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Re: Smoking ban clears House

MichaelJMcFadden — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:56:23 -0400

Aquaman asked, "Mr. McFadden, you live in Philly dont you? Have you ever talked to cocktail waitresses and bartenders in bars in NC?"

Yes I have Aquaman. I was down there for a conference last summer and talked to tenders and waitstaff in about a half dozen bar/restaurants in NC. Of the dozen or so I talked to, *TWO* were somewhat supportive of a government-imposed ban, and both of them seemed supportive only because they'd bought the story that it was "inevitable" so they might as well go along with it.

I noticed you had no answer to the 1,000% increase in pub closures in Britain or concern about the 2,000% tax on smokers so poor they're forced to roll cigarettes from shreds of tobacco and scraps of paper.

I also find it odd that you wouldn't support the idea of holding the antismoking groups and pro-ban politicians legally responsible for footing the bill for losses. After all, according to the survey you cited (er... wanna share who PAID for that survey btw?) they wouldn't be taking any risk, right?

Let them vote a ban in *IF* they believe strongly enough that it won't hurt business that they put *THEIR* money on the line.

How could anyone object to that?

Michael J. McFadden
Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

Mr. McFadden, you live in Philly, What Do You Know?

AquaMan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:47:08 -0400

Mr. McFadden, you live in Philly dont you? Have you ever talked to cocktail waitresses and bartenders in bars in NC? If you had you would know that smoke-free is popular here in NC. A Elon University poll last month found about two-thirds of North Carolinians backed a ban on indoor public smoking. Eight in 10 said they consider secondhand smoke a threat to their health.

Re: Smoking ban clears House

AquaMan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:09:50 -0400

cant wait for FDA regulation so we can see EXACTLY the ingredients of cigarettes.

Re: Smoking ban clears House

MichaelJMcFadden — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:35:30 -0400

Aquaman asked, "aren't bars workplaces for thousands of North Carolinians?? I guess they dont have the right to breathe clean air while on the job."

Aquaman, how would you feel about a ban based on a survey of those workers? You'll find that that is something that is NEVER proposed by the antismoking lobby because they know perfectly well that those workers would vote en masse against a ban.

First of all many of them, probably even MOST of them, smoke themselves and have gone into that line of work partly because of the freedom to smoke there. And even those that don't smoke went into the business knowing and expecting that there would be smoking allowed.

And finally, more of them than you may suspect have looked around at places with bans and have heard from others in the business what the REAL effects of smoking bans are to the bar/pub/restaurant trade. In Britain pubs had a fairly steady closure rate of 2 to 4 pubs per week before their ban.

The ban came in and that closure rate shot to 27, then 36, and now FORTY TWO per week... an increase in closures and job losses of ONE THOUSAND PERCENT. Think about what it does to those workers lives and the lives and health of their families when they're rendered jobless and/or their life savings invested in a business are lost.

Think the antismoking groups or the legislators voting for a ban are willing to guarantee against those losses?

How about it legislators? Are you willing to put YOUR incomes and bank accounts and homes on the line for this vote? Or do you just want to leave other people holding the bag?

How about the Senate adding an Amendment offering such a legally binding stop-loss guarantee? It could be coupled with the pledge to cover statewide annual fine totals over $500 (which one Rep assured us wouldn't exist today) or to pay for any overtime or extra staff needed for enforcement (which we were ALSO assured wouldn't exist today.)

Make it legally binding... so it won't be like Obama's "pledge" not to raise taxes on folks earning under $250,000 while then turning around and slapping a 2,000% tax increase on the poor folks who have to roll their own cigarettes from shreds of tobacco and scraps of paper.

If you believe what you're saying, if you're not lying, THEN STAND BEHIND YOUR WORDS AND YOUR VOTE!

Or find a job where your "vote" won't hurt so many other people.

Michael J. McFadden
Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

Re: Smoking ban clears House

SStahl — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:29:30 -0400

Funny thing...

Just as the smoking ban is lifted for the G20 summit to supposedly solve the world's economic crisis, North Carolina tries to push through a smoking ban in tobacco country.

G20 exempt from smoking ban
Thursday, March 12 12:48 pm
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14/20090312/tpl-g20-exempt-from-smoking-ban-81c5b50.html

Who's this idiot who needs "protection" from secondhand smoke? The bogus health scare has been debunked repeatedly and very publicly by everyone from governemnts to science journals to the popular media. I guess some North Carolinians just take longer to catch up. This guy's so worried about bartenders' health...but doesn't care that they have a much better chance of losing their job in a post-ban economy and certainly doesn't care about the real dangers that such employees face everyday.

North Carolina should be ashamed.

Re: Smoking ban clears House

Taxpayer2008 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:26:12 -0400

I won't loose any sleep over it if it passes. I'm not a rabid non smoker but if a place is too smokey, I don't patronize it. If it gets too smokey, I leave. If you choose to work in a smokey pool hall or bar thats your choice.

I can understand the owner's view. Smokers are generally better tippers.

Re: Smoking ban clears House

AquaMan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:23:40 -0400

aren't bars workplaces for thousands of North Carolinians?? I guess they dont have the right to breathe clean air while on the job. With the Cole amendment exempting bars some of the workers most at risk for health effects of second hand smoke will NOT be protected. I hope the Senate eliminates the language exempting bars. Virginia and Maryland's smoking bans include nightclubs, brew pubs, taverns, etc.

Re: Stam: You're gonna want to share this

Isaac136 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:32:19 -0500

To know Joe Hackney is to respect Joe Hackney, to admire Joe Hackney and to wish we could clone him.

Re: I <3 Joe Hackney

razor0397 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:37:28 -0500

I wonder why you know noise when you hear it.

Re: Stam: You're gonna want to share this

cornbread — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:46:48 -0500

If Stam were the majority party, we'd be in worse shape.

The GOP controls South Carolina, and they're in awful shape.

Stam's idea of sharing pain is allowing cross burnings with no recourse. He was the ONLY vote against that bill in the whole chamber, and the House Republicans still want him as their spokesperson. Wow.

Re: Stam: You're gonna want to share this

GrayJ — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:43:23 -0500

On all other issues you fight so ardently for the rights of the minority. I am shocked to see you accept majority will here, truly interesting.

I <3 Joe Hackney

James_Protzman — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:03 -0500

Gotta love a guy who cuts through the bulloney and calls thinks straight and clear.

Noise indeed.

Re: Easley 'puzzled' by House budget

tangoz — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:47:38 -0400

They do lose some of the best teachers to non-government corporations who can pay better and give better benefits. That argument is proven. There are also social loafing employees anywhere you go. I would like to think that teachers police themselves through peer pressure and peer reviews. Remember before you condemn them ask yourself, "Is that a job I would do and could do well" And no I am not a teacher.

Terrell III for State House
Republican nominee for the 33rd district-North Carolina State House
4549 Tollington Drive
Raleigh, NC 27604
919-523-0304 Cell
http://terrellforhouse33.blogspot.com/

Paul Terrell III is a conservative blue collar worker who will do things in Raleigh for House district 33's citizens.

Re: Easley 'puzzled' by House budget

dahedgehog — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:46:45 -0400

Ewol, tell it to NCAE

Re: Easley 'puzzled' by House budget

Ewol_Smith — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:38:27 -0400

Pay increases should be on merit only. There are many sub-standard teachers who warehouse kids with "seat work" and never teach them a thing.
These teachers do not merit a raise.