On Tue, 8 Mar 2005, M Charles Swope wrote:
> Speaking of which, yet another city, Philadelphia, is getting ready to
> enact a comprehensive ban, i.e., one that includes bars as well as
> restaurants. The same arguments are being raised there as we heard here.
> A survey in Philadelphia had 31% of respondents stating that they'd be
> more likely to go out to a bar or restaurant if smoking was banned while
> only 6% stated they'd be less likely to do so. But the bar owners still
> oppose the ban despite all the evidence accumulating from cities with
> bans that patronage actually increases after a ban.
> http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/11076631.htm
Smoking in bars reinforces smoking in those who hang out there - it's "the
thing to do" - even if you really want to quit.
Why should Big Tobacco give up those profits, when for much less than
those profits they can play on the emotions of bar owners? A few hours
from a good "public relations" man pays for itself many times over.
People like to imagine that the billions corporations spend on mind
management only affect (stupid/unaware) people, never their above-the-fray
independent minds. They don't like to think we can be had by clever
disinformation campaigns by powerful underhanded manipulators. But alas we
all can, and it takes hours of investigation to find out the truth in just
one case - meanwhile there are hundreds they are deluging us with. It
would help if we did away with mega corporations, eg by anti-trust,
broke up the networks/cable by reinstatement of the old FCC rules against
multiple ownership.
So when you look at the stupidity of StPaul smoking when other contiguous
areas have seen the light, blame Big Tobacco and Randy Kelly and .... This
isn't reality raising its head in StPaul - it's money-induced fantasy
masterminded by the worst of America. All the more reason to grill all the
StPaul candidates on this issue, and NOT vote for any who bans the ban.
--David Shove
Roseville
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