Before blaming the smoking ban I would look to the long term ecomonic
decision made by the current administration and the fact that they have
literally drained the most of the middle class wealth. How many meals a day
do the wealthy eat? I think the term "fat cat" refers to their bank accounts
and not their waist lines. Add to that the cost of fuel and the rumors of
high heating costs this winter and I think you will find the true culprit
behind the sluggish business.
The time has come to stop whining about taxes and start equalizing the
percentage of disposable income.
That is the purpose of a progressive tax. The wealthy pay more because they
are able and also because it eases the burden on those of us whose entire
income is used up in meeting the basic necessities of life like food,
clothing and shelter. These are the folks who are hardest hit by Tim
Pawlenty's vision of "fees".
Let's get some money back in the pockets of the middle class and poor and
have some REAL economic stimulation.
Steve Nelson
Willard Hay
Hasn't anyone considered that restaurants, and bars may be closing due to
the gigantic drop in patronage following the March 31st implementation of
the Minneapolis and Hennepin County smoking bans? Since the ban(s) took
effect, 40 bars and several (don't have the exact number) restaurants in
Minneapolis have closed. My favorite pub (Molly Quinn's) is probably
closing
in a couple weeks. The owner has already laid off all staff, and cut back
to
7 hours a day. Many owners have tried to combat the drop in business with
nice new patios, but are finding that that only slightly mitigates the
losses. Now that winter is upon us, we are likely to see another surge of
closings. 1400 jobs have already been lost in the hospitality industry,
and
that doesn't even account for the cuts in hours for those hospitality
employees who have managed to keep their jobs.
I've been watching this discussion for a while now, wondering if anyone
would draw a link to the smoking ban. To my chagrin, listers seem to
prefer
not to consider that possibility, and instead turn to ideas about local
ownership, chain vs. small small business operation, et-c, ignoring the
obvious. Chain operations are more likely to be able to weather the storm,
as they can afford losses until the smaller competitors have been killed
off. Once the number of bars and resturants has been sufficiently
decimated,
the big boys who held on will probably begin turning profits again.
Who benefits from a smoking ban in Minneapolis? Large, rich corporations:
Chain operators from out of state; Giant pharmaceutical companies (whose
addictive products cost twice what tobacco does)..
Who suffers under it? Small, local business owners, working stiffs in the
hospitality industry (ironically, the very people the bans are ostensibly
in
place to protect), and everyone who has the guts to make their own
decisions.
The price of progress, right? My own elected city representative has been
heard to say, "bowlers and smokers are expendable" Seems to be a common
attitude among the "progressive" elite.
Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us
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