Smoking ban on South Padre

[RayDean]

Wow, so many attacking me and so little time to reply. Since Tim, for one, couldn't be bothered to reread this thread as I suggested, let me at least make a few replies.

1) I don't smoke, never have.
2) My father died of a smoking related disease. Therefore see #1
3) I married a fantastic woman who doesn't smoke. That did enter into my decision as I would never willing live with a smoker again.
4) I don't allow smoking at my workplace/business. I don't care if someone wants to go outside, just not around me.
5) I will not go into any business that is smoky for any length of time. Not a bar, a restaurant, or any other such business. Period. It makes me ill.

So, why do I not want smoking banned on the island?? For one thing, I sympathize with the business owner who is afraid of losing business. (Note: perhaps you know that this wouldn't happen, but anyway this is a real example that was given to me.) A business person on this island explained....they have a regular customer who spends at leaast $40. a day!! Every day. Said customer smokes. Do the math. Money in hand that could go away. Every Day !!! A small business owner hates to even think about making that choice. Money in hand....every day....against you saying everything will be ok.

Also, as I have tried to point out, I am in favor of people taking care of this on their own rather than passing more and more laws! I don't normally frequent smoky businesses. I will tolerate a little smoke, but not very much. I don't care how cool the place is, how great the food, how fun the bar, whatever. If it is smoky I normally will not go there. If I do go there, I will try to be as far from someone actually smoking as possible and will speak to the owner if possible to encourage change. I would simply ask you all to do the same. Vote with your wallet !! Take personal responsibility.

[Don]

Where does the island business owner think his smoking customer will go to spend his $40 if all the other businesses are also non-smoking by law?
He won't change his habit either.
Count on it.

[JasonYetter]

My memories of trips to France are laced with smoke filled buses, trains, and planes. Cigarette is a French word, and it seems to fit right in with everything French. But then, maybe their national passion for food and wine won over the smokers.

In October of 2006, the government announced that smoking would be banned in all public places by January 2008. This had the reported support of 70% of the country. Only 20% of the French claim to be smokers.

The French Prime Minister said:

"We started on the basis of a simple observation - two figures: 60,000 deaths a year in our country linked directly to tobacco consumption and 5,000 deaths linked to passive smoking. It is an unacceptable reality in our country in terms of public health.,"

.

[sandyfeet]

I would like to point out that the smoking ban in Brownsville applies just to restaurants -- bars (businesses that derive at least 51% of their income from selling drinks) are not affected by this law.

As a reformed smoker, I am totally repulsed by the smell of ciggies. Nonetheless, I tend to think that individual business owners should be allowed to cater to their clientele. Like RayDean, I don't last long in a smokey room. I also don't last long in places with screaming babies, lousy service, toddlers running amuck, or whiskery old men who have had too much to drink trying to hit on me.

But I don't think they should be outlawed.

(Yes, I know that second hand smoke is an irritant and can be dangerous. But smoking is still legal and you can walk away from it.)

[mermaid66]

That's fine for YOU, Sandy, but once again, I'm thinking from the persepctive of our visitors.

It is not so easy to just walk away if you don't know the area, don't have a car, don't know about policies of other restaurants, etc.

MOST OF OUR VISITORS COME FROM AREAS OF THE COUNTRY THAT ARE SMOKE FREE IN RESTAURANTS!!!!

COMING HERE IS LIKE GOING BACKWARD IN HISTORY FOR THEM. THEY THINK WE'RE BACKWARD AND UNENLIGHTENED AND DON'T COME BACK!

Jerry just presented a survey. I talk to them every day. With all due respect, you don't have a store where you are talking with visitors every day. This is about them, not you, not us, although I do not believe in endangering the lives of anyone.

[Swells]

Forgive me for reading Tim's earlier post as if the words really meant something, and let's not get into personal jabs (I help bring in several million to our consulting partnership, and people fight over having me in their contract proposals). I didn't see how the previous discussion was related to smoking in restaurants, and although Sandy Feet was a little strong she did have some good points that weren't debated. You can't just write some words and say you're smart - you have to prove it with logic and persuasion. I think I have covered the salient points such as:

• If no-smoking rules are so good, why don't businesses (mainly restaurants) prohibit inside smoking already?
• If the Town wants to adopt anti-smoking rules, shouldn't it justify the reasons and evaluate the pro's and con's?
• Is there a true need for an anti-smoking rule in the first place and if so, are there any economic impacts to the Town?

So far I haven't heard much intelligent conversation that can link such technical details and concerns with "the big picture." Instead, I hear mainly personal opinions, a few good observations, and some rather obvious bloviating.
-sam

[sandyfeet]

Sam, they got so busy trying to educate us poor benighted souls on "the big picture" that they forgot their subject (smoking in restaurants) and their grammar (that pesky your vs. you're thing) and proceeded to get their mechanisms all defensive on us.

In the meantime, you have brought up the only point that really matters here: if island restaurant owners really think it would improve their business to ban smoking, they should/could/would do so. If, as SPILULU suggested way back when in this thread, they are afraid of driving their business somewhere else by being the only restaurant on the island with a no-smoking policy, then they must be pretty convinced that the pro-smokers outnumber the anti-smokers. And if Tim or Don or Mermaid wants to keep reminding these restaurant owners that a few anonymous posters on this forum know their customers better than the restaurant owners themselves do, well I guess we'll just have to let them.

Because they are clearly so much smarter than the rest of us.
(Funny how no one else is whining about not having enough business, though... isn't it?)

[Swells]

Well Sandy Feet I complained to the Mods and while I could care less about such trivial schoolyard insults, still haven't heard a cogent rebuttal or argument as to whether "person X" is for or against a smoking ban.

Perhaps we should start over again from scratch. Please no "lessons of life" from your grandpaw or France or something, tell us what you want and why you want it vis a vis smoking in public places such as restaurants. Perhaps use bullets to list your line of thinking, a sign of an intelligent writer. I've listed three of mine. Most of us Islanders are very understanding and will try to work with even the most difficult clients - 'tis the truth!

[Gulfless]

As a visitor, I don't care a flip about a smoking ban, and I don't like smoke. If as some point out, many other places are enacting smoking bans, enacting a smoking ban in SPI would do nothing to differentiate it from the pack. As to which place I go, it's the place with good things, like food, view, and music. Smoking or not, does not enter into it.