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Dear St. Paul Forum, The following is a letter to the editor that I have submitted to the Pioneer Press, hoping it will be published. I strongly encourage Mayor Kelly in St. Paul and Mayor Rybak in Minneapolis to get behind the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. This is a public health issue that just screams for action. How can we justify having workers in smoke-clouded environments just because they work in a bar or restaurant and not in an office, hospital, or airplane? Are those workers second-class citizens? Fifty years from today, I believe Americans will look back on the days of carcinogenic-vapor filled bars and restaurants in much the same way that we look back on smoking in hospitals and airplanes today -- with disbelief. It is hard to believe that any public official could oppose a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, given that second hand smoke causes about 3000 deaths each year from lung cancer in people who don't smoke (from the American Lung Association). Minnesota should be a leader in this healthful movement. To Mayor Kelly and Mayor Rybak, let me submit that the way to lead is not to shift the responsibility to the State or Federal Government, but instead act now with the power you have. Seize this opportunity and make a drastic improvement in the quality of life in the Twin Cities. Best regards, Kevin W. Eberman 1301 St. Clair Ave. St. Paul, MN 55105 (651)699-4047 _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
