Has the Smoking Ban Changed You? We Doubt It.

Hold on here, Jammer.

Let me get this straight. First, you don't care if bars fail because, in your opinion there's too much drunkenness? Big fan of prohibition, are we?

Second, you don't care if bars close because you judge them to "suck?" You also possess the completely unique power to determine what everyone likes in an establishment?

Your response, unfortunately, is exactly the selfish, simple-minded reason why this ban passed. Instead of thinking about rights, even those of an unpopular minority, everyone focused on smell, and of course, the thrill that comes from exerting your will over someone else.

Prohibition does not work, but this is what we have done. People drinking endangers my health, yet I understand and respect their right to do so. People driving affects my health, yet I would not seek to deny them that right either.

So, I'm glad your life is more convenient, but at what cost? Perhaps we should ban the elderly from grocery stores, where they are slow and impede your shopping. Let's enact a kid ban in sit-down restaurants, so you don't have to deal with the noise.

It's laughable, how convicted everyone is to rights and freedom, until it becomes inconvenient. Then it all just goes right out the window.

Dear Trent,

I think it was the best legislation ever. I'm not getting lung cancer, my clothes don't smell like crap, and I (as well as my friends, who do smoke) go out way more often for these very reasons.

If a bar is hurting for business in EAU CLAIRE, WI, one of the drunkest cities, in one of the drunkest states in the US, then perhaps the bar needs to try something different?

It also doesn't help that we have more bars than any other type of business, and that most of the bars in this city completely suck to begin with, and don't do much in the way of being creative to rise above the rest.

Without question the worst legislation the city has ever produced, and this is in the same year as the riverside jail proposal.

One bar's loss is another bar's gain, though, and the winners here are Doubleday's and Whiskey Dick's. Sorry, downtown EC, but I've got my fingers crossed for bankruptcy on Water and Barstow in order to get this ban reconsidered.

The city council should be embarrassed.

If the only appealing aspect of a bar is that it has ashtrays, it probably shouldn't be open anyway. Music, trivia contests, football games, stories with friends...those don't change because there is a smoking ban. Creative bar owners that run a fun place to be will survive, smoking or not. I go out about the same as I did before the ban, but I go to more places. PS: Poppa, if you only went to shows because you could smoke, you are doing the performers a disservice and they probably don't miss you.

The fact of the matter is that folks that smokers comprise most of the patrons of area taverns. Before the ban, I went to as many shows at local venues as possible.(my second home) Now only a couple times a month. By the way, I seldom drink alcohol, but I do smoke.In effect, people who never go to bars anyway, came into my home and ordered me to stand in icy cold, sub zero weather, devastated the local economy, divided the community, reduced cultural activities and all the other domino effects, so these sticks in the mud can feel good about themselves. Stay out of our lives and everything would be better!

I definitely enjoy the bar experience more without the smoke but the smoke doesn't keep me away. I have been surprised how quickly I've grown accustomed to smoke-less bars. When I go out in other cities I notice smoke in the air almost immediately.

I have to say that I am going out to bars more often now than I was before the ban, even though I still only make it out once every couple of weeks. However this is not due to smoking or not smoking, I stopped going out to bars last spring when I decided to make a change and cook and drink more at home to save money. So overall, I like the smoking ban, but it is the economy that is causing my lack of spending, not the smoking ban.

It doesn't matter. This was always about the rights of business owner, which have been eroded. Are we safer because of the Patriot Ace? It doesn't matter. This is about ideals and control in my mind, not dollars. If bar owners were now rolling in diamonds and stacks of hundred dollar bills, they are doing so with fewer rights than before. That's bad.

I think for some people it has changed. I know for me the only time I like to smoke is when I am drinking so I will only go to bars out side of the ban. I think that as you said a lot of those people are not going any more then they did and in the mean time it is causing people to loose money because of the people that will not go to there bar's because of it. It is just like anything else if you do not like it do not go. If you do not like golf you are not going to go now are you. But should other people have to be told what they can or can not do because people who never go there are complaining? What has this world come to?