Smoking Bans: email to PA senator

[CigarRob]

Today I happened to catch a brief 'news/issues' program produced by Comcast and aired on their systems state-wide. It was a conversation with a Pennsylvania senator discussing his support of the proposed state-wide smoking ban making its way around various committees, etc. He spewed the usual spin and nazi-esque mentality. Interestingly...he was solo...there was no opposition to his position. Agenda?

I decided to drop him a line.

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Senator Fontana:

Just as a decision to smoke (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc) is a personal, private decision, so should the decision to restrict, limit, ban, allow smoking in restaurants, bars and casinos be.

The smoking ban proponent groups' spin that all or most businesses are 'public' is false. These businesses are privately owned and operated and decisions like these need to be left up to them as a business decision. These businesses reserve the right to refuse service and or do business with anyone or any entity as they see fit to their business practices. The owners of these businesses are held responsible for paying their taxes, maintaining their property and assets, and answering to their creditors, not the general public who may or may not do business with them by their choice. Just as a business like a bar, restaurant or retailer reserves the right to refuse service to an individual who is disruptive, violates their established dress code, or has demonstrated an adversarial relationship, so should they be entitled to make a business decision concerning a smoke free or smoke friendly atmosphere in any number of forms.

The idea that the public has a 'right' to be in a smoke-free atmosphere when they made the personal decision to enter a private business establishment is also a falsehood. Making the decision to enter a business means you make the decision to abide by the rules of THAT business. The public's 'right' is to choose to or choose not to do business with someone based upon that business' policies and services...not the other way around.

For the past nine years, I have hosted a large cigar event that travels around to a number of cigar shops during a day long excursion in Western Pennsylvania. The day also includes a cigar-friendly lunch and dinner. Every year when I begin planning this event, the first question I ask dozens and dozens of restaurants is whether they are able to handle a group of 50 or more cigar smokers. The majority of these restaurants explain that they either do not allow smoking in their facility or they cannot accommodate such an event due to their respective space available or the distinction of an established smoking section within. I never argue or debate them and I NEVER berate them about MY RIGHTS as a cigar smoker. I thank them and respect them as a business having made a business decision that they believe best suits their business and their customers.

The caving to the special interest lobby by the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association in coming out in support of a statewide ban is simply that...caving. If you recall, the Association was initially very much opposed to such a large infringement by government into their businesses. It was only after the politicians, like you, made it apparent that the anti-smoking lobby had gotten so far into your campaigns that they realized that supporting a 'state wide' ban would, at least, allow them to remain on a level playing field with one another. They saw the writing on the wall and chose to not make further enemies out of government by voicing a strong justified opposition.

It is frustrating that smokers are portrayed as stupid, unhealthy, uninformed, dirty people who don't know what's best for themselves. The small number of public debates on this issue present ban proponents in white lab coats touting 'research' that, when given the opportunity to be scrutinized, shows it is often skewed toward a predetermined outcome to suit their agenda, up against a group of regular average citizen smokers who just want to be left alone along side evil 'big tobacco' which has been demonized in the media for decades now. While individual smokers all know the potential harmful effects of smoking, they simply want to be treated fairly by allowing individual business owners to make decisions regarding smoking. Smokers already pay an outrageously high degree of taxes and insurance premiums by comparison to non-smokers...of which they never see a proportional return.

If smoking of any kind is so terrible...such a public health crisis...such an urgent issue that it should be forbidden in ANY public place through such over-reaching government intrusion, tobacco in any form should be outlawed immediately. You and I know that that will not happen because government and politicians, like you, would stand to lose boatloads of money from evil 'big tobacco' in the form of taxes and campaign contributions from the pro-tobacco lobby.

So let's do the right thing. Keep government out of our personal decisions, out of our private business decisions and out of the business of claiming to know what is better for everyone as a whole than what we as individuals know is best for us. Have the courage to stop growing government. Have the courage to allow businesses to thrive and flourish based on their own business decisions instead of through forced nazi-like government submission. Have the courage to let people and business decide what is best for them in the marketplace. Have the courage to leave well enough alone, or have the courage to eliminate the 'problem' by banning tobacco sales and use completely.

Cordially,

Rob Heming

[mrgatorman]

Wow...very nicely daid Rob...Very articulate and to the point. Please post their response...Id be interested to see what they could say to overcome your arguement. Nice job

[cigarman-cl]

very nice letter rob. I'm going to have to come up with my own today and get it out.

[cigarlvr-cl]

nicely done my friend and I too am interested in their response to your letter

[silentjon-cl]

Great letter Rob. I will always felt that it should be the private business owner's decision to be smoke-free or not. PA politicians want to have it both ways - wanting a state-wide ban but keep the tobacco tax rolling into the coffers. What would they do if the tobacco money went away.

[Jughead]

That's an awesome letter Rob.

[koapoorpeople]

Well done & Well writtten

[Maduro_Scotty]

Very well put!. I'd be curious to know what response you get back from him.

[g8trbone]

Well done Rob. I too am curious about their response! Please post if you should receive one!

[thisone326]

i live in PA and go to school in Ohio. Ohio has a smoking ban in public buildings (bars, restruants, offices, etc.) The only place in Ohio you can smoke now is 10 feet away from all buildings outside, or in a store that sells tabacco as its main source of sales.

I will be writing my letter to my representatives soon.

[SingleMaltScott-cl]

Sadly, I don't believe Rob will get a response. This is Pa.....which was once described as "Philly in the east, not really part of Pa.....more like an extension of NY.....then you have Pittsburgh in the west, more of a mid-western city..and in the middle? In the middle you have, well, Alabama.
Harrisburg, the capital of the commonwealth (no, technically we're not a state) has no clue nor interest in what the needs/desires of it's two largest cities are. Rendell is a sell out, who wants to run for President in 2012 and is already greasing his political wheels with the special interest groups. Until those of us who smoke wake up and realize we need our own lobby, just like the NRA, we will be pariahs of society and shunned by those who think they know better and need to protect us from ourselves.
I have written the governor and the state senators from my area. Not a word in response. This is the second coming of prohibition, only on a county by county, state by state basis.

Rob, that was one of the most eloquently written and concisely stated arguments against the ban. My doubts of a response have nothing to do with your letter, but, my lack of faith in those who hold elected office.

[CigarRob]

Thank you very much.

Honestly, I don't expect a reply either. I didn't when I wrote it. I just felt compelled to present another side after seeing this particular politician go off unchallenged.

You are right in the sense that we need a huge politically active and well-financed lobby to combat these nazi-like infringements. Sadly, that is a very tall order. We smokers tend to take the hits and move on. We don't scream and holler in the public square about our rights, etc.

The public hearing or two in Pittsburgh during the now on hold county ban demonstrated a lack lustre showing and less than convincing argument by the anti-ban general public and the "authorities" on our side were easily dismissed as mere mouthpieces of the corporate tobacco interests instead of the average businessman and the thousands that stand to lose at some or many levels at the imposition of further tobacco regulation. Minds were already made up and allowing us time to state our case in opposition was merely window dressing...a gift of their limited attention.

Sadly still is the fact that one of the state's strongest opponents of smoking bans is a former state representative turned lobbyist whose political ideology is largely 180 degress out of phase with mine. He was voted out of office as part of the PA congressional house cleaning over the congressional pay raise scandall after he refused to give his back and cast a vote to repeal...quite arrogantly, I might add.

I suppose the enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?

[JohnRider]

When you get done writing letters to that SOB, lets go pound some sand, shall we?

LOL! I'm with you brother.

[alanf]

That's a great letter, but I suspect Senator Fontana won't even read it. It will go to some aid who will bury it. Even if it does get to him, I doubt it will change anything but that's no reason to keep silent. These guys are politicians after all and if enough people complain, they eventually get the message or get voted out.

BTW, if you want to read a good book on why people have such a difficult time in changing their minds or admitting they were wrong read:

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Tavris and Aronson.

It's a great read and very thought provoking.

[CigarRob]

Originally Posted by alanf

BTW, if you want to read a good book on why people have such a difficult time in changing their minds or admitting they were wrong read:

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Tavris and Aronson.

It's a great read and very thought provoking.

Additionally, another good and often humorous read on this very subject is "Please Don't Poop On My Salad" You can actually download the entire book (small) for free here.