Posted on 09/01/2009 4:44:01 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Put down that coffee, and come out with your hands up!
The owner of a Financial District tobacco shop was amazed to learn he was violating the law by offering his customers a free cup of joe while they legally puffed away on his cigars.
Vince Nastri III, the third-generation owner of Barclay Rex -- where bankers, City Hall staffers, lawyers and detectives smoke while sitting in plush leather chairs or browsing in the walk-in humidor -- complained that the city is "trying to take away my livelihood over a cop of coffee."
Health officials had no problem with all the cigars his customers were puffing on -- a handful of businesses, including Nastri's, are exempt from Mayor Bloomberg's anti-smoking laws -- but decided a $9,000 coffee machine was grounds for closing the place down.
"We didn't survive in business for 99 years by breaking laws. But this is just petty," said Nastri, whose shop's past customers have included Frank Sinatra, James Cagney and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Nastri first got into hot water on June 10, when Health Department inspectors arrived at his shop, at 75 Broad St., to check out a complaint that cigar odor was wafting to the building's upper floors.
The inspectors decided the complaint was unfounded. But one inspector pointed out the coffee machine, which customers used gratis to make themselves espressos, lattes and cappuccinos.
"That's illegal," the inspector pronounced -- and issued Nastri a citation, which can lead to fines ranging from $200 to $2,000.
Nastri found himself in a classic Catch-22 situation.
To serve coffee -- even free coffee -- he needs a permit to operate a food-service establishment. But smoking is banned in food-service establishments.
Realizing that resistance would be futile, Nastri had the machine removed.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
They write :
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The soft tyranny of Mayor Bloomberg's anti-smoking jihad becomes ever more apparent.
Witness the plight of Barclay Rex cigar shop in the Financial District, one of the last remaining establishments where New Yorkers can light up legally.
Even Mayor Mike can't reasonably object to that: Owner Vince Nastri's customers, one presumes, visit in part be cause of the second-hand smoke.
But the mayor's men can make their lives as difficult as possible.
As The Post reported yesterday, Nastri was slapped with a Health Department citation merely for offering free coffee to his customers.
The citation could lead to fines of up to $2,000, so Nastri got rid of the coffee machine.
Besides, regulators determined, if he wanted to keep it, he'd need a permit to operate a food-service establishment.
But getting one of those would automatically subject him to Mayor Mike's smoking ban -- and put him out of business.
Tough luck, says the city.
This isn't just an outrage -- it's entirely unnecessary.
The problem is that most people, at heart, do not believe in freedom.
Most people would gladly give up their freedom in exchange for the right to mind their neighbor’s business. Its not even close.
This is the kind of thing that keeps Bloomberg from higher office. He’s just another kind of Nazi. We have quite enough of them as it is.
I wouldn’t be surprised if COFFEE is the next target of the government’s attempt to make us live a “healthier” life. CAFFEINE will be the next nicotine.
As we allow the government to take over healthcare, they can always say, hey, we’re paying for your health, therefore, we get to decide what’s healthy for you. Otherwise, you will end up COSTING the government money.
It’s coming folks, unless we collectively stop it.
WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT, YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
A $9,000 coffee machine??? Sounds like overkill... no wonder Bloomberg’s goons got their panties in a twist. I bet if he had a Mr Coffee they’d have let it slide.
So, I guess all you auto dealers and service centers had better get one of those nazi permits too, or get rid of your coffee pots. Ditto Dr. Offices.
The Sopranos would be a soft touch compared to Bloomie’s NYC enforcers. I hate anti-capitalist smoke nazis.
...city is “trying to take away my livelihood over a cop of coffee.”
&&&&
A COP of coffee? Is this one of those stupid cops-in-the-doughnut-shop jokes?
Better add banks to that list also.
That guy in that famous movie
Send this to Rush and Drudge.
...sshhhhhh, shut up, you’ll get us all in trouble....
Actually, I'm reading positive health effects of drinking coffee... it has lots of antioxidants
Just like anything else... drink it in moderation...
A man has a coffee machine in a smoking place and it violates one local reg, government will close him down and fine him. Moody and other rating agencies issue memos to their analysts not to ask for the loan application data for all the mortgages in mortgage back securities if they know what is good for them, and furthermore the management hint to the analysts to find a way to satisfy the clients who want the securities rated in such a way investors will not hesitate to buy them. These memos have been made public by a number of honest analysts, government regulators are aware of its existance and how it documents rating companies directing analysts to give AAA ratings to mortgage backed securities without even looking at the loan data (which turned out to be very bad). That alone should be grounds to close the rating agencies, supervisors/CEO investigaged and audits by the fed authorities. Little guy breaks law, he gets shut down, corporate America breaks laws, and nothing happens yet. Look up William Black on youtube. He was the regulator that closed down the S&L owned by Keating, a powerful banker in Arizona. Today he is appalled at the lack of action by the government since the FBI in 2004 was warning the Treasury of widespread loan application fraud and its potential impact on the financial system. The regulators under GWB did nothing and they are still doing nothing under Obama.
Gotta love that govment. They are here to help, you see. Why must you hate poor govment so?
For a lot less than $9,000 (plus the cost of coffee, cups, etc.) this guy could have had his own staff take orders from the customers, then walk across the street to a coffee shop and buy the coffee themselves — then give it to the customers for free.
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