Take Action in your State

[Stogie]

Find your state and help with the fight against more smoking bans. Follow this link and it is super easy! Come on lets get this going!:support:

http://rtda.org/legislation.html

[cigar_joel-cl]

Thanks for posting this Stogie. Alot of people complain about stuff but don;t do anything about it. Everyone here should take part in fighting for your rights.

Joel

[Pumpkinsdad]

Too late for my area. Ohio has a state wide ban. No smoking in any public building or work place.

[Ceedee]

Thanks for that Stogie.

CD

[Architeuthis]

Originally Posted by Stogie

Find your state and help with the fight against more smoking bans. Follow this link and it is super easy! Come on lets get this going!:support:

http://rtda.org/legislation.html

And I was just getting ready to ask you about this... I'll strike it from the "ToDo" list this evening... Thanks!

[Cigar Diva]

:sweat: The Texas Senate according to their "Rules" should have read and voted on HB 9 or referred it to conference committee by May 23, 2007. Lt. Gov. (President of the chamber) is evidently messing with the rules, however it will now take a 4/5's majority to hear the bill at this point and I pray they do not have it. The bill still appears on the Regular Order of Business for today, May 25, 2007 and I am sure it will appear for tomorrow. For anyone interested in following the iterations this bill has been through, here is the link. http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLoo...s=80R&Bill=HB9 What a mess. The house journal was also interesting to read.

One thing is for sure, if this bill does not pass this secession, it will be back even stronger and harder next secession. FOLLOW THE MONEY! :angry:

[ilovecl-cl]

Another site I cannot visit from work, I will have to wait till I get home.

[lobsterkmd]

This is a great way to contact your legislators. We had received a whole bunch of flyers from RTDA at the shop to encourage customers to go onto the site, and after I personally went on to the site, I received several e-mails back from my representatives! Very worthwhile!

thanks for sharing this!

Kristin

[Cigar Diva]

The following blurb is from yesterday's Houston Chronicle about the smoking ban (HB9)


Opposition snuffs state smoking ban
The statewide smoking ban had the support of Lt. Gov.
David Dewhurst and a coalition of health groups, but was extinguished by opposition, including bar owners.

As the bill moved through the House, it was drastically weakened. One of the biggest exemptions would leave it to owners of an establishment to decide whether to permit smoking. Other exceptions included cigar bars, bingo halls and private clubs.

"I'd rather have no bill than a bill that does nothing," said Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, who sponsored the bill in the Senate. "If we can't have something meaningful, we're better off waiting."

[forgop-cl]

I'll probably get blasted for saying this, but I'm actually glad that smoking isn't allowed in restaurants here now. Nothing irritates me more than cigarette smoke and having to always go through a smoking section to get to a non-smoking section. It's still legal to smoke in bars though, which is fine with me.

If I want to light up, I know I can go to a bar or simply stay home. On the other hand, it's quite enjoyable to have dinner with your wife and 3 small children and not come home smelling like an ashtray.

[tekeeladude-cl]

Originally Posted by forgop

I'll probably get blasted for saying this, but I'm actually glad that smoking isn't allowed in restaurants here now. Nothing irritates me more than cigarette smoke and having to always go through a smoking section to get to a non-smoking section. It's still legal to smoke in bars though, which is fine with me.

If I want to light up, I know I can go to a bar or simply stay home. On the other hand, it's quite enjoyable to have dinner with your wife and 3 small children and not come home smelling like an ashtray.

I totally understand where you are coming from in regards to the smoking ban in restaurants. However, look at it from this point of view: Shouldn't the restaurant owner have the right to allow/disallow smoking in their restaurant? Why does the government have to get involved? If there was enough requests to ban smoking, the owner would do it for the good of their business. By allowing the government to ban smoking in restaurants, this leads to precedent and will eventually lead to the government banning smoking in bars, cigar shops, etc. Definitely not something any of us want to see.
Ok...enough of my rant!

[forgop-cl]

Originally Posted by tekeeladude

I totally understand where you are coming from in regards to the smoking ban in restaurants. However, look at it from this point of view: Shouldn't the restaurant owner have the right to allow/disallow smoking in their restaurant? Why does the government have to get involved? If there was enough requests to ban smoking, the owner would do it for the good of their business. By allowing the government to ban smoking in restaurants, this leads to precedent and will eventually lead to the government banning smoking in bars, cigar shops, etc. Definitely not something any of us want to see.
Ok...enough of my rant!

I agree with what you're saying to a point as I don't want the government messing with me any more than I absolutely have to. Since I'm opposed to cigarettes, I was all for it in this case.

I think the smoking ban began in Indy on March 1st and from what I recall hearing reported is that business actually increased since the ban. I know I found myself going out more.

There was one cafe in a smaller town south of Indy that switched from being a "public" restaurant to being a "private" club. The cafe charged a $1 membership fee and felt since they were no longer public, they'd be exempt. I haven't heard how that's turned out, but I know the town was going after them.

[JohnRider]

"If we can't have something meaningful, we're better off waiting."

Unfortunately, what they mean by "meaningful" is a sweeping and comprehensive smoking ban. The anti-smoking lobby is really shifting into high gear - they're not satisfied any more to just ban smoking in some public areas, they want an across the board ban and they are determined to get the toughest bill they possibly can. The Iowa ban is coming next...then your state.

[Cigar Diva]

Originally Posted by tekeeladude

I totally understand where you are coming from in regards to the smoking ban in restaurants. However, look at it from this point of view: Shouldn't the restaurant owner have the right to allow/disallow smoking in their restaurant? Why does the government have to get involved? If there was enough requests to ban smoking, the owner would do it for the good of their business. By allowing the government to ban smoking in restaurants, this leads to precedent and will eventually lead to the government banning smoking in bars, cigar shops, etc. Definitely not something any of us want to see.
Ok...enough of my rant!

Thanks for the rant. My turn. Where does it end and what industry will be next? Shouldn't we ban restaurants from serving any menu items containing peanuts (pbj's on the kids menu, foods prepared with peanut oil, peanut sauces,…)? After all it is a true immediate life threat to persons with allergies to peanuts and we should not expect the individual to be responsible for themselves! Don't worry, peanuts are not in danger of being ban because there are not BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to be made from banning it.

It concerns me that the people we elect to office have decided it is their responsibility to protect me from myself. The implication being, as an adult, voting, tax paying citizen (employee or employer) I am smiply to stupid to make my own life choices so they will make them for me.

It concerns me greatly that business owners are continually having legislation restrict or impose expensive requirements that are paid for by the business owner along with more tax liabilities or permit fees to implement the imposed legislation only for the cycle to repeat itself before the business owner can recoup expenses from previous legislation before having to comply all over again.

If these anti-smoking zealots want a smoke-free environment, then DO NOT patronize business that allow smoking. Better yet, put up their own money, invest their own energy and LONG hours to start their own business instead of telling me what I have to do with mine. Seems a little unfair to me that I have put the money and time into MY business and now face having re-structure my business because they do not agree with the LEGAL business I built.

[Labman-cl]

Man, the smoking laws here in Canada are frickin' ridiculous! You can't smoke in any public place, including bars. Crazy. :baffled: