Dear Wisconsin : Wake up!
I live in the fair state of Wisconsin (in the fair city of Milwaukee, for those of you playing along at home). Having grown up next door in lovely Minnesota, I’ve enjoyed exploring the various similarities and differences between these two Midwest neighbors.
Recently, I’ve become extremely frustrated with the short sighted approach taken by my state legislators when considering a state wide smoking ban. Minnesota, Illinois, and a handful of municipalities in the state have gone completely smoke-free for indoor workplaces. The state legislator is stuck on this issue and it doesn’t look promising for this session.
Here’s the flaw in their logic, and the reason I’m scolding them for being too short sighted:
Instead of promoting Wisconsin as a progressive, dynamic state and enticing young professionals like myself, the legislature is bending over backward to protect the economic interests of the small bars in northern Wisconsin. Net effect : Minnesota & Illinois look a whole lot more appealing!
Yes, I am drawing a clear line here. I firmly believe that there is more economic benefit for the state as a whole to promote and encourage a health-conscious agenda that appeals most to today’s professional adults. Even if that comes at the expense of a few bars up north. Of course, every state that has gone smoke free has discovered that the bar owners generally increase revenue by attracting more customers, but I’m sure there will be at least a few hole in the wall bars that will suffer. So be it.
The times are changing. Wisconsin needs to wake up and meet the change head on!
Filed under Milwaukee, culture, politics : Comments (5) : Jan 31st, 2008 by tadfad
January 31st, 2008 at 10:25 pm
People like this guy are the reason it might be awhile…
From the Journal - Sentinel:
(Breske is a state senator)
Breske said taverns across northern Wisconsin should be given years to comply with any smoking ban because it would force many of them to close. Bar owners need time to decide whether to comply with the smoking ban, sell their businesses or remodel their property for other uses, he said.
A former bar owner and ex-president of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, Breske called warnings about the dangers of secondhand smoke “hogwash.”
Breske said he started working in a bar when he was a child, and the air in that bar was “blue” from the smoke.
“I’m still alive,” Breske said. “I’m 69.”
January 31st, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Exactly! I heard that guy on the radio. He wants to delay any smoking ban until July 2011. That’s just not going to work.
If this is going to become Southern Wisconsin vs. Northern Wisconsin, I just hope we win.
February 1st, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Breske’s “hogwash” is actually the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in over 50,000 preventable deaths every year.
Environmental tobacco smoke is clearly bad news for your lungs, but there’s an increasing body of evidence documenting risks to many different parts of the body.
For example, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increases a non-smoker’s risk for heart disease 25-30%. And for the ladies out there, one study found that each cigarette smoked in your presence increases the risk of high-grade cervical cancer by 5%.
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:56 am
Another good point, Eric. Which is more economically and socially destructive : the loss of 50,000 lives or the loss of a few bars that refuse to adjust?
February 9th, 2008 at 12:56 am
I’m with you on this. When visiting Minnesota and California and other places with smoking bans in place, it’s just so refreshing to be able to go out and not reek like an ashtray afterwards. Plus, my eyes are kinda allergic to smoke, I think, and they get all red and bloodshot when I’m out at a bar…I can’t tell you how many times people have looked into my bloodshot eyes and accused me of being wasted drunk or high even when I haven’t had a single drink or anything!!