There are many many things about being in the general public that offend me, and are health risks. How about the guy preparing your poptbelly sandwich who has hepatitis or just got done taking a $hit and doesnt wash his hands? Or while you are out riding on your trek mtn bike sucking in fumes from the cta busses and suvs belching out carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons? Or the thousands and thousands of people who get killed by drunk drivers?

We have a choice to go to a asian, italian, greek, american, french restaurants etc, as we have a choice to go to a bar that plays jazz music, or a night club filled with 22 years old pounding ectasy and vodka like its the last night of their lives. You had a choice to go into that smoke filled bar, and guess what, you chose a good time at that bar, rather than going home and stting next to your honeywell air purifer and sipping mountain spring water. I keep hearing about second hand smoke dangers, etc, well, nobody put a gun to your head and made you stay in that tavern, or eat at that restaurant. I feel for the bar/restaurant owners who are suffering from this, but what would make me feel so much better, is the look on you liberal tree huggers when your favorite sushi bar gets shut down, and you are sitting at home whining just as I am now, since I can no longer go to my favorite restaurant/bar and enjoy myself, becuase some politicians decided that they know whats best for the general public.

You had a option not to put yourself in a position to inhale second hand smoke, but that wasnt good enough. I would like to see more people quit smoking, and watch the tobacco industry in this county go down the toilet. when that happens, I cant wait to see the look on your faces when the government taxes your coffee, your imported seafood, your gasoline, and slaps a giant luxury tax on your new BMW to make up for the huge loss in tax revenue. We pay 7 dollars here in chicago for 1 pack of marlboros that cost about 30 cents to make. Where do you think that money goes to?

Did you go to two different casinos for the purpose of doing research?

The metrosexuals cry when they don’t get things their way? Sure sounds like the smokers are crying now.

How do you plan to fight the smoking ban?

-Chris

All of you who oppose this ban, non-smoker or smoker, much respect to you for trying to make these idiots realize that our civil liberties as Americans are being stripped away! Tobacco is legal, perfectly legal to anyone over the tender age of 18. Going to a bar/club/tavern to consume alcohol is something you can’t do until you’re 21 (legally of course). Now, isn’t it strange that one must be older to purchase the item that hasn’t been banned?

Now it just might be me, but I think all you Winoes have had 1 too many. Why don’t you just jump into your SUV’s (awe crap, those pollute the air a lot too…damn we’re gonna have to ban those as well) and start a new non-smoking city in Montana. There ya go, “Big Sky” can be all yours. And trust me…those who don’t support the ban, aren’t going to miss you one bit.

I’m going to try to pass the ban on 2nd hand driving now! Yup, you heard it here first folks. Your SUV pollutes more than my little Toyota Celica, and I don’t like that. Also, it gets worse MPG’s as well, and that’s not good for anyone. So kiss your piece of $hit Suburban/Durango/Tahoe/Hummer good bye.

Over the recent weeks, I went to 2 different casinos (also places known for many smokers to reside) to see the difference between them. One was the Grand Victoria in Elgin, and the other was Pottawatomie in Milwaukee. Both casinos were visited on a Saturday night at around 11PM. I have been to both establishments on that day and at that time before the ban as well. I, without a doubt noticed a decrease in patrons at Grand Victoria. I even asked a pit boss if things were just unusually slow this evening, and she commented “no, it’s been like this for the last couple of weeks.” Hmm, and considering the ban had been in effect for a couple weeks by then, it makes sense. Then my journey to Pottawatomie took place the following weekend, same day, same time. The place was PACKED. I could hardly find parking. I was on the roof of the parking garage!!! That place was jumpin like you’d never believe, and boy did I ever see a bunch of IL license plates all over! Once inside, I could tell that the crowd there was much larger than usual…and yes, there were smokers all over. Free at last to chose for themselves, along with the non-smokers. Once again I asked someone who worked there if it was just an unusually busy night, and he replied “not at all, it’s been very solid like this for at least 3 weeks or so.” I kindly asked him if he thought it had anything to do with the smoking ban in IL, and he reassured me that “it probably has something to do with it” and that “many people who gamble happen to smoke as well, both can be addictive things.”

So there ya go, even more tax dollars for the state, being lost to another thanks to the smoking ban.

Man, I love to hate Illinois some times. All you anti everything people make me sick!! Thank God I still have the NRA to protect my RIGHT to bear arms in this country!!!!

And for all you men that support this ban…grow some balls! What kind of men are you anyway? Look at guys like John Wayne and James Dean. Men that are still icons today. They smoked…but did we hold it against them? Hell no, they are who they are b/c of us!! All you gay and metrosexual a-holes always need to have things your way…or you’ll just cry about it.

Well…start cryin…b/c I’m just startin to get pissed. This isn’t some Constitutional law, so hell if I won’t fight it!!

You can have smoking in your establishment if it makes 80% of its revenues from the sale of tobacco.

All that needs to happen then are bars and clubs rent or buy the properties next door to their venues, file it as a separate business name and license, and open it as a tobacco shop with a smoker’s lounge in it.

THEN…put a door between the bar/club and the tobacco shop. So now they can make money selling smokes to customers and totally bypass the law.

Frankly, I quit smoking a while ago, even before the ban was passed. What annoys me about it is the idea of the MINORITY trying to tell the MAJORITY how to live their lives. I remember when some venues tried to go smoke free back in the 90s. They all failed. Guess that was the market talking. Even when the ban was just going to be Cook County, you saw the fears of lost revenues and unfair marketplaces because some suburbs were planning on never passing a ban so they can draw nightlife business to them. How fair a marketplace is that now to tell them they can’t use the edge at their discretion?

I also wonder now how much revenues the government will lose now that people will be quitting and/or smoking less. Guess that means gas will go up in price, as well as our property taxes. In fact, I have one colleague who is a smoker saying if he can’t smoke now in so many places…he wants all the tax dollars he’s paid per pack back and the taxes on tobacco lifted.

If the bartenders, waitresses, and other employees want to be in a smoke-free environment, then they can quit, get an education, and get a real job. You do jobs like bartending, waitressing, and such…second hand smoke comes with it.

I personally hope we see the police running around weekly breaking up drunken fights in front of venues between smokers. I hope to see more places go belly up when many patrons either stop coming or come less. I hope the downtown area becomes a shell of its former self and then Daley moans how there isn’t any entertainment revenues coming in to the city…and conventions move to states that choose not to pass a ban.

I’d like to stand outside a bar and ask everyone who comes in and out if they really want a smoking ban…as well as find all those people who marched on City Hall to get the ban passed, and find out if they are going to bars, clubs, and such like they said they would if a ban is passed.

For all of you that complain about the smell of smoke on your clothing, wake up, everything we choose to do has consequences. If you go to the lake to watch the sail boats, you might get a little seawater smell about you. You eat in at Mcdonalds and you may very well pick up a greasy french fry odor (seriously). You go to a loud concert, your ears might ring for a awhile.