Friday, 11 January 2008
The Imperial Abramson and the Cowardly Republicans
The smoking ban is back in place in Louisville. Once again people using a legal product are being discriminated against. The sad thing is there was an actual attempt at compromise on this issue. One that would have accommodated both sides on the issue.
The compromise allowed for a establishments to have a separate smoking room as long as they had a separate ventilation system. This is a good compromise. Any room with a good ventilation system will dissipate lingering smoke. The separation of the ventilation would keep smoke from making its way to the non-smoking side of the place.
Heck I used to go the cigar bar in Lexington when I lived there and before they banned smoking. They had a ventilation system that was fantastic. There would be a dozen other people in their including myself smoking cigars and there was zero smoke in the air. There was not a lingering smoke smell. The reality is a good ventilation system and a separate room would solve the problem.
Unfortunately, dictator for life Abramson said he would veto the common sense compromise. His toadies in the council relented and passed what he wanted.
What really irks me is that only two Republicans voted against the measure. How could they be so cowardly to not stand against the anti-smoking bigots. What about the freedoms of their constituents and small business owners. The best quote came from Cheri Bryant Hamilton, D-5th, who voted "present".
"This is a difficult issue, but there should have been some attempt at compromise," Hamilton said. "It gets to the point that people are not just trying to protect nonsmokers, they're trying to protect anti-smokers."
I want to thank Peden and Hawkins for voting against the ban. At least we have a couple of Republicans on the council with a spine.
The most hypocritical quote in the debate came from Rev Charles Kirby.
The Rev. Charles Kirby, pastor of the Southern Star Missionary Baptist Church on Algonquin Parkway and a former smoker, told the council that he lost half of his left lung in 2006 to cancer.
"My question is: Are we more concerned about money or life?" Kirby asked, referring to business owners' claims that they lost between 12 percent and 50 percent of their profits during the six months the ban was in effect.
"I'm hoping the council will be more concerned about saving lives."
Give me a break. It isn't his money that is being effected by the law. I bet if the metro council passed a law that caused his church's collections to drop 50 percent, he would be the first one calling the council anti-religious zealots.
