Clearing The Air

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

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.