Clearing The Air

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Another state smoking ban destroys busineses and jobs

From the Denver Post comes another story of lives disrupted and destroyed by nosy. nanny legislation:

VonFeldt is among a group of bar owners, The Coalition for Equal Rights, who filed a lawsuit in hopes of overturning the act.

The coalition says bar owners have lost more than $30 million in business statewide because of the act and that 70 bars have gone under.

"This has been in the family for over 40 years," VonFeldt said. "But now I'm losing money hand over fist."

VonFeldt said the bar was a moneymaker until the state's Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect July 1, 2006.

In the first six months after the act, business at Billy's plummeted 41 percent, VonFeldt said, and it hasn't recovered.

Even though VonFeldt is getting out of the business, he'll hold out hope that the appeal reverses the ban.

"I'm not going to stop fighting," VonFeldt said. "I don't believe the government should be able to pass laws that put people out of business. I really want the public to know the damage that has been done."

Von Feldt's words are the very same reason that Clearing the Air continues to report the truth about the losses caused by smoking bans.......mainstream media outlets such as the Star Tribune or the Pioneer Press aren't about to tell the public the truth so we will. (both Twin Cities papers editorialized in favor of smoking bans, so hiding the truth about business and job losses fits that agenda)

The reasonable manner to deal with secondhand smoke......if lawmakers were concerned about the health and welfare of people and jobs is to allow OSHA air quality regulations to decide what is a hazard and what is not. That's how every other workplace issue is handled:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/03/secondhand-smoke-should-be-regulated-by.html

The alternative....smoking bans.... are far, far too costly to our citizens and our economy.