In case you haven't heard!

Metro council passed a new smoking ban this evening with no exemptions added. Here's a link: WLKY Story

[Robin Garr]

Metro council passed a new smoking ban this evening with no exemptions added. Here's a link: WLKY Story

I understand the vote was 23-2. I assume Councilman Doug Hawkins (R-Appalachia) was one of the nay-sayers. I wonder who the other was.

man that sucks. bars have been highly populated and lots of fun these last few weeks. i don't even smoke, but i saw a lot of people i hadn't seen recently, due to the ban.

As a smoker (who has been trying for several months to quit unsuccessfully) I am in favor of a ban, but I don't understand the argument against separately ventilated rooms. This seems like a good option that would be beneficial to both sides. Hopefully soon I will be able to get over the hump and quit, then I won't have to worry about going outside. So far I have been able to make it for 2.5 days without smoking but when I run into a stressful situation I crack.

man that sucks. bars have been highly populated and lots of fun these last few weeks. i don't even smoke, but i saw a lot of people i hadn't seen recently, due to the ban.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

man that sucks. bars have been highly populated and lots of fun these last few weeks. i don't even smoke, but i saw a lot of people i hadn't seen recently, due to the ban.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

Not yet anyway.

man that sucks. bars have been highly populated and lots of fun these last few weeks. i don't even smoke, but i saw a lot of people i hadn't seen recently, due to the ban.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

i've talked to plenty of people that have noticed bars being far busier over the past few weeks due to smoking being allowed. nachbar, cahoots and mag bar are all examples of this.

Our group runs a bingo in Louisville. Attendance was up significantly the last two weeks because the ban was not in effect. But, this new ban pretty much seals the coffin on our bingo operation, which has sustained our Greyhound adoption group for the past decade or so. We're required by law to earn at least a 40% profit. With reduced attendance, we been lucky under the ban to hit 30 or 35%; sometimes we've LOST money. This means we're surely going to lose our gaming license, which is going to be hard on us and a lot of other charities.

Well, if the issue was solely how busy bars would be, then we wouldn't have the ban. But, that's not why the ban was enacted.

There's lots of stuff that we could allow in bars that would increase business, but just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Despite the anecdotal evidence put forth here, I just have a hard time believing that people are going to stop dining out because of a smoking ban.

It's more likely that more people are scaling back their restaurant spending because the adjustable rate mortgage they signed up with four years ago just blew up to 9.7% and their monthly mortgage payment increased by $950. Or, perhaps their job just got shipped to singapore. Or, the fact that they are spending an extra $250 a month on gas since the price has doubled in the last two years.

[Robin Garr]

Our group runs a bingo in Louisville. Attendance was up significantly the last two weeks because the ban was not in effect. But, this new ban pretty much seals the coffin on our bingo operation, which has sustained our Greyhound adoption group for the past decade or so.

Lois, this is sad, and it's certainly one unanticipated effect of a generally positive policy.

But to be honest, if you think about it, isn't it kind of pitiful to support your organization by encouraging gambling addicts to part with their money by setting up a stiuation that indulges their smoking addiction? Is it that much of a challenge to come up with an alternative way to support your worthy cause that doesn't do so much damage?

Despite the anecdotal evidence put forth here, I just have a hard time believing that people are going to stop dining out because of a smoking ban.

I agree with you Ron, diners will not quit eating out because of the smoking ban as a matter of fact they may try new places that are now smoke free. Bars that are primarily drinking places with minimal food on the other hand may lose business if a large portion of regular drinkers like to smoke while they drink. Of course reducing this may also affect the number of drunks on our highways!

...But to be honest, if you think about it, isn't it kind of pitiful to support your organization by encouraging gambling addicts to part with their money by setting up a situation that indulges their smoking addiction? Is it that much of a challenge to come up with an alternative way to support your worthy cause that doesn't do so much damage?

Robin articulated my thoughts on this as well.
Bingo and dog racing both exploit people with gambling addictions.
Admittedly, non-profit fund raising is tough business. I suggest you look at what other non-profits are doing to raise money. There has to be a healthier alternative i.e. a 10K "Run with the Greyhounds" fund raising event.

[Robin Garr]

I understand the vote was 23-2. I assume Councilman Doug Hawkins (R-Appalachia) was one of the nay-sayers. I wonder who the other was.

Nays were Hawkins and Peden. Hamilton voted "Present."

A bipartisan vote by 23 of 26 council members agreed on the final measure. It's kind of hard to blame Mayor Jerry for that, although I notice the Pro-Smoke Coalition sought to do so just the same.

I take it Robin and John L. will be voting against expanded gaming in Kentucky when the vote for the ammendment comes up? Honestly, that little bit about exploiting/support gambling addicts sounded more like Fletcher rhetoric from our recent election than the usual philosphical stands taken here.

[Robin Garr]

I take it Robin and John L. will be voting against expanded gaming in Kentucky when the vote for the ammendment comes up? Honestly, that little bit about exploiting/support gambling addicts sounded more like Fletcher rhetoric from our recent election than the usual philosphical stands taken here.

Little bit of a non-sequitur here. I'm all for fleecing the stupid, as long as it's for a worthy cause.

No offense meant to Lois or her worthy cause, but the image of setting up a bingo and setting out the ash trays in order to raise money for a charitable organization really did seem a little bit pathetic, though. There's no real need to generalize from the particular.