Election endorsements

[reality_hammer]

Election endorsements for Ohio:

Ohio Governor: Ken Blackwell. A Reagan Republican!
Ohio Senator: Mike DeWine. He's no John F. Kerry!
Ohio 3rd District Representative: Mike Turner. Dayton and Ohio have benefited from his leadership.
Ohio Issues:

1. Vote yes on issue 1. State benefit funds should not be invested in non-traditional "investments".
   

Comments

[spicy_mustard]

If issue 5 is something that tells private business owners to ban smoking on their premises, I would vote against it. I know I voted for all of our proposals except the one that mandates inflationary increases in public education spending. At least you have the wage law on your ballot. The legislature just passed a minimum wage increase here without even asking us. :(

[blindman738]

Government should never pass laws that prohibit a private restraunt owner how he can cater to his customers. Dallas passed that stupid law 2 years ago and it just pissed people off. Convention revenue shrunk, tourism is down and the West End area is suffering badly.

They determine whether you can allow smoking based on percentage of food sales versus alcohol sales. For some reason now they are planning to go "audit" Dallas restaurants and bars, because they think some restaurans don't really have the proper percentage of food sales to be deemed a restaurant. Their bright idea to encourage these businesses to become more food than alcohol sales was to offer tax and other incentives. Now they're concerned that these places are scamming the government. Idiots.

[spicy_mustard]

Ugh, I'm a non-smoker, yet I'm appalled at the lengths the smoke-free lobby will go. Someone here in the city of Battle Creek wants to pass a similar law, and the owner of the Hunt Club has stated that he took great measures in installing air circulation systems, and that non-smokers have never complained about the smoke from smokers. Regardless if there had been, I said if that commissioner wants a smoke-free establishment, she should build one herself, not subject her wants on other business owners. BTW, there are some places in Battle Creek that have gone smoke-free on their own accord. And now after reading the Ohio proposal, it seemingly would ban smoking in bars and restaurants without the owners' consent (unless they're "family-owned," which is pretty vague if not discriminatory against sole proprietorships if you ask me), because the exemptions do not include them. I'm actually surprised that Brett would be for this considering his libertarian leanings.

[reality_hammer]

Eh, smoking is a complex issue. You can say that separate non-smoking areas are fine, but there have been restaurants I stopped going to because their non-smoking areas were a farce.

As a libertarian one would say great, let the market decide whether that works or not. Issue 5 allows for much of that, but not completely. A couple of things that won my support:

• It is a law, not an amendment to the Constitution. Therefore it is easy to overturn.
  
• Smokers. Their behavior in designated non-smoking areas (i.e., continuing to smoke) leads me to believe there needs to be tougher enforcement of non-smoking areas which this law provides for. My decision was influenced a great deal by this.
  
• Smoking would be treated like a polluting activity, which it is.
  

Libertarians talk about controlling pollution via laws/lawsuits which punish polluters, and that is what this does. I'd feel the same way about alcohol if breathing in vapors from someone else drinking adversely affected my health

[blindman738]

Well, that's a hell of a lot better reason than "I don't like it!" which is what Laura Miller did in Dallas.

[reality_hammer]

Private establishments can do as they wish except they cannot forbid "no smoking" signs that employees wish to put up in their areas and cannot ignore local ordinances that require designated non-smoking areas.

Yeah, voting on the minimum wage at least allows me to say "no" to unwise economic measures. Heck, why stop at $6.85? Let's make it $100 and everyone will be rich! Rich I say! :P

[blindman738]

Actually, private establishment CAN refuse to put up "no smoking" signs. They just cannot compel their employees to work in a smoking section. Your argument has been thrown at me several times and it still doesn't work. Non-smoking employees can go find a place that doesn't allow smoking if that is the ultimate gripe they have.

[reality_hammer]

Sure people can work/shop/eat somewhere else. I don't feel that the law is an unreasonable restriction any more than one that says you have to put trash in containers and have it hauled off periodically instead of throwing it out the window.

I would not be against expanding the list of allowable exemptions, but on the whole the law is a good one.

[blindman738]

As a smoker who likes to eat out in public I formally request you stay your ass OUT of Garland, TX. I don't need you voting here. kthx ;)

[reality_hammer]

lol

As someone who prefers to eat food and not smoke, I will gladly eat elsewhere.

[blindman738]

Deal!