crazy local news highlights...

[acroyear70]

1. the VA House actually passed the smoking in restaurants ban, carried mostly by northern virginia and hampton roads area.  the south, the west, and richmond all voted no.  We'll see how the Senate does, since that's supposed to equalize the regions a bit more and weaken NoVA's influence.
2. the senate passed a ban on teenagers driving with cell phones

Comments

[pharmtoxgirl]

Of course Richmond will vote No. Philip Morris is here and in Petersburg.

But I'm still hoping the damn thing passes.

Oh and I bet Charlottesville voted yes as it is its own little corner of liberal paradise - LOL. I'm joking but not as my co-workers who live here say they get ragged on for that all the time.

[acroyear70]

All of Richmond's delegates voted no, including its Democrats.

[pharmtoxgirl]

I know, I'm not surprised. Philip Morris's offices and labs are here - they aren't going to vote to enact the ban.

[acroyear70]

I took my biology and chemistry as get-ahead summer school classes to free up space for both Band and Psychology (back then there were only 6 credits in a day - I hear there are more now). Others in my grade were taking Geometry in order to get back on a Calculus by Senior Year track in math.

Of course, I also took them in the summer 'cause I wanted to get out of GT science, not 'cause i couldn't hack it, but 'cause I was sick of all the work that went into the science fair project (which was required). 4 years of mostly winning something and I was pretty much done with it.

[dawntreader90]

2. "Gee, Marion Barry's in legal trouble again"
in my best Hilby voice, "no way! no way!"

5. "alcohol tax" i'm shocked it's taken this long for someone to go for it. apparently it hasn't been raised in 30 years. whereas gas tax and cigarette tax jumps by leaps and bounds. (cigarettes $2 at a time.) so 2 cents for akkohols in thirty years is not a big deal. according to WJZ it's going "to support drug and alcohol treatment programs, provide services to more people with disabilities, increase state payments for people who work with the disabled and bolster the general fund." well! i can support that.

[blueeowyn]

but the cigarette tax is supposed to discourage smoking and help cover the cancer-stick users medical bills and rehab.

[dawntreader90]

i realize that and that wasn't my point. it was only a comparison. my point was it's time they tax akkohol also and 2 cents is not a big deal.

[dawntreader90]

tax also doesn't discourage smoking. they could be $10 a pack and it would not discourage smoking. price does not make a difference to those with addictions.

[thelongshot]

I'm all for the smoking ban. It would make Jaxx a tolerable option for my wife to see music. Until it is non-smoking, she refuses to go.

The funny thing is, it is probably one of the few music venues in the area that still allows smoking. (Jammin Java, The Birchmere and The State Theatre are smoke free and DC has an indoor smoking band)

[thewhitedragon]

I'm all for a venue-by-venue option to ban smoking but that's my personal opinion. I don't think the government should *mandate* the ban.