Posted on 06/19/2002 7:11:34 AM PDT by SheLion
Some Haverhill restaurant owners are complaining about a city ban on smoking.
NewsCenter 5's Kelley Tuthill said that they claim the smoking ban is driving customers away and they say they're ready to fight to get it overturned.
Restaurant owners said that they've lived with these new regulations for three months with devastating consequences. They plan to speak out Tuesday night at a meeting at City Hall.
In Haverhill, the bar banter has moved outside. Three months ago, the city banned smoking in most restaurants. The ashtrays may be gone, but so are the customers.
"I would say we lost 30 to 40 percent of our business right off top since March 1, and it happened that day," restaurant owner Mike Difeo said.
It was a similar story at Benny's farther north on Route 125.
"It's a struggle. I've lost $49,000 as of today, and I can see I lost my main base of customers because of non-smoking. I am losing help. My people are not making money. I went from 58 employees to 44 employees," restaurant owner Ben Brienza said.
Workers and some customers may be heading across the border to New Hampshire.
"I think it's a ridiculous law. Little by little, we are lawing ourselves right out of freedom," one customer said.
"A lot of people we don't see anymore. It's sad," another customer said.
Before the regulations, nonsmoking customer could dine in a separate section of the restaurant.
So is Haverhill fixing something that wasn't broken? Not according to a member of the board of health.
"You can't drive over 65 on the highway -- that is a health issue because of accidents, and there are many different rules in that regard," board of health member Dr. Carl Rosenbloom said. "I think (the government) has an obligation to protect certain aspects of public health that an individual cannot protect themselves."
The board of health does not expect to make any decision at Tuesday night's meeting. It will take public comment for at least a week. Then, board members will either keep the regulations as is, go to a citywide ban in all establishments or chose something in between.
Ok, Ok! We don't want to make poor little helpless you sick.
We'll just smoke enough to keep you away from us.
Absolutly, you do have to go and get a gun safety course of some kind unless you are one of the fortunate ones like me who had a daddy who taught me to shoot, then who married a marine, had two sons who were marines and one now a cop. We all go shooting together and they teach me the ropes.. I am blessed.LOL!
Let me modify it. Every ex-smoker I have ever spoken to agrees on two things. One is they cannot believe how good food tastes and how good it is to smell simple smells again. Also every ex-smoker I have ever spoken to agrees that they were not aware of how much their smoke smelled. When attending smoke enders, it was explained to me to expect these effects. But this is purely ancedotal information.
I will tell you that every nonsmoker I have spoken to never ever says they are worried about the effects of SHS when eating at a restaurant, they all say they object to the smell.
I'm all for the separate but equal solution. Separate water fountains, bus seats, bathrooms, etc.
You have a valid point but its just not going to happen. Maybe, a few restaurants in a larger cities where there is a large enough population to draw from could support this venture, but as the article states, when forced by the Gov't to become smoke free, the restaurants suffer.
And you also mentioned the smell. That again is a personal preference. A heavy smoker's breath and an anus are very similar in the fact that each one stinks and certain people do not want to be around either one. There are certain places I do not frequent because of the heavy smoke in the air, I don't want to smell the smoke on my clothes, so I don't patronize the businesses.
I've noticed that some of the pro-smokers on these smoking threads automatically label and brand non-smokers as "RINO". That's like calling someone who disagrees with Israeli Gov't. policy an anti-semite, IMO.
Nothing as self rightous as a ex-smoker. I put non smokers in the same catagory as an anthiest. It isn't enough for them not to believe they don't want any reminders that there even is a God. It isn't enough for the non smoker not to smoke. They don't want anyone else to smoke either.
I actually want the best of both worlds. I want you to smoke because it keeps my taxes lower, increases my potential SS benefit and lowers my life insurance costs.
But I don't want to be within smelling distance of a smoker.
Which if that is where their business interest lie they should by all means do such. But the issue here is the government mandating that they do such.
Good Girl.
I have developed a technique that I sometimes use at parties if I find I am surrounded by liberals. I turn the conversation to automobiles and am very clear that my ambition is to buy the biggest truck that I can, preferably one that burns a gallon of fuel just to fire it up.
That usually clears them out pretty quickly but if for some reason it doesn't, I then turn the conversation to talk radio and tell them that I kind of like listening to Rush, but that he is really a bit too liberal for me.
That one has never failed.
"You can't drive over 65 on the highway -- that is a health issue because of accidents, and there are many different rules in that regard," board of health member Dr. Carl Rosenbloom said.
Apparently the good Doctor Carl doesn't venture out on Interstate 93 or 495 or 95, which are right outside his door.
I learned to drive in this neck of the woods and believe me, you do 65 out there and they'll drive ya right into the median. You might do 65 in the slow lane.
Yeah, I just love the shear look of terror in their face.
Excuse me: A RINO on the smoking thread is NOT a NON-smoker. We have good and understanding NON smokers on our threads. It's the RINO ANTI-smoker that we object to.
The RINO wants it HIS way, while the true Conservative fights for the rights of us all.
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