the the Robert Wood Johnson connection with the NY Jets, and the billionaire's bid to get NY taxpayers to pay for his proposed stadium?

Brother, can you spare a poor billionaire a dime?

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Poll-itical correctness.....

.....the Mpls. Red Star never fails to disappoint. (Sisyphus feel free to help us out on this one)

By the way Hitler & Stalin were the earliest socialist dictators to pioneer a smoking ban.....Mussolini, and Franco detested tobacco ....and Castro is the most recent dictator to enforce his will upon the people.

Well, he was the most recent until Minneapolis, Bloomington, & St. Paul city councils; as well as Hennepin & Ramsey counties.

By the way, at yesterday's Hennepin county board meeting one commission member tried to take me to task for sending the 3rd Reich smoking ban poster,

all I could say is, "I'm sorry if you're offended by Hitler's smoking ban, I'm offended by it too. but then you voted to follow in Hitler's footsteps; can't blame me for that".

Gail, you are known by the company you keep. I know how you can change that though.

The power of email...and small businesses working together

...I just received a call Monday 6/6/05 12:30 pm that Hennepin county will hear new testimony regarding the smoking ban. I of course was there.

Monday night Bloomington city council was willing to revisit the smoking ban issue, many were there til 1 am, I testified just before midnight. Bloomington voted 7-0 to revisit the issue I am told.

I almost regret emailing the poster to all the commissioners now. Then again, perhaps it helped them see the smoking ban in a whole new light.

Update: I had the opportunity to testify before the 7 Hennepin county commissioners, Penny Steele and Mark Stenglein are to be commended, they see the smoking bans for what they really are.....anti-business (approximately $2,000,000.00+ in lost revenues in just 2 months), anti-employee (at last estimates 600+ jobs lost.) Now let's see which other commissioners can see thru the pharmaceutical nicotine lure of big money. I hope a mayoral candidate realizes how influential local small business owners are to his election bid.

Approximately 1,000 liquor licenses in Hennepin county, each represents a business owner, each owner has approx. 300-400 relatively loyal customers; come election day that's 300,000 - 400,000 potential votes cast against city council members & county commissioners who exhibit an anti-business agenda.

Those elected representatives who voted for the ban, no doubt did so because demographically approximately 80% of Minnesotans are non-smokers and officials thought that would be a sure re-election move. (That, or a campaign contribution by RWJF, and their pawns the non-profits who have demonstrated why they should be boycotted regarding charitable contributions). However, what they've neglected is what bar & restaurant owners have shared with me, many non-smokers have also stopped frequenting their establishments; because they are friends with smokers, if the smoker is not welcome, the group of non-smokers don't frequent either. Therefore what officials who sided with the ban had not taken into account is the number of non-smokers who see the issue as a violation of private property rights.

Maybe 80% of Minnesotans are non-smokers, but they're not all on the pharmaceutical nicotine payrolll, and I bet they are property owners.

Monday, June 06, 2005

Hennepin Co smoking ban...a remembrance of the fatherland...

Updated: I emailed this poster to local media outlets, and received a reply-please remove me, I find this email offensive.

my retort :
"No problem ________,

By the way, I find people being put out in the unemployment line offensive.

PS this poster is from the first smoking ban in Nazi Germany."So much for reporting the news.....Hennepin County smoking ordinance flyer recreated with all of Hitler's original posters and graphics.

An acquaintance told me he would be recreating the Hennepin county smoking ban ordinance flyer which is required to be posted at all establishments, ..........except with a nostalgic flair.

I think he captured the spirit of the ban just about right.

(for those of you who think this poster is inflammatory, this artwork all comes from one of the first state sponsored smoking bans...in Nazi Germany on the orders of Hitler. (see link above))Hennepin County bars and restaurants may download all 4 pages including the actual Henn. Co. ordinance text for display at your establishment at this site.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Why do I vehemently fight smoking bans?......

...because "they" are out there.

I would like to propose the following three ideas: ban television advertising for motor vehicles (like cigarettes and booze); allow people to donate their vehicles in exchange for a lifetime pass on all metro-area mass transit (as long as they remain "car-free"); and impose a 500-gallon-per-year limit on all drivers. Other ideas are out there. The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas is now predicting that global production will peak as early as 2006. Are we going to face the problem head on or be caught with our pants down?

JIM BROWN St. Paul

Friday, June 03, 2005

That's gotta hurt....

....in case anyone locally missed it, the Taxpayer's League aired a commercial during Gov. Pawlenty's radio show this morning which took aim at Pawlenty's proposal of raising the cigarette "fee", known to the common folk as a "tax".

In the ad President David Strom points out that $1.60 per pack is already paid by smokers to the state in taxes, yet smokers only cost the state $0.43 per pack in health costs. In other words MN. smokers are paying more than their fare share, they are not a cost to society, but rather a contributor to society.

Ouch.....let's see how the non-profits try to spin this.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

These comments deserve their own post....

I understand his angst, but contrary to what Angry Guy wrote, there is never too much and this issue is about so much more than a "freedom to smoke". It is about private property rights, the rule of law, freedom from tyranny of the majority, and all other freedoms we seem to lose more of incrementally.
-Keep on fighting the good fight.
lockjaw02

.......it has been an interesting and informative experience since I started in February of this year. I have learned a lot from all of you -
- thanks for your feedback.
-American Lung Assoc. MN Robert Moffitt

Bob is so new at his job he might be naive enough to think he is looking out for people's health. However, the senior members in these non-profit organizations know they are pawns to their master the pharmaceutical nicotine companies; and this fight for them is big business and big money...it's not one they plan to lose...not if they want more multi-million dollar contributions from RWJF."

.... Finally, no one here at ALAMN is talking about "outlawing smoking in homes."....."it's not what anyone here is focusing on NOW."
-American Lung Assoc. MN
Robert Moffitt

....Not now, not until Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the nicoderm companies contribute more money to them for that fight. ...Any wonder why I feel the need to battle these socialist pigs.

I use the word "socialist" loosely they are actually attempting to engineer society to a uniform standard of behavior, but not due to any high moral calling; rather due to high capital contributions (1996-2002 total $133,620,603.00) from one of the largest shareholders of a pharmaceutical nicotine manufacturer Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

RWJF holdings include but not limited to 80,499,208 and 86,853,208 shares of Johnson & Johnson Common Stock in 2003 and 2002, respectively. This information is found on page 8 of 2004 financials for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. At today's Johnson & Johnson price per share 67.36, that's just a shade over $5.4 billion dollars, pretty good justification for exaggerating about the health risks regarding secondhand smoke to local lawmakers.

ALZA is the connection which proves Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical still makes a profit selling pharmaceutical nicotine products. J & J acquired Alza in 2001....ALZA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson..........ALZA developed products have provided therapy for millions of patients throughout the world. ........transdermal (D-TRANS).......have found applications in many widely used pharmaceutical products, including ..... NicoDerm CQ (nicotine).............

Now if only I could get legislator's to pass a law requiring everyone to buy my aircleaners we'd be on an equal footing, sounds ridiculous I know, but how is that any different?

...and so I continue to post these facts, until someone in mainstream media decides to expose this information to a much wider audience.

Craig Westover left a comment on another post:

.......The Clean Air Act -- with its provisions for waivers and exemptions, including bars and restaurants -- is not a bad piece of legislation. Removing the exemptions would make it so. Bars and restaurants deserve exemption. Smoking bans do have an adverse effect on specific establishments. People do enter only on a voluntary basis. A person can avoid the hazard by simply not entering. As there is no fundamental right to smoke, there is no fundamental right to a smoke-free environment on someone else's property. There is a fundamental right to private property.......

The master has spoken, I bow my head in a display of reverence.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Business failings and smoking bans?........

....I don't see the connection...do you?

To my astonishment city pages does a negative (truthful) story regarding the impact of the smoking ban.

And my follow up letter to the editor, which will not be published of course, thank god for the alternative media.

To: City Pages Editor
From: cleanairquality@gmail.com
Subjec Re: Stubbed Out

Comments

It was predictable that the smoking bans would harm business. But do you know the real story which the politically correct media in the twin cities won't report? It's the 2004 St. Louis Park Environmental Health Department test results which confirmed that secondhand smoke levels in all 19 of its bars & restaurants was NOT a health hazard. Specifically 150 times safer than OSHA permissible exposure limits (PEL). These OSHA regulations have been in place for years to safeguard employee health regarding secondhand smoke in bars & restaurants.

The other story not covered is the companies behind the funding of smoking bans, makers of Nicotrol, Nicoderm, etc. and one of their largest shareholders-Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, funneling money thru non-profits and universities; which then testify at smoking ban hearings on their behalf.

Legislation.....for profit motive and market share.....not exactly a free market economy tactic, but maybe that's just me.

Mark Wernimont
www.clean-air-quality.com

Shit rolls downhill...

The fact that bars & restaurants don't need bartenders, waiters and waitresses only adds to their problem.

They have their health though.......thanks to clean air.