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Dr. Dunn's Letter
Dr. Jenkin's Letter
Dr. Tomlin's Letter
Dr. Cotti's Letter
Smoking ban fact sheet and the future of power and control fanantic's effects on taxpayers.
October 1, 2007
Mom and Pop neighborhood bars and taverns have
lost revenue totaling over $ 25,000,000 since the ban went into effect. Over 70 bars have
closed as a direct effect of the smoking ban. Excise tax revenue to the State has exponentially
decreased as a direct effect of the ban. Support vendors, suppliers and liquor distributors
have lost money as a direct effect of the ban. Hundreds of people, employees and there families, have
lost income from job reductions and closures of bars and taverns as a direct effect of the ban. If you really care
about children and single mothers, how can you justify this? Even cabs, janitorial personal,
coin op machine providers, pool tables, juke boxes, video games, bar food suppliers etal, the trickle down effect goes on
and on and will continue to do so exponentially, have all lost business directly due to the smoking ban. The State of Colorado never tested the air quality in bars or taverns to see if second hand smoke exceeded OSHA permissable
exposure limits of federal statutory standards. Tobacco control payed for on demand studies,
designed to support their agenda of enacting smoking bans which produced a direct contrary result of OSHA's
federal statutory regulatory findings in their seven year study. Nonsmoke nicotine delivery
devices put a greater dose of nicotine in your system than what you would be exposed to of second hand smoke in
a normally air vented bar or tavern. Those who claim that can't be done are proven to be intentionally lying by
to many examples of success to list here. Modern ventilation systems can make indoor environmental air cleaner than
out door air. State health departments have accepted money from big drug companies and the huge
foundations who own billions of dollars of their stock, specifically to fund smoking bans to increase their mercantile interests
in those devices. These same companies and foundations have granted millions of dollars to State health departments for
the specifically defined purpose of advancing smoking bans. Therefore the smoking
ban, contrary to public opinion, was not passed to protect nonsmokers from involuntary exposure to second hand smoke,
what ever that means? It was passed resulting in a mercantile advantage to nonsmoke nicotine delivery
devices, which are not excise taxed, which reduces tax revenue to the state. Where will the tax money come from,
especially when the projected loss of casino tax revenue will amount to $30,000,000+ when they have to operate
under the ban starting in January? Legislators never investigated the evidence to find
the truth of whether or not second hand smoke in bars and taverns created a health risk, they passed the ban based on
the propaganda of tobacco control claims without questioning the validity of their claims or verifying the studies that alledgedly
support there claims. Why should some Mom and Pop neighborhood bars and taverns have
to close and others hang on with predictively and consistently reduced revenues, or in fact, loose one dollar to support
the mercantile interests of huge pharmaceutical companies and, the federally indicted lawyers of the biggest anti tobacco
lawfirm for raketeering, obstruction of justice and making false statements under oath? Would you put up with
that as a small business owner? Is it not just this simple? let people exercise their
right to freedom of choice and let the free market system decide which businesses succeed or fail and, protect we
the people's lives from governmental interference in and regulation of every aspect of our lives. Remember, if you
refuse to defend the freedom of choice of others you invite the demise of your own. What's next? if you don't stand
up for freedom of choice, it's you and yours' wellbeing. Are you over weight, how about so called junk food,
got a SUV that get 10 miles to the gallon, like your pit bull, buy potato chips and dip for the bronco's games, enjoy a cigar
at your daughters outdoor wedding reception and pay even more taxes to make up for the loss of tobacco excise tax
revenue to the state? That what's next, those things are the next targets of people who think they know how you should
live your life better than you do and the result of their efforts, believe it, no it's certain, better count on it! Allen Campbell
Breathing easier after
the smoking ban
Letter to
the editor, Daily News, Tuesday July 3rd
People think they are losing
business. The difference in our personal income from 2005 to 2006 is $40,504.00. The difference in the business income is
$64,200.00. This is reflected in our income tax returns. That occurred in the first four months of the ban. This year will
be much worse. And you say that this is just an EXCUSE. Article by Peter Marcus A month or two ago. If you make
less than $51k per year for a family of four you are poor. My adjusted gross income for 2006 is $914.00 so what does that
make me? Like to see you in my shoes. Build a patio. Where do you put a patio in a shopping
center? Or how do you build a patio when your front door is four feet from the street and your back door is on the alley or
backed up to a residential property? Then you have your neighbors complaining about the noise. Then there are those who did
build patios and now they cannot use them. Arvada, Boulder, Louisville no smoking even on patios. Mom and Pop bars are not
Benigans, Old Chicago’s, or Applebee’s, Nor do you find them down town. And many of the moms and pops do not have
food service. They are stand alone bars. My daughter also has asthma and allergies. She goes where
she wants to go. That is called freedom of choice. That which you have taken away from us. This is private property, what
right does anyone have to tell us what we can or cannot do on private property? The law was designed to make things equal
for all. So why is there a bar who has a tobacco exemption eight blocks to the west of us and another fifteen blocks to the
north? They can smoke but the twenty eight bars around them cannot. That is why the It’ll Do on 48th.
Is now closed after 27 years in business, as is the 44 Club on west 44th. Ave. Tell them that the law is equal. It was also placed into that law that there would be no more tobacco licenses permitted. Yet they opened
two more tobacco lounges at DIA. I was at the Mesa Verde restaurant at DIA on July 23rd. There were four people
in the non-smoking section and the smoking section was full. The smoking section also had about six children in it. Those
we are supposed to be protecting. On the news last week they said there was a $200,000.00 investment in air filtration equipment
installed in the smoking lounge at DIA. But at the legislature we were told that there is no air filtration equipment that
will do any good. It will work for them, but not for us. I could go on all day trying to
show what is wrong with the law. But I won’t. Instead I will say. Read the Declaration of Independence. Read the Constitution, Read the
Bill of Rights, All of which were written in Taverns. Liberty Tree Tavern in Boston or the Green Dragon also in Boston.
240 years later we find ourselves back in the Tavern discussing what to do about a tyrannical government and its laws. Our founding fathers would be rebelling again. James L. VonFeldt Billy’s
Inn Denver
Smoking Tuesday, February 20
at 12:03 PM It was really sad to see small business people desperately trying to hold on to their neighborhood bars
while the most Orwellen legislature in the history of Colorado looked on with disdain (Rocky Mountain News 2/13/07( “Vote
Burns Bar Owners")! If second hand smoke is so hazardous in the work place then why not handle the problem through the
Occupational Safety And Health Administration (OSHA) and Workers’ Compensation (WC) as in all other aspects of business
and industry? Second hand smoke is, after all, just as much of a byproduct of a neighborhood bar as other airborne substances
in industry, for example, metal fumes are a byproduct of a metal foundry. If the amount of airborne material in any other
work place situation exceeds established standards, ventilation will be required to bring it into compliance. Is the Legislature
trying to tell us that second hand smoke cannot be ventilated? Oh, by the way, just what is the air quality standard for second
hand smoke, anyway? And while we look that up, how about also finding out just how many workers’ compensation claims
for this alleged hazard have been successfully adjudicated? For that matter were OSHA and WC even factored into this boondoggle?
I hope that the resistance to this ban doesn’t go away. Given the current legislative climate it portends a further
path down the road to the ultimate “Big Brother” society that we were warned about in the middle of the last century!
John M. Berger
Lakewood
Monday, February 26,
2007 Although I am not a smoker
Although I am not a smoker, I feel that it was very
unconstitutinal to tell business
owners (most in paticular Bar-owners) how to
run their business. I come from Pueblo where I believe the first ban was
passed, and when they passed it then, it was bad, and even now it is
still bad. I knew of a landlord who could
not smoke in his own house
because he used his house as his office. That not only made the owner of
properties
mad, but me as well, because it is his own house, and he could
not smoke in it. Just before I moved to montrose (for
schooling
purposes) Montrose had plenty of places that were set up or sealed off for
ventalation purposes for
smokers, which did not bother non-smokers. Now
that the law has been passed, these "Smoke fans" and "Ventalated
areas"
are just waste of space and money, because there is no use of them.
These costed lots of money to
install. Going back to the Pueblo Issue the
council passed it "...[F]or the health of the employees". I have
k!
now many bar-owners that do not smoke, and they have not been effected
by, as the health department calls it,
"second hand smoke" plus plenty
of bartenders or waitresses that serve in bars tend to be smokers
themselves.
Colorado should never have passed the ban, and I think it should
be repealed. Another thing I forgo to mention is the fact that when
Pueblo council passed the ban, there was an attempt
to recall the ban, but
it did not pass, because many people did not know about the special
election (since it
was given on some day that was not even close to an
election day) plus many of the people that were registered voters
could
not vote because they were living in the county, and only people in the
city could vote, so the bar owners
that lived in the countycould not
repeal their right to speak up to the council.
This is a letter from Lisa Fender, Vice President of CER to Sue Jeffers in MN
Hi
Sue, You are famous in the fight. I knew I would end up talking with you eventually. Thanks for all the info. Believe
it or not we are already doing and have done most of what you said. We have some great people on our board. Bonnie who did
our survey has been involved with politics for years and knows the majority of the people. She has gotten us involved with
people in radio and in the paper. We do have some allies in these and we have some independent radio shows that have become
our friends. Some of us write regular letters to the press and the legislators. We have the media pretty much right there.
A-lot of the public is on our side. Some aren't of course. Most people that we have talked with think this is crazy! We
also are involved with smokers club and forces. I talk with Norm Kjono on a regular bases. The biggest problem is getting
bar owners involved. They are either afraid or have given up. I hope they realize it could be they're demise. As far as
candidates we just had our elections. Before we had several rallies for specific bars and invited people that were running
and the press. Now as far as applying for the grant money, now that could be interesting. How would we go about that? I think
that would be pretty funny! Well I appreciate every ones support,we all do and I think we need to keep fighting
together. After watching that farce of a hearing the other day I realized that our government has become fascist. They had
they're minds made up before it even started and they were so dis-respectful. They would leave and come back, they were
playing on they're computers and giggling, they were eating. It was ridiculous!! It amazed me when the court
room was full of these people who were losing they're livelihoods and they didn't even care. They have gotten away
with an extreme injustice and I don't understand it. Everyone is making money off of this except the small business owner
and they're employees. It was horrible! They kept saying that it would take them backwards, and we say it would
only be forward for liberty!! I guess they never read about prohibition. We are writing letters as we speak. 2 people already
have and I will write mine today. I am sure a-lot of us will write letters and I am really hoping that it gets out in the
press the way that hearing was handled. I would love to smear that farce. Anyway to let you know the smartest way to handle
this is putting it on the ballot. Doing the law suit is a waste of time and money. The only thing that is good is getting
it out in the press. We have a board and we raised money. We did a-lot of meetings, which we still do, and we had one person
who was very political himself(Wayne) who was on the phone and our point man continuously. We started out with working with
our Colorado Lic. Bev. Assn. That is where we got our lobbyist. And we went from there. You need to fight this and you need
to have all your little ducks in a row. I think we blew them away the other day. One lobbyist that we know has been a lobbyist
for 20 yrs and he said that was the best line up of testimony he has ever seen. We will absolutely continue to fight. We are
discussing the way to go now if not several ways at once which is what we have been doing. Thanks again for your support and
keep in touch. I will put you on my list and keep you informed and please do the same. And any time you want to just vent
I'm here for ya!! Always, Lisa Fender Lisa Fender 720-434-6847 Jr Vice President Coalition
For Equal Rights
This is the letter from Sue Jeffers in MN
Lisa, We share your heartbreak and like Jim said, don't give up!!
Start a letter to the editor right now, tell them the bar owners, staff and customers will be back and when
you come back you will show even more closed businesses and lost jobs and revenues and they will be held accountable. Work
on getting the general public on your side, most are when they hear our stories. When someone closes their business, ask for
a statement including the job losses and make lots of copies. Pick a couple elected officials and
target them. Find a candidate to run against them and work hard to get them elected. Start documenting everything
that happens. If you badger your newspapers long enough, they will let you write a large op ed piece. It took me a year but
I got front page of the Sunday paper. Bonus: they hardly edited it at all. They will do a story on the business closings sooner
or later. Count on a study about how clean your air in the bars is now. Remind them you have no customers either.
In our St. Paul study we made them go public with the customer counts too and 9 out of 10 had lower counts, most significant.
Be sure to point out your insurance and cleaning costs have NOT gone down and no one is any healthier. Apply for
the smoke haters grant money to track job and revenue losses and go public every time they turn you down. Keep
track of companion bills and every time you can blame the smoking ban, do it. Find other legislation, you can be sure it is
coming, and speak out for the hospitality industry. A good way to make friends with politicians and help the hospitality industry.
Watch for legislative reports that back up your claims. In MN we found the DHS Commissioner certified the
cost of smokers to the state to be $294 million (used to justify a cigarette tax increase) not the $2-6 billion they claim
(depending on which liar is giving the numbers). Watch the hospitality job losses and give it to your
friendly bloggers, reporters, TV and radio stations. Copy the AP, they love this stuff (learn to write a good press
release). If nothing else, others learn from us and it just might save the next stupid state that passes this awful legislation.
Smoking bans will go down in history as the biggest scam ever perpetuated against the general public.
Best of luck,
Sue Minneapolis, MN PS MN is trying very hard to become the next state with
a total smoking ban right now.
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