New version of Toledo Talk

Smoking ban will not be on November ballot - "Lucas County Board of Elections Director Joe Kidd says for a number of reasons the opposition group failed to collect enough valid signatures to place the issue on the November ballot. Arnie Elzey says it's not over yet." It seems some people printed their name on the petition, instead of writing it. Also, some signees were registered voters outside of Toledo. Still, the pro-smoking group had over 16,000 signatures, and they only need 9,000 and something. That's a major screw-up. The smoking ban begins Monday, and if the myth comes true, establishments should see a doubling of business as the non-smokers start going out.
posted by jr to culture at 8:42 P.M. EST     (1 Comment)

Comments ...

Blade columnist Roberta 'so Boring' puts us to sleep with another lame column against smoking.

"A few of us were talking in the newsroom about the prospect of unhazy Toledo bars and restaurants when we hit on a great idea. We should show up at Arnie’s Saloon after work on Monday, the first day the smoking ban takes effect."

Coming up with stupid ideas passes for work at the Blade these days. So a bunch of do-gooders show up at a bar on the first day of the ban. What about the next day, or the next Monday, or next month, six months from now?

As everyone knows, the ban will be good for business at all bars and restaurants in Toledo. If this myth comes true, then business should at least double.

Based on math and warped logic, if 30% of Toledo residents smoke, then even a publicly educated Toledo school student can determine that 70% of Toledo residents don't smoke.

And according to Blade columnist Roberta 'so Boring', the 70% non-smokers will start attending these smoke-free places immediately. Once again for TPS people, 70 is more than a doubling of 30. My question is, why haven't the bar and restaurant owners made their places smoke-free long ago? The answer: they
don't like to earn money.

I predict the Blade will do a glowing follow-up story in a week or so about the ban's affect on local businesses. The Blade will hand-screen three or four places that have noticed an upsurge in business and report on them in the paper, saying, "See, the ban is not hurting business."

Look for this article. If there are businesses losing money due to the ban, their voices will remain silent.

Next up for the pleasure police: a smoking ban in private residences. Why not? It only makes sense. If people support a ban in privately owned businesses, then they must also support a ban on smoking in private residences.

Afterall, a neighbor or a friend who doesn't smoke could stop by a smoker's place. Parents who smoke may have kids.

It's amazing. It's okay to have government intrusion in business over something silly like smoking. But when there's "government intrusion" for something important, like trying to protect U.S. citizens from terrorists, it's called invasion of privacy, and it's scorned.

The same question once again for Roberta, her Blade cronies, and Toledo City Council. How does a smoking ban keep businesses in Toledo, attract new business, repair roads, clean up neighborhoods, feed the hungry, teach the illiterate, and reduce crime?

See, it's easy for Council and the Blade to get behind meaningless issues such as a smoking ban and an Iraq war resolution, because it doesn't require any effort. Plus Toledo City Council likes to stick their nose into other towns' business, such as the Lathrop House issue in Sylvania. All of this passes for accomplishments.
posted by jr at 04:43 P.M. EST on Thu Aug 21, 2003     #

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