I have read the Answers yet not one unselfish answer has been posted.?

Question

If a Law was passed saying a bar owner can post that. it is a smoking establishment. The owner chooses to be a smoking establishment. Why as responsible adults, or person seeking employement, just turn around and go else where. The reason as a non smoker, I feel the laws that are being passed know in reguards to this question, are a continuation of loss of rights.
Whats next food? If the Goverment thinks smoking is that bad why not outlaw it and be done. It is allowed to be sold because of the revenue it generate's. If I have laid out 500,000 dollars to opn a place choose to be a smoking bar,and can't meet payroll. The next step would be to go non smoking. My spouse smokes, I am not going to get rid of her, but I have a choice to leave the room. I do.

Answer 1

Actually you are correct. The non-smoking majority is trying to push their morality on others. While I am a non-smoker, I feel that anyone who is legally an adult should be able to choose whether they smoke or not. This is the same thing that happened during Prohibition at the beginning of the last century.

Answer 2

And seeking employment, as a non-smoker, I'd love to get a job in the place I need to be without having to turn around and go 400 miles to find the same job so I don't have to sit in my workplace for years while I get intoxicated by smoke.
When you say not one unselfish answer has been posted, what do you expect? Everyone on the face of the Earth is selfish, in their own way. Some people just hide it more than others. I know I don't. I know you don't, either. Simply by providing and argument, you are being the selfish one who leaves out the people against your opinion. That's the way the world works. By having an opinion, you and I and everyone on this forum are all selfish.

Answer 3

Your question is sort of confusing, but, if I am understanding you correctly, you live in a city/state that still ALLOWS smoking in a bar (many places - like NYC - do not anymore), and you, as the owner, WANT your establishment to be a "smoking allowed" bar. I don't know what you mean by "responsible adults", but, so far as potential employees who "turn around and go elsewhere", well, that is certainly their prerogative if they aren't smokers and don't wish to work where there is smoking going on. I AM a smoker, and I DO work in restaurants/bars, and even as a smoker, I can tell you that sometimes it can get nasty, especially when you're running all over the place, trying to serve drinks and/or food, and you have to fight your way through a crowd and smoke to get there. Anyway, you probably will end up with employees who smoke, of which there are plenty (in virtually every place I have ever worked, I am guessing that 90% of the employees smoked; it seems to be an industry stress reducer). Make sure that when you are placing ads for hiring, that you make mention of the fact that your establishment is a smoking establishment, to weed out the people who might not want to deal with it.

Rather than go non-smoking, why not set up a separate section for smokers? Like a "VIP Lounge" kind of thing, possibly even an enclosed outdoor area with its own HVAC system, that can be utilized year-round? Your customers (and your wife) can go there to smoke, and it will leave the major part of the place relatively smoke free.

Forget about your ranting and raving about the government, why they allow tobacco to be legal, and all that blah-blah-blah. It is what it is, and whether or not you believe it to be moral and just is a moot point. It is the reality you have to deal with. As a smoker, I know full well that my rights are being violated, but I assure you, this is one issue that will not be taken up by the ACLU, so you might as well resign yourself to the fact that in order to have a viable business, you will have to be creative. There are always going to be some people that you can't please, no matter what you do. They will go elsewhere and there's nothing you can do about that. Concentrate on drawing in the customers who will become loyal and try to cater to them as much as possible. Recognize that, these days, more people do not smoke than do smoke, and decide if you want to run a successful business or go to the mat on a social issue, which may likely end up in you losing your investment.

I would seriously explore the possibility of having the separate room/area. Good luck to you on everything. And maybe tell your wife that because you love her so much, and want her to be around for as long as possible, that you would be very happy if she would try to quit. My kids have been after me for years about my smoking, and I think 2007 may be the year for me to finally be free of this disgusting, unhealthy, and expensive habit. Just a thought.

Answer 4

Is it selfish to not want the clean air I like to breath to be polluted by some cancer seeking idiot?

There should be places smokers can go and smoke and drink or whatever, since it is legal. But most people don't smoke, one smoker ruins the atmosphere for every non smoker around him. It's unhealthy, it smells bad enough to ruin a good meal.

Maybe each town should issue a certain number of smoking establishment licenses that way there are a few places for smokers to go, but for the most part the rest of us will not be subjected to the stench and cancer causing poisons if we don't seek it out.

Smoking is much more dangerous than Marijuana, it is silly that one is legal and not the other.

Answer 5

The State of California had it right in the '90's and they should have left well enough alone. Their rule was: All restaurants had to be non-smoking establishments but bars could allow smoking whether they served food or not. Heck, they even allowed restaurants to have smoking sections as long as there were physical barriers (walls and doors, making it a separate section of the building) between the non-smoking area and the smoking area. What's wrong with that?

And yes, food is next. Did you hear that the city of New York banned the use of trans fats in restaurants? This is another fine example of government getting way too big for its britches and deciding that John and Jane Q. Public are just too ignorant and stupid to make decisions for themselves.

Answer 6

I agree with you 100%. If someone does not like being in an establishment where smoking is permitted, then they do not have to go there. Yes, they have a right to breathe clean air but, until it becomes illegal, smokers have a right to smoke.

Everyone is informed of the dangers of smoking, so let the government pass laws to abolish tobacco - not take away rights. GOOD POINT you made.

Answer 7

Not to make a jest out of your question, but have you ever seen the movie "Cold Turkey". This is a prime example of why our government doesn't outlaw tobacco. They do not want a hoard of maniacs running loose in the US from tobacco withdrawals. Not to mention that the tobacco farmers are hurting enough or the farmers in general from all of the government funding cuts. Right now it would hurt the economy, especially on the eastern coast. I do agree with you concerning the right to allow smoking in your business though and the public having a choice to leave or stay.

Answer 8

Not going to argue with you since you make way to much sense. Even as a non smoker I believe a lot of the rights that a smoker has are being taken away.

What is next that the only place they may smoke is in their house?

Answer 9

We now have a country without common sense. Is the government still subsidizing the tobacco industry? They don't seem to worry about putting growth hormones in your food. If people want to go to a bar and smoke it should be up to the bar owner. If I don't want to smoke (and I don't), I can always go someplace else.