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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tom Clarke who wrote (5460)	6/17/2003 7:23:15 AM
From: Tom Clarke	Respond to of 13056

Smoking ban finds a fight Joseph Spector Democrat and Chronicle (June 17, 2003) — Bar and restaurant owners statewide started a second week of protests Monday against the state’s public smoking ban, saying they will hit the state in the wallet before the ban hits theirs. In the Rochester region, at least a dozen watering holes shut off their Quick Draw machines Monday to punish the state for enacting a statewide ban of smoking in bars and restaurants. The law takes effect July 24. About 350 owners turned off Quick Draw machines last month for a week, costing the state $682,413 in sales and $170,603 in revenue, said Carolyn Hapeman, a lottery spokeswoman. This protest also will last a week to coincide with the end of the state legislative session Thursday. “The losses we’re likely to suffer with the Quick Draw being shut down for a week is a lot less than we will if the smoking ban goes into effect,” said Chuck Mitasik, owner of Letchworth Pines, a bowling alley and entertainment facility in Portageville, Livingston County. The protest may hurt the state financially, but it’s unlikely that the law will change, bar owners and state legislators said. Tavern owners wanted lawmakers to relax the law by allowing bars and restaurants to have separate smoking rooms, but such legislation hasn’t been embraced by Republican Gov. George Pataki or legislative leaders. Still, bar owners said they want to send a message that the law will mean fewer customers and more customers who go home earlier. Some owners anticipate losing between 20 percent and 50 percent of their revenue. And they fear they’ll face a situation similar that in New York City since it implemented a smoking ban 11 weeks ago: Smokers are congregating outside bars and clubs, filling neighborhoods with noise, garbage and clouds of smoke. “My opinion is that New York state, it’s becoming so socialist. It’s unbelievable,” said Andy Willmes, owner of Snuffy MaGee’s at 814 S. Clinton Ave. Restaurant and bar owners said they don’t mind losing some of their own profits from the Quick Draw machines to get their point across. Restaurant and bar owners receive a 6-cent commission on every dollar spent on Quick Draw. During the first protest, retailers lost $41,945 in commissions. About 3,000 restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and other establishments have Quick Draw terminals, according to lottery officials. The American Cancer Society in Rochester held a rally last week in support of the ban, saying it will reduce the number of smokers and improve the health of bar and restaurant workers. The cancer society on Monday released a poll it commissioned through Zogby International that found 63 percent of New Yorkers favor the ban, compared to 35 percent who oppose it. The poll surveyed 530 likely voters across the state and had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. Aimee Steiner works at Par-Key’s Lounge in Scottsburg, Livingston County, and doesn’t smoke. Yet she’s opposed to the ban, and the bar has shut down its Quick Draw machines. “All of us, when we came to apply for a job here, knew that we were applying at a place that has smoke,” she said. “Slowly the government is taking rights away from us.” E-mail address: jspector@DemocratandChronicle.com rochesterdandc.com