OSHA

Hannegan also points to workplace requirements set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which did not ban smoking. OSHA found the levels of chemicals emitted into the air from smoking in most workplaces does not exceed what it terms permissible exposure limits. Hannegan argues the smoke-free effort is meant not only to reduce second-hand smoke, but also to persecute smokers and reduce their numbers.

Hannegan, who only smokes when he drinks, said a prohibition of smoking also would limit his patronage of bars and restaurants.

"I have no interest in stepping out to smoke," he said. "I enjoy it with beer. It heightens socializing. If I can't smoke at my corner bar, I just stay home."

http://westcountyjournal.stltoday.com/articles/2008/08/28/news/sj2tn20080826-0827web-smoke0.ii1.txt

Best study supports St. Louis freedom

Doug McElvin in Wednessday's KMOX interview mentioned studies in support of a St. Louis smoking ban, but the longest-running and highest-quality secondhand smoke study ever done, completed too late (2003) to be included in Surgeon General Carmona’s report, found no link between secondhand smoke and lung cancer or heart disease.

23332

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

KMOX St. Louis Smoking Ban Interview

1451085.mp3

KMOX Interview

I was on KMOX Total Information AM this morning arguing against the need for a smoking ban in St. Louis City. Go to the KMOX website to listen:
http://www.kmox.com/pages/15090.php

Here is a link to the OSHA decision I mentioned concerning secondhand smoke in the workplace:
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=24602

This is exactly the type of study that should be done as soon as possible on a bar such a Herbie's Vintage 72 in order to prove the effectiveness of air filtration in St. Louis!

http://www.airinitiative.com/docs/Bakers_Arms.pdf

Smoking ban hurts Columbia

Federal Reserve economist Dr. Michael Pakko found that the Columbia smoking ban cut the bar trade 11 percent, restaurants that serve alcohol 6.5 percent and the overall Columbia restaurant trade 3.5 percent.


Pakko

Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

Further research by Dr. Michael Pakko:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/econ/pakko/mpbans.html

2007 Gallup Poll

A 2007 Gallup Poll, conducted the year after Surgeon General Carmona's report, found that only 29 percent of Americans favored smoking bans that include bars:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/28216/More-Smokers-Feeling-Harassed-Smoking-Bans.aspx#1

Smoke-Free St. Louis City Commentary

Since the Smoke-Free St. Louis City site doesn't take comments from its opposition, or even acknowledge that grassroots opposition exists, I have decided to post some of their video commentaries on the Keep St. Louis Free site so that we can have our say.

Why doesn't St. Louis have a smoking ban? Because freedom activists, mom and pop bars and restaurants and Harrah's Casino all joined together to protest any ban, and challenge the junk science justification of smoking bans!

This young St. Louisan needs to check out some of the St. Louis venues that are now clearing their air through Marth filtration. He assumes that secondhand smoke is causing the irritation he experiences in St. Louis venues, but a great number of allergens, toxins and pollutants are present in St. Louis bar and restaurant air other than tobacco smoke that may be causing his trouble. Air filtration removes all of these possible culprits. As winter comes on, Marth Brothers and I believe that many more venues will opt to provide truly clean air through their technology. Of course, plenty of smoke-free venues are already available too.

This young man cites Kansas City as an example of a town that has gone smoke-free. But Kansas City antismoking groups only barely got a ban passed by exempting casinos. I hope St. Louis would never be so unfair to local mom and pop businesses. Though smoking is allowed in KC casinos, the Kansas City smoking ban makes it illegal to smoke in cigar shops! How dumb is that! Please, St. Louis doesn't need any such irrational laws!

Furthermore, it was misleading for the young man to say that smoking was banned in Dallas in his school days. Dallas still allows smoking in bars. A bitter fight for the sake of freedom and property rights is currently ongoing in Dallas:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111808smoking.1c14ee380.html

In fact, two of my sons attend the University of Dallas. I recently wrote a letter to the Dallas Morning News asking that the Dallas City Council not expose my sons to the 13 percent increase in drunk driving fatalities cities that impose bar smoking bans take on:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/DN-thursletters_14edi.State.Edition1.1385dc8.html

Finally, this young man has a sense of entitlement and a cavalier attitude toward the property rights of others that he needs to lose. It's funny that he asks for this imposition on local business owners for the sake of his health while standing on the sidewalk breathing the benzo-alpha-pyrene and nitro pyrenes from nearby traffic. If he is really worried about his health, he should consider a move to rural Missouri. Just breathing the air of St. Louis City 24/7 reputedly raises one's lung cancer risk 30 percent or more.

http://kuneman.smokersclub.com/urban.html

Cot Ti Paper Drunk Driving

Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

Medical Evidence Helps Hold Off Smoking Bans in St. Louis Region

Budget Tax News

Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

Marth Brothers Brochures

Air Cleaning Mailer

Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

Clean Air Pays Brochure

Get your own at Scribd or explore others:

John Campisi is gone

John Campisi just got beat by Democrat Steve Stenger for the 6th County Council District. Check the comments section of the second article for my defense of Campisi during the campaign.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/FDE4D4094B3BD495862574F80020018D?OpenDocument

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/ACFFC3964E6AE697862574ED0007FB30?OpenDocument

John Campisi put the kibosh to Kurt Odenwald's countywide smoking ban and Lambert Airport smoking ban in 2006. Since Keep St. Louis Free is loyal to political leaders who take a stand for St. Louis freedom and property rights, we supported Campisi in his fight for re-election.

Now that John has lost, we have every hope that Steve Stenger will join County Council Democrats Erby, O'Mara and Burkett in their support of freedom and property rights in St. Louis County.

Casino Queen and East St. Louis in big trouble!

Now that St. Louis boats are done with the $500 loss limit, the Casino Queen and East St. Louis will feel the full effect of the Illinois smoking ban:

http://www.bnd.com/business/story/539842.html#Comments_Container

From the article:

"For many years, the lack of loss limits at Illinois casinos had provided a powerful edge over their competitors in Missouri, where the state law abolished Nov. 4 prohibited gamblers from buying more than $500 worth of tokens or gambling chips every two hours.

What is more than clear is the negative impact Illinois' state-mandated smoking ban has had on Casino Queen business since it took effect in January -- a 20-percent revenue reduction on a month-to-month comparison, Monaghan said.

Although casino owners warned the General Assembly last year about the detrimental effects of the smoking ban, Monaghan said he doubts lawmakers will end it."

This won't be pretty!

Ashley Bunning says St. Louis should follow Chicago!

Ashley Bunning of the St. Louis Examiner has returned to St. Louis from Chicago and says smoke-free bars are now "in". According to Ashley, St. Louis should pass a smoking ban so that she won't smell like smoke when she crashes after a St. Louis drinking night. Some St. Louisans aren't buying her argument. Check out Ashley's column and please post your own thoughts.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1661-St-Louis-Early20s-Nightlife-Examiner~y2008m11d10-Jump-on-the-bandwagon-STL-Smokefree-bars-are-IN