Smoking Ban News
Monday, October 02, 2006
The Fishers Town Council will today consider whether or not to adopt an ordinance that would ban smoking on private property.
My position on the matter is simple: If you own the property, you set the policies. It's a property rights issue.
I debate the health arguments against smoking or smoke in the air. I don't smoke and forbid it in my house for these reasons. I am just not willing to sweep away the property rights others in the quest for smoke-free air. Sadly, many Americans are. We'll see where the Fishers Town Council falls on this, pro-property rights, or anti-property rights.
Everyone should read this article, in Sunday's South Bend Tribune, before they do anything. It reveals the effects one smoking ban has had on restaurant owners and workers. From the article:
For many eateries, the ban's effects have apparently been anything but pleasant.
For instance, take Tradewinds Restaurant. Before the ban took effect in early April, owner Joe Kazmierczak had hoped it would lead customers who smoked from his Mishawaka location to his Osceola location, where foot traffic was already low.
But that didn't happen, and Kazmierczak closed the Osceola restaurant about a month ago.
Meanwhile, he saw business fall more than 10 percent initially at his Mishawaka location. In the past month, it has improved, he said, but it's still not as good as it was before the ban."You don't notice the regulars you had as smoking customers coming in anymore," he said. "That we lost."
Well, the proponents say they want to make sure employees don't have to work in a hazardous environment. It is assumed that the unemployment line is a much safer place to be.
posted by Mike Kole @ 3:23 PM,
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