Anti-smokers destroying small business.

[notyoubob]

As Bubba and Highway have pointed out, a "study" can come to almost any conclusion. The real question is - how does one get to the truth? We are now serving Kool-aid in all sections of the Plane Truth. Welcome aboard.

[Bubba]

That is the problem with the truth. It is colored by perception. If I tell you that my girlfriend is beautiful, that is the truth! If you don't agree with me, does that make you a liar? The key is to not look for the truth. Go for the facts. Facts are stubborn things. Facts are verifiable. Facts don't change with the political mood. Once you find the facts, the truth becomes obvious.

Here is some info for you, in 1998 the World Health Orginization conducted a research project the correct way to find out the effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), commonly referred to as Second Hand Smoke (SHS). The results were not what they expected and tried to bury the report. The British Press got wind of it and hounded them for weeks.

FACT: On March 8, 1998, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported "The world's leading health organization has withheld from publication a study which shows that not only might there be no link between passive smoking and lung cancer but that it could have even a protective effect."

[Made in the USA]

Pueblo, Colorado, also shut down it's steel mill, race track, and several other things. This could lead to better air quality, less drinking and gambling, less population, less hard manual labor jobs, and overall reduction in general stress.

[lurker]

No ....USA. That takes Praise & Honor away from the morals police.

Smokers (in public places) are the enemy...

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

Pueblo, Colorado, also shut down it's steel mill, race track, and several other things. This could lead to better air quality, less drinking and gambling, less population, less hard manual labor jobs, and overall reduction in general stress.

Or even a lower population base to draw numbers from.

[Bubba]

Originally Posted by Made in the USA

Pueblo, Colorado, also shut down it's steel mill, race track, and several other things. This could lead to better air quality, less drinking and gambling, less population, less hard manual labor jobs, and overall reduction in general stress.

Not to mention that 6-10 bars/taverns have closed since the ban started. How is that for economic development and progress?

[Highwayman]

But the question I want answered is why if it’s such an established fact that smoking is so harmful is there a need to continue to do studies, often at taxpayer expense, to prove it over and over again?

Maybe it’s not as established of a fact as they want us to believe.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by Bubba

Not to mention that 6-10 bars/taverns have closed since the ban started. How is that for economic development and progress?

I remember reading about how the DUI Police had driven alot of the pub drinking underground... not quite, but folks are gathering in private locations to socialize AND avoiding the State's Excise tax-take from over-the-bar liquor sales.... (10% off the top). ADDITIONALLY, private gambling was taking place.... bypassing the state lotto effort..... OH BOO-HOO-HOO.

Ya know, the more I think about this, the better it sounds.

[Made in the USA]

Originally Posted by lurker

I remember reading about how the DUI Police had driven alot of the pub drinking underground... not quite, but folks are gathering in private locations to socialize AND avoiding the State's Excise tax-take from over-the-bar liquor sales.... (10% off the top). ADDITIONALLY, private gambling was taking place.... bypassing the state lotto effort..... OH BOO-HOO-HOO.

Ya know, the more I think about this, the better it sounds.

And "private strippers"------mmmmm------
I think the party's at Sherry Giskies------

[Bubba]

As my luck would have it, my body decided it was time to be ill on the day that I was going to speak at the city commission meeting. I see from today's paper that there were plenty of people there to perpetuate the lies about second hand smoke. I emailed each commissioner with what I was going to say last night if I had been able to attend. I will post here what I put in the emails.

I was going to attend and speak at the meeting yesterday evening, but, my body made a different choice for me and decided to get ill. I am writing this email so that my "voice" might be heard anyway. Here is what I was going to say:




<center> The Truth</center>

The phrase sounds noble, solid and immutable. Once you arrive at The Truth your search is over. No one can argue with The Truth. Our courts claim it is their objective. Our journalists say they dig for it. Our religious leaders teach that it will set us free.

But people on both sides of every argument insist that they are telling The Truth. Some politicians and criminals swear to tell The Truth, the Whole Truth, and nothing but The Truth just before giving outrageously dishonest testimony. Modern day snake-oil salesmen promise their high-priced, useless cures will restore our health, help us miraculously lose weight, or guarantee to regrow hair on your head.

Normally, intelligent people actually support the smoking ban. They believe that second hand smoke is dangerous. They believe this because the anti-smoking lobby and the media perpetuate this myth. But, quite simply, there is no valid statistic that shows a link between second hand smoke and cancer, illness or death. The one most often quoted comes from a 1992 EPA report, which reported 50000 deaths a year due to second-hand smoke. This study was funded by the American Cancer Society, yet the raw data of this study was never released or independently verified. That report reminds me of a quote by Paul Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany, who once said, “If repeated often enough, a lie will become the new truth.”

Perhaps The Truth isn't as absolute as we assume it is. It's always colored by our perceptions. If I tell you my girlfriend is beautiful, that's the truth. If you disagree with me, does that make you a liar? And if Truth is not absolute, what can we rely on?

FACTS. Facts are stubborn things. Facts are verifiable. Facts don't change with the political mood. Once you know The Facts, The Truth becomes obvious.

The fact is, I was once a smoker. The fact is, I no longer smoke, having quit about 1 ½ years ago. The fact is, I don’t really care for the smell of cigarettes. The fact is, it should be up to the business owner, not the government, whether or not smoking should be allowed in a business. As an informed person, I can decide for myself if I want to enter an establishment that allows smoking. I don’t need the government making this decision for me.

We don’t have many entertainment type businesses in Dodge City, All-4-Fun closed because they couldn’t afford their property tax bill. If you install this ban on smoking, I can foresee the bowling alley losing hundreds of league bowlers, which may force them to close as well. What will we do then for entertainment in Dodge City? How will Dodge City meet its budget needs with lowered tax revenue from bars and possibly many closed businesses? As a homeowner, I can assure you, I can’t afford to take up the slack with higher property tax rates. I will be forced to sell my house, even at a loss, and move to Cimarron or Minneola and make the drive to Dodge City everyday to work.

Beware of those claiming to have The Truth, all neatly packaged for your convenience. They are usually selling you a pack of lies. Instead of searching for The Truth, learn The Facts. Once you know the facts, it's easy to figure out the truth yourself.



I was also going to hand out a couple of fact sheets that can be found on the internet. They can be seen from these links.

The EPA Report on Second Hand Smoke (SHS) - The Facts

The Facts - The WHO's First Study

Judge Smokes Out Tobacco Lie


Thank you for your time,



I put in bold what I feel is one of the biggest points that need to be made.