Clearing The Air

The pro-smoking ban group MPAAT realizes its reputation is so sleazy, it goes into hiding

In a confusing new twist MPAAT seemes to be changing their name. Apparently even MPAAT has recognized the negative perception that the public has of this taxpayer funded organization.

So now they want to be known as ClearWay Minnesota. One of the partner groups that MPAAT, er ClearWay Minnesota has aligned themselves with is CleanAir Minneapolis, whose mission it seems is to help stop the hemorrhaging of the hospitality industry which is dying because of the smoking bans MPAAT helped to fund. These people at MPAAT are involved in such a circle jerk it's becoming comical just to watch them. They fund the lobbying efforts of unnecessary smoking ban laws, then 16 months later realize that they are decimating the hospitality industry and now are going to try to throw some marketing dollars toward the very same hospitality industry they destroyed.

From this Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Nicoderm) funded organization TTAC (Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium) website comes this partnership listing:

Minnesota: The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT) developed ads for Hennepin County that included bars. And, Clean Air Minneapolis developed ads with the Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Center for Minneapolis bars.

MPAAT has been renamed ClearWay Minnesota; their website is: www.clearwaymn.org. contact Kerri Gordon 952-767-1403 or kgordon@mpaat.org

Clean Air Minneapolis - www.cleanairminneapolis.com
Contact Sue Schettle at Hennepin Medical Society at 612-623-2889 or sschettle@metrodoctors.com

This organization, MPAAT/ClearWay Minnesota needs to have their charter taken away.......and put the money back into the taxpayers hands, or better yet into the hands of those of us whose livelihoods and businesses were destroyed because of their meddling.......unnecessary meddling......as even the American Cancer Society found that secondhand smoke concentrations are up to 25,000 times SAFER than OSHA air quality regulations.

MPAAT, ClearWay Minnesota or whatever you want to call yourself you can run but you can't hide. Yours is the dirtiest, and sleaziest taxpayer funded organization in Minnesota. And though AG Mike Hatch couldn't/wouldn't do it,(link is to an appeasement program from RWJF to AGs nationwide) we aim to take you down.......even if it's just in the court of public opinion.

History of MPAAT and the MN smoking ban:

http://www.viewsfromtheworld.com/Smoking-ban-debate-is-about,053

posted by marcus aurelius @ 4:08 PM