Bar owners group to sue state over new anti-smoking law(NY)

Business Review (Albany) ^ | 4/22/2003 | Business Review

[Outraged At FLA]

Bar owners group to sue state over new anti-smoking law

Bar and tavern owners will sue the state to overturn the no-smoking laws that take effect on July 24, said Scott Wexler, executive director of the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association.

He's waiting for official notification from his board to initiate a lawsuit, Wexler said. Once that happens, he anticipates that it will take 45 to 60 days to put the suit together, he said.

On March 26 the state Senate and Assembly approved legislation banning smoking in bars and restaurants. Gov. George Pataki signed the bill into law later that day.

All of the Albany, N.Y.-area's Democratic legislators supported the measure, as did the area's Republican state Senators. The region's Assembly Republicans voted against the bill.

[kever]

What the result will be - we are all responsible for a cleaner environment and a healthier nation.

[Zon]

I doubt if the bar owners will win as long as the junk science about the dangers of second hand smoke still stands.

The root of the problem is dishonest lawmakers. People that compile junk science into reports to give to lawmakers are also dishonest.

[Zon]

I doubt if the bar owners will win as long as the junk science about the dangers of second hand smoke still stands.

The root of the problem is dishonest lawmakers. People that compile junk science into reports to give to lawmakers are also dishonest.

[mr.pink]

If I run into you on the street and you have B.O. and smell, remind me to have you banned from going out in public during daylight hours also.

LOL....but seriously, a few days after the ban went into affect many bar patrons began complaining about the smell of:

-stale beer
-last nights puke
-cat pee
-people's BO

This according to a NY Post article.

I have two friends who own small NYC bar/restaurants both will be okay until next winter when it was always the after work have a few drinks/a few smokes/ and some bar food regulars who would get them through.

[GaConfed]

The sweet smell of success? Not having to inhale someone else's filthy addiction!

And being able get the government to impose your wishes on someone else's business as it pretains to a LEGAL product...............rather totalitarian don't cha' think????????

[A Texan]

I, for the life of me, do not understand the smoking ban. I quit smoking about six months ago, the smell of smoke now can make be feel sick to my stomach. I can run up the stairs to my 3rd story apt and not feel winded, and I fell healthier (not sure if that's a word). But overall it doesn't matter how I feel, bar owners made an investment into a business, they own the property and they should be able to allow a legal substance to be consumed on their property.

Any conservative or capitalist that thinks smoking bans are legal, justified or are right are not conservatives or capitalist. I ask you, where do you stop this slippery slope? What's next Big Mac's, the Atkins diet, going out is the cold with out your coat on? How about running with scissors, can we still do this, or should this be banned because it may hurt someone. If you fascist a$$h0les think people should have the opportunity to go into a smoke free establishment go open up your own non-smoking place where you can all sit around in bubbles eating carrots and lettuce trying to pat each other on the back on how "good you made the world" while trying not to lose your place when reading "It takes a Village". Freaking idiots!

"Honey . . . where's the tylenol"

[GaConfed]

Then the non-smoking public can have their places and the smokers can have theirs.

That's right, and I garrantee that 85% of the non smokers will be in the smoking bars, because 85% of them don't care one way or the other; besides, smokers are more interesting and stimulating, in general, anyway. As for the other 15%, well a little Jim Crow is just what the doctor ordered. :) We don't need them around anyhow.

[William Terrell]

The sweet smell of success? Not having to inhale someone else's filthy addiction!

Let me guess. Yow have always disliked the smell of tobacco smoke but were unable to do anything about it because you produced bad smells yourself, albeit out of the other end. Now, thanks to junk science, you can impose you own dislikes, opinions and tastes on others by law.

What a comfort that must be, until, of course, the expanding nanny state gets around to one of your habits. Ah, we'll hear the bitchin' then, wont' we?

When, not if, when that happens just remember your comment on this thread on this forum and suck it up.

[StockAyatollah]

I have a friend who owns a bar in Florida and guess what; he does not force non-smokers in there at gunpoint.

Unfortunately the brain-dead electorate here in Florida just voted for their own smoking ban.

[Beck_isright]

"Unfortunately the brain-dead electorate here in Florida just voted for their own smoking ban."

Tell me about it. He's thinking seriously about making his bar "private" next month. So only the locals and loyal tourists can get in.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

The solution to that is simple....allow the bars and restaurants to decide for themselves whether they want to be smoking or non-smoking. Both sides will have places to go with no one being stepped on.

[Bob Mc]

"...we are all responsible for a cleaner environment and a healthier nation."

WRONG!

I am NOT responsible for your health! YOU ARE!

Making me responsible for other peoples health ("a healthier nation") is nothing short of communism and slavery.

[Beck_isright]

"The reasoning for this law was that workers at these establisments have no choice but inhale the SHS, well, why didn't they just make it mandatory that every establishment furnish gas masks or chem suits for the employees who wish to wear them?"

And where does it state that you are required by gunpoint (the force of law, fyi) to WORK at an employer that let's his or her employees smoke? I was not aware that if I hired three people for my company that I was doing that at gunpoint. But I will give them some old gas masks from my military days should the need arise. These anti-smoking threads, what few I've read and participated in, illustrate that the "individual" died in 1988. So be it. Don't bother me then for your support when the socialists require your children to sing the "Internationale" or the UN Anthem in your schools. I fought to defend America. Not the 21st century version of 1984. This is bs and if you think you can impose your will on me, come to my front door and say it to my face. It's already happening in California. The line is about to be drawn. AND I SINCERELY HOPE YOU ANTIFREEDOM ANTI SMOKING NAZIS ENJOY IT WHEN THE TOBACCO COMPANIES GO BANKRUPT AND YOUR LOCAL TAXES SKYROCKET. I certainly will smile quite broadly and enjoy watching this board's so called "freedom lovers" bitch and moan about $2.50 per gallon gas and property taxes 500% higher because you won the battle of putting the tobacco companies into banktruptcy and lost the war because those multi-billion dollar settlements are voided.

SheLion, feel free to jump ugly in on this.

[Beck_isright]

Tell your friends to do the American thing. Everytime the politicians come by on their neighborhood tours, close. Throw everyone out and close until the election is over. Put a sign in the window that says "closed until the rats are voted out of office". It would have major, major impact. Oh, and also make sure he puts a sign up that says "smokers get 2 for 1, non-smokers pay double" up in his bar. Might as well make the scum feel unwelcome.

[Old Professer]

When were you ever forced to inhale?

[Outraged At FLA]

It's just another chip off the old block called freedom. Heil Pataki.

[Dr. Luv]

"When were you ever forced to inhale?"

In the bad old days, every time I went into a restaurant I was forced to inhale the effluence of nicotene addicts.

And now I'm not!

"Having a no-smoking area in a restaurant is like having a no-peeing area in a pool. Eventually, everyone end up swimming in someone else's urine..."(Plato)

[bigbadfont]

it will be just like in California where people will just defy the law and do it anyways. The tobacco police will finally relize that it is just a futile situation.

[bigbadfont]

Very true!!!! But what is point of going to a bar if you can't smoke in it. The majority of people who drink in bars smoke too. I hate to think that eventualy you'll go to a bar and just sit there and eat pretzels

[bigbadfont]

classicaly amusing