Given that healt care is the major issue this summer one would think the City of St. Louis would be more inclined to nip problems in the bud. The fact that the city attempts to make revenue with alcohol and tobacco speaks poorly of the democratic party as a whole. They cry for more owner occupied houses but a major portion of the city is for rent. They scream for health care yet deal alcohol and tobacco. It seems the city wishes to speak out of both sides of its mouth.

How long before Bill Hannigan posts on here trying to continue the oppression of non-smokers in public places? We don’t care what you do to yourselves, smokers, just stop trying to do it to us inside public places. Rights for all.

Hannegen will continue with his crusade until he comes down with one of the myriad diseases that smokers love to inflict upon themselves. What a cause huh?

I don’t think it’s a question of “if” St. Louis goes smoke-free, more like “when”. It’s an evolution of society. Cigarette smoke sux, and I hate how I reek of smoke after a night out. I hope this passes…and I hope Mayor Slay, and other influential local figures, keeps pushing for it to pass.

Good news opponents of the bill, it will never go into effect even if it is passed! This bill is a joke. When in the history of society has a goverment relied on another goverment’s passage of a law to invoke their own. This is the equivalent of the US lowering taxes if Canada does. Absolutely ridiculous. Lydia Krewson took the cowards way out in drafting this bill; instead of taking a stand she gave the perception of taking a side, but inserted a caviat that will likely never get passed until a state wide ban passes. The citizens of St. Louis City should be offended by the lack of work and effort proposed by this alderman. We should demand our politicians make real use of their time in office other than arguing this bill for 3 days.

According to the Committee website, the hearing will be at 1pm on July 9. http://stlcin.missouri.org/alderman/committeeCalendar.cfm?thisday=07/09/2009&SiteId=31&ComId=4

Lyda Krewson should be working on issues to help the city and the residents of her ward. As a city resident I find her campaign to create and inter-counties smoking ban to be personally ambitious and an easy way to grab headlines with a hot button issue.

As as a city resident we need our Aldermen and Mayor Slay to do things to help struggling businesses like bars and restaraunts which are being hit hard in the economy, and create more jobs and opportunities, versus meddling with the businesses trying to stay afloat in our very challeneged city.

Perhaps Lyda Krewson should work with Mayor Slay to get Ballpark Village kick-started, create and maintain public transportation alliances and clean up depressed areas and burned out neighborhoods rather than a punitive publicity stunt such as this one. Also, why is this proposal then going to allow smoking on casino floors?

Our schools are in shambles, infrastructure is shot, the riverfront is a disaster and downtown is a ghost town. Their priority and solution is a ban on smoking in bars. Are they out of ideas?

Ahhh, once again everyone commenting on how their views and preferences should be forced upon business owners. Businesses are not public, they are not owned by the government, you have the choice to not walk into that building. Currently there is no smoking ban, so should bars/restaurants that choose to be smoke free be forced to allow it? I doubt most would agree with the previous statement, yet people think that the reverse should be true.

The general public has as much a right to tell a business owner whether or not they should allow smoking at their establishment just as much as they have the right to tell them what to serve on their menu… which they don’t.

Instead of the smoking opposition taking the bull by the horns and opening non smoking establishments to cater to the market, they would rather have someone place blanket legislation banning it everywhere… ensuring everyone conforms to their beliefs.

For those proposing the health argument: obesity causes more health problems than smoking or alcohol. Should we ban ‘unhealthy’ foods and mandate exercise? Here comes the next argument: Fat people don’t make me fat, they don’t have an effect on me. This actually increases the cost of healthcare for everyone, so if we want to start making health decisions for people, let’s start with the biggest problem of them all.

You tell em Mort! Let’s ignore the health and well being and the right of everyone to enter a public business without carcinogen-laden smoke. Let’s not make those City businesses more attractive to the 75% of this population that doesn’t smoke. Let’s ignore the rights for all by putting up smokescreens (pun intended smart guy) about other problems the City has…

Here is an idea,you self-anointed folks who only care about “The People”.Instead of ramming through a Bill to ban the use of a LEGAL substance(if politicians REALLY cared about the people instead of saying lots of words to make people think they DO care) Tobacco use should be BANNED.It should be completely banned. How about standing up for a Law that says ANY Politician convicted of corruption gets an automatic 25 year prison sentence? ahhh,but wont happen,because ALL of them are corrupt