Bar Owners Hurting
Bans weren't supposed to hurt
November 14, 2005
COON RAPIDS, Minn. - According to Bismarck Tobacco-Free Coalition coordinator Pat McGeary, it is too early to know the full impact of the city smoking ban.
While McGeary and the publicly funded coalition collect their monthly paychecks, owners of private business will suffer an economic downturn that will close their doors and add to Bismarck's unemployment rate, as well as cause a huge loss of taxable revenue.
The same hysteria for smoking bans coming from publicly funded activists and "enlightened public officials" have caused the demise of more than 40 Minneapolis businesses. These closings have been directly attributed to the ban.
The same talking points were used by the activists in both Bismarck and Minneapolis: "Just give the ban one year." And predictably, the outcome in Bismarck also will be the same as in Minneapolis: City officials who imposed the ban on the word of the special-interest anti-tobacco groups soon will be holding hearings with broken and angry business owners to overturn the ban.
Of course, business owners are not allocated equal public funds to get the representation that is available to the anti-smoking activists. Citizens should take a very close look at these publicly funded operations that now legislate as a fourth arm of government.
Mpls. Bar Owners Say Ban Is Bad For Business
April 22, 2005
Minneapolis (WCCO) Some establishment owners are claiming a huge drop in business since Minneapolis snuffed out smoking three weeks ago.
The smoking ban went in effect March 31 at city bars, restaurants and bowling alleys, but claims of declining business have elected officials thinking about changing the law.
City Councilman Dean Zimmerman, co-sponsor of the city smoking ban, got an earful Wednesday at a meeting with about 40 Minneapolis establishment owners, including Gabby's owner Jeff Ormond.
"Everybody is seeing declined sales," Ormond said.
"We're down between 25 and 30 percent," one bar owner said.
"We were not prepared for this big chunk of our business to be bitten out of us," said another.
"We're the ones risking everything, and I'm very upset about it, and we've got to do something about it," another attendee said.
Zimmerman was willing to suggest the law could change.
"There certainly may be opportunity for doing the partial ban that would mimic what's happening in St. Paul," Zimmerman told those in attendance.
During Wednesday's lunch rush, there were plenty of open tables at Gabby's in northeast Minneapolis. The bar was practically empty, and owner Ormond was fuming.
"This is the worst -- what you're looking at -- the worst problem," Ormond said, indicating the empty barstools. "Our bar was always semi-full."
Ormond said business was down 26 percent since the ban went in effect.
"Our bartenders' tips are down 50 percent. People come in and have one drink and say 'Hi' and then 'Bye, thank you, gotta go to the bar where we can smoke.'"
Before the smoking ban, Ormond had six people serving drinks on a Saturday night. Ormond said he was cutting it to three, because he needed fewer people to serve the declining bar clientele.
In all, Ormond crossed 51 work shifts off his schedule, an amount equal to 10 full-time jobs.
The American Lung Association told WCCO-TV it wanted the city to give the smoking ban a full year. That way, the city could analyze sales receipts and gather hard data on whether businesses were actually hurting. http://wcco.com/
Don Samuels--Legislator with Head in the Sand May 07, 2005 Dear Mr. Samuels, Thank you for responding to my e-mail. It is unfortunate that your comments are still so obviously predicated on lies, half truths, junk science, misinformation, and surveys designed with predetermined outcomes in mind. Time and again, all of you have been provided with information that has proven the fallacious nature of various "health and medical studies". Read Here: Stop Smoking Bans Now!
Archie from Coon Rapids:
It is obvious that the only noise makers in the state are non profits , and a huge group that lives totally off of the government. If the government shut down today most folks that are not government dependant would not even notice. The now dysfunctional state government gives away more than they can bleed from working citizens that manage their own finances then live accordingly. Fleets of new auto's and trucks fitted with "special interest E-85 add ons for ADM and the Minnesota Corn Growers that recieve millions in subsities. MPAAT a public funded grant office with out legislative oversight swims in 187 million of public funds. Millions are paid to outside consultants to explain to a dysfunctional legislature on how to spend the publics money and exactly where to buy a new multi million dollar computer system that does not operate as advertised. A dysfunctional education system that spends over 50% of state allocations for high paid teachers that fail most of the students wants more and more every year and get it without opposition.Not even a demand from the "spenders" for some quality results in the system. Yes, the dysfunctional state government should raise the tobacco tax to $10.00 per pack as long as the bullies are in charge and smokers have NO representation. The non profits will love you for it and even find some ways to use public funds to get you re-elected. Millions of acres of state owned land could be sold to the public and become instant taxpayers. Non profit churches could take over the governemnt agencies of "teaching" citizens how to become viable. Maybe the Legislature needs a huge raise, citizens pay only 6.3 million for the temporary employees(representatives) to do the states business. In 2004 "special interests spent 47 million dollars in lobbying money to get influence for the "special interests" needs. So we "little constituents" that pay the bills and do the daily work to keep the state working had better get used to it, or start action that will purge our legislature of such two party groups that do not, and can not operate the states business any longer.
June 15, 2005
http://miva.sctimes.com/
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