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Smoking Ban & bar business.

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Bigdog
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Smoking Ban & bar business.

Post by Bigdog »

A state wide no smoking ban is coming. How has it effected karaoke nights where you live?

Have you seen more nonsmokers coming out?

Have the smokers stopped coming out?

Personally I'm glad about it. Maybe everyones health will improve.

I just stopped doing 5 packs of second hand smoke a week. Wooohooo... :lol:


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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

The smoking ban had a negative effect on the bar business in this area. The bar crowds decreased considerably and some bars shut down in protest never to reopen. I am a nonsmoker but I look at the smoking ban as just one more instance of the government infringing on personal freedom.

The bar owners should have a choice on whether or not to allow smoking in their bar. After all, nobody is forced to go into a bar, it's not even a necessity. A bar owner who wishes to allow smoking in their bar should simply be required to post "smoking allowed" on the entrance(s) and let each person decide for themselves if they want to enter.

While you do your happy dance about the impending smoking ban you might want to prepare yourself for a significant drop in clientèle.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

My newest job is in a smoke free bar. He just opened in December. His crowds are getting bigger as the word spreds. He has had 2 pack a day smokers tell him they like not going home smelling like smoke.

He is fighting 2 battles.

1# the smokers

2# Brand new building - brand new business. The word about the new business takes time.

But he has done very well on band nights (weekends) and the karaoke is still picking up and i expect it to continue to grow.

I just heard that at least one bar has filed for an exemption. :cry:
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Well 2 of my nights still allow smoking. I know two for sure that don't. Friday night is a national chain so I assume it will be non smoking. That's 2 & 2. 2 more to find out about.

I heard an interesting story. A guy that does financials for a national restaurant chain claims they do 1 million a month in sales. After the smoking ban it dropped to $600,000 a month. Pretty significant drop. Their solution was to ignore the law and just pay the fines.

Screw the workers heathe issues......it's about corporate greed. :cry:

Ma & Pa can't afford to do that so I guess these little places will have to comply.
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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

Most smokers I know really don't care much that smoking has been banned from public places like grocery stores, department stores, and even restaurants. These are places where you normally don't spend an extended amount of time. Bars, on the other hand, are places where people spend entire evenings. Add to this that people typically smoke more while drinking and end you up with some very unhappy people.

When these people decide that they simply will not patronize a nonsmoking bar you not only lose the smokers but very often the spouses, partners, and friends, of the smokers.

The government gets way to involved in our personal lives. I hate it every time they pass another law created to protect us from ourselves. How absurd is it that they can tell an adult that the have to wear a seat belt?

But don't expect the government to have to abide by the same laws that apply to the public. In establishments in my state where the government has legalized gambling, there is no smoking ban. They certainly are not going to lose those tax dollars. That makes them every bit as bad as any corporation that would rather pay the fines.
fancyloves2karaoke
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Post by fancyloves2karaoke »

The smoking ban has not effected the bars where I play however the resturants and night clubs have been effected their business has dyed down quite a bit here you have to either cut your staff to people over the age of 21 and only allow folks who are 21 in the bar and you can remain a smoking establishment, If there is one person under the age of 21 in the club and there is smoking allowed that person can get fined 5o bucks the bar owner 100-500 bucks and risk losing their licence. So it is best to card at the door and at the bar to make sure you are safe.


Wiseguy I agree with you totally about the government getting to involved wit our personal lives. They tell us where we can smoke, that we have to wear seatbelts, and how to raise our children then they raise our taxes, gas prices and food cost to boot America can't make it on the Goverment sanctions that they empose upon us.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

This is a general statement not directed at anyone in particular.

The problem is...smokers think they have the right to smoke anytime and anywhere.

I'll agree that you have the right to kill yourself in any manner you so choose. So you may smoke in your house or your car to your heatrts content.

What gives you the right to pollute the air that I and every other living creature on the planet needs to survive? If you were a business or company your smoke emissions would be subjected to a scrubber to reduce the amount of toxins you expel into the air.

Second hand smoke is considered a cancer causing agent equal to asbestos and benzine. Do you want your kids in a school all day that is infected with asbestos? Oh...why not? All things being equal. You would strongly object to that but it's OK if you and your friends kill your kids when they are at home in your second hand smoke all day. Same thing.

I should not have to curtail my activites in any bar or restarant just so you can smoke whenever and wherever you feel like it. You say if I don't like it leave. I say if you don't like it leave. Kill yourself in private. I don't want to watch it happen. And I don't want you to take me with you.

Smokers are a very selfish lot. You want to impose your bad unhealthful habit on everyone else. If I wanted to smoke I would. I don't need you trying to inject it into me. Just because you are mentally weak and need a drug induced lifestyle doesn't mean I need it. Nicotine is an addictive drug. I can live in the real world without the aid of drugs and alcohol to get me through the day.

Think about the reason you tried smoking in the first place? To act mature or look older? Low self esteem is the reason. Your mental weakness started the habit.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Insurance companies are probably behind the smoking ban. It has helped many people to quit.

Insurance companies stopped common law marriage after 9/11. Too many "Domestic Partner" claims were filed. Be they gay or man & woman cohabitating.

It went from 7 years down to 5 years down to 2 years down to 1 year to no such thing.

The government (Plot) wants a married society. It's a stronger entity. That's why they give married people a bigger tax break.

They are probably behind the seat belt laws too. It all comes down to corporate greed. They want to save money. Saving lives and preventing illness and accidents saves them money. Smoking illnesses cost losts of money. Car accidents cost losts of money.

The smoking ban is to protect "workers" health. Just as in every other work place. Workers have the right to be protected. It's why OSHA and the othe agencies were started. It protects workers from cancer causing environment.

2 of my 6 jobs are still smoking bars. If the number of smokers attending increases I may be forced to guit those jobs. My health is just as important to me. Many of my singers like the no smoking idea. I think there will be an increase in nonsmokers coming out to play.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Smokers need to get help to cure their addiction. Not try to get others to endure it by force.

It's no different than any other addiction. Part of the cure isn't to see how many people you can get involved along with you.

Step up to the plate and admit you have an addiction. Then get serious help to quit. Don't cop the attitude that it's your right. Nobody has the right to be addicted to anything and expect others to go merrily along with your twisted idea. That's wrong.
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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

Bigdog, maybe you should run for some political office. Then you can help pass more laws to deprive personal rights. You have expressed this inclination in this and previous posts (deciding on your own which type of songs you allow your singers to sing as an example). Yes, this is still supposed to be a free country. This means that people should have the right to do whatever they want, including the right to have an addiction, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.

Going to a bar where only adults are allowed is a personal choice for every person who enters the premises. No person is required or forced to work there. As long as cigarette smoking is legal in this country the owner of an adult only bar should have the right to chose if they want to allow smoking or not. And every adult has the right to not enter the bar because of this.

This should be left up to society to decide, not the lawmakers. If enough people decide that they do not want to enter a bar that allows smoking then these places will either change their policy or lose business. Of course this could also go the other way. This is what democracy is all about.

As I stated previously I am a non-smoker, but I will still defend a person's right to personal choice. I too have spent many years performing in smoke filled bars and clubs. It was completely my choice to do so just like it is yours.

Furthermore, only a fool would disagree that the world would be better off if there were no bars. Drunk driving accidents and deaths would drop significantly. Fights and other acts of violence would also decrease. How would you feel if the lawmakers decided to make bars illegal?
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

You are missing the point.

This has nothing to do with the legal rights of anyone.

It has been declared a cancer causing agent. LUNG CANCER KILLS YOU after having it for so long.

If I wanted to breathe asbestos dust (exactly as deadly as second hand smoke) all day and I decided I wanted to sprinkle it all over the bar area because I like it and I'm addicted to it, there should be no problem. As adults you could choose not to be there during the sprinkling. There would probably be some people that don't believe that asbestos is a cancer causing agent.

If second hand smoke is a cancer causing agent, every person that subjects their minor children to it (because they don't have a choice or a voice in the matter) should be convicted of child endangerment/abuse. It is absolutely cruel to expose your children to a KNOWN CANCER causing substance and think it's your American right. BULL CACA. Get your addiction curred. Save the children from this abuse.

That would be my politcal stand if I was to run for office. Child abusers. Everyone of them.

Nobody in America has an inalienable right to polute the air. Or to willing abuse their own childrens heath with their addiction. My right is to be able to breathe clean unadulterated air. Children should be protected from these parents with a smoking addiction. It's not a personal right to inflict lung cancer on anyone of any age in a bar or in a house.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

They just found asbestos in the roofing of a local grade school. They are fixing the roof. The parents are flipping out over their kids being possibly exposed to some of it.

Bring your kids over to play, same odds as second hand smoke. Do you want to take the chance? Don't be afraid.

Their is no double standard. If the parents are so concerned about junior's health they should get their addiction cured. Plain and simple.

SMOKERS have NO rights to impose secondhand smoke on society. Doesn't matter the location unless it's in their own house or car. But not in front of the kids.

Child Youth Services should be removing those kids from the smokers house and curing them. If it was crack or cocaine or heroin they wouldn't hesitate. Now here is the best part. Crack smoke could hurt the childs health. Herion and cocaine can do no harm to them unless they ingest it. But they will still be removed for their safety.

If the house was full of asbestos dust they would be removed for their safety.

Millions of abused children live in these dangerous smokers homes. I was abused by my smoking father. I use to get sick just looking out the window.

In my job I had to breathe dangerous fumes and chemicals and heavy metal smoke. I was trading my health for money. My choice. Kids don't have a choice. But as soon as I could I changed the parts of the exposure I could control. I switched jobs to get out of the smoke and as much dust and dirt as possible. I also moved out of the house at 19. My illness rate dropped in half. Look at all the kids with asthma. Think it's a coincidence? Their is more air polution from cars and trucks and smoking today. More chemicals in the house from the carpeting, and other fabrics. Insulation and things that we were not exposed to as kids. Because they have just become affordable in the last 30 years. Everyone has wall to wall today. Not when we grew up. Same with house insulation. Chemicals in food.

Just look at Chinese milk. That is a disgrace. Corporate greed is taking over the world. That's what that was about. Doctor up the milk with poison to make it look healthy and nutritious. I would execute everyone of those company executives. NO trial nothing but a bullet to the head. See if I'm right about that.
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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

I'm not missing the point, you are straying from the topic. It's not about how second hand smoke effects children, it's about the government banning smoking in BARS. BARS where only consenting adults are permitted to be present. I've already made the statement that "people should have the right to do whatever they want, including the right to have an addiction, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others". Of course children being forced to inhale second smoke is infringing on their rights.

Nobody NEEDS to go to a bar. It is completely a matter of personal choice. If you choose to risk YOUR OWN HEALTH by spending time in a smoke filled room then that is your personal right and responsibility. Should skydiving and auto racing be forbidden because of the risks?

If a bar owner is given the choice on whether or not to allow smoking in his own bar, and posts a "Smoking Allowed Inside" warning on the entrance, then nobody is being forced to inhale second hand smoke.

So please get off of the soap box preaching the evils of smoking's affect on children. That's not the issue here.
Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

The children part is about thoughtless smokers that don't care about the health effect on their kids.

The bill was also to protect workers in bars. Not everyone can pick up and leave their place of employment on a dime. Maybe they have been there a long time and don't want to change jobs. They should be protected. Regardless.

Smoking bars will become like the opium dens. Turn on, tune in and drop dead from lung cancer or any of the other related illnesses.

I'll agree that the smokers and smoking bars deserve each other. They can all take turns killing each other. You light up, no be my guest, no after you, ladies first. :lol:

My Saturday non smoking job is surrounded by smoking bars. They are not too happy about that. This week was a little slow. Other nonsmoking bars I work noticed a smaller daylight/after work crowd.
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wiseguy
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Post by wiseguy »

My final thoughts on this topic. I am a non-smoker. I wish every person on this planet was a non-smoker. Smoking is a nasty habit the can destroy your health. BUT, we must resist our government's attempt to deprive of us ANY personal freedom regardless of whether or not it affects us personally. Our government is already way too involved in our personal lives. Which of YOUR personal freedoms are you willing to give up? It could be next.
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