Virginia Governor Tim Kaine signaled his support yesterday for a statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars:
RICHMOND - Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Friday he would like to snuff out smoking in all Virginia restaurants, but he won’t push for a statewide ban unless lawmakers signal their support.
Kaine said health care groups have asked him to add the statewide restaurant ban to legislation passed last month that merely requires eateries to post signs if they allow smoking.
“I am actively looking at that,” he said. “I don’t know that there are any cons.”
What about the fact that it deprives business owners of the right to decide for themselves whether they want to cater to smokers or not ? I keep asking advocates of smoking bans why they aren’t willing to let the market decide this issue. After all, is smoking is as unpopular as they claim it to be, and if people really would prefer to eat at restaurants that ban it altogether, it won’t be long before restaurant owners recognize this and start banning smoking in their establishments. And if there are bars out there that allow people to smoke, so what ? Don’t go there if you don’t like it, and tell the owner why.
Unfortunately, the anti-smoking crowd isn’t as open-minded as this business owner:
Greg Mazarakis Jr., owner of Regino’s restaurant in Norfolk said his customers are happy that the eatery is smoke-free. He said the decision has saved him money because the smoke ruins upholstery, curtains and ceiling tiles.
However, Mazarakis said, it’s unfair to force mandates on other restaurants.
“I agree smoking is unhealthy and it’s something I choose not to do,” he said. “But I just hate to see decisions being taken away from restaurant owners.”
Now, tell me why he’s wrong.
H/T: Vivian Paige
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:26 am
Didn’t you know Doug? We cannot take care of ourselves these days. The government has to do it for us.
I’m not a smoker, but I can see the negative effect this will have on restaraunts and (more so in) bars; if people are not allowed to smoke in them, they will not go out. And when bars and restaraunts have to close down because they are quickly losing profits, we will suffer losing the places we love to go to. I’m surprised that this is so hard for some people to understand.
What we should do is encourage restauraunts to make the decision themselves, and to display their decision so that people who do not want to sit in smoke can make a decision on where to eat.
March 3rd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
[...] <b>Virginia</b> Governor Supports Statewide Smoking Ban [...]