WM: I don't go to bars. I don't like bars. Bars, for females no matter what age, are so ambiently and otherwise "male territory" that you can smell it in the air, even if you're a smoker. I do, however, like coffee shops which serve a standard set of items and are open from early to late. I like the ones which have smoking and non-smoking sections.For my money, Minneapolis is still hung up on the adage, "whatever isn't mandatory is prohibited." Let a couple dozen bars stay open to smokers, ban it in the rest. Allow a little unhealthy freedom.
I choose to go to coffee shops and restaurants that serve both smokers and non-smokers because then I can hang with all my friends and acquaintances, pick up on the important neighborhood issues--new babies, folks who are dying, kids going to school, grandbabies, how various projects the neighborhood has initiated are going, what the police are up to, what the gangs are up to, all that stuff. I don't insist that every coffee shop be smoking or non, but I would like every neighborhood to have at least one that's mixed.
I'd love it if they were from different cultures, except that my experience has been that for some cultures, coffee shops are male territories. Such is life.
WizardMarks, Central
Jeremy Wieland Northeast
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Skoglund Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 10:24 AM To: 'Minneapolis Issues' Subject: Re: [Mpls] Smoking ban in Minneapolis
Quoting Laura Waterman Wittstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
On Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at 04:12 PM, WizardMarks wrote:[...]
Jeremy Wieland wrote:
Given that there are smokers, and that smokers seek out smoking
environments, why not either pass an "all or nothing" ordinance, or provide
for a finite number of "smoking establishments."
WM: What about established restaurants whose business, built up over a couple of generations from virtually nothing to a restaurant that supports a family and provides 50+ jobs to the community.All smoking or some smoking in places where the public is served both expose workers to environmental smoke, a liability for the owner and a health risk for the workers.
WizardMarks, Central
Is anyone aware of law or precedent in Minnesota suggesting business owners are liable for injuries to employees or patrons caused by second-
hand smoke? This seems like a pretty significant consideration.
For that matter, given all the arguments that are flying around, are there definitive answers on (1) health risks of second-hand smoke; or
(2) the effect of a smoking ban on various businesses.
I've always assumed that second-hand smoke has some sort of dangerous effect, but I don't know for sure. I'd feel more comfortable advocating a change in law based on cancer risks than stinky overcoats.
Regarding the second point, there seems to be a lot of controversy about
this. Living in NYNY, the Mayor has argued that business is up since the
ban went into effect, but others have responded that business in bars and
restaurants is down.
E.g.: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/public/press04/pr031-0329.html
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/18109.htm
http://www.washblade.com/2004/4-23/view/columns/smokescreen.cfm http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/ny-bc-ct--smokingban0429apr28,0,1561558.
story?coll=nyc-regionhome-headlines
If the health problems are that serious (which should go to the liability issue) that would obviously outweigh the economic harm. But if these issues are murky, I think there should be much more discussion before the city considers a ban.
Regards,
Mike Skoglund // Financial District NYNY // Bancroft MPLS
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