The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
A state Senate panel this morning passed a slew of bills that would place restrictions on public smoking in certain venues.
Three of the proposals that advanced from the Senate Education and Health committee are sponsored by South Hampton Roads legislators. Sens. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Fred Quayle, R-Suffolk, are both carrying bills that would give localities enhanced powers to restrict indoor smoking.
Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, has a bill that would ban smoking in indoor restaurants and bars. That measure has the backing of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who this year has proposed a 30-cent tax hike on cigarettes to help balance the recession-ravaged state budget.
Another bill that was introduced by Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, would ban smoking indoors in most public buildings.
Each bill passed the committee on identical 11-3 votes.
Many of the measures have come up in the General Assembly in the past, mustering some support but not enough to become law.
A smoking bill from Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, that would ban smoking in restaurants, with certain exceptions, was not taken up by the committee.
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this is not New York and
This is not NY and I don't care what other states do in regard to smoking. This is the Commonwealth of Virginia, and we should enact laws accordingly, and not because some other staste did.
Our government should not be telling private business's how to run their business. Require every restaurant and bar to place a sign on their door regarding their smoking status and leave it alone.
If you owned a business would you want the government to tell you how to run it? I think not!
Jefferson was an intellectual
but Reagan was no body's idea of a great intellect. Obama is an an extremely bright, well educated person, who is also willing to surround himself with advisers of high intellect. He is willing to listen & consider the ideas of others.
Take your smoke outside
I agree that it's time, Virginia. Don't give me the whole sad story that these bars will lose business. I travel a lot to other states that have smoking bans in bars and restaurants. These bars and restaurants are very very crowded, so the smoking ban has not affected them. My sister, a smoker, lives in NY (a state that has banned indoor smoking) She accepts the ban and smokes before she goes to the bar, and when she gets home. It's time for Virginia to pass this smoking ban.
Not so fast...
RC: It's not the government's job to enact the will of the majority of the people. If that was the case we'd still have slavery and none of us would pay any income taxes.
It is outside of the scope of the government to force this issue. Read the Constitution. And don't give me an argument about the government's responsibility to ensure public safety. If that's the case I want to see every vehicle occupant wearing helmets and they'd ban fast food. Heck, if that's the case let's get serious about public safety and ban cigarette sales.
The government will get as big as we let it. It will legislate too many aspects of our lives if we let it. Let's not let it...
Tax away - I don't care anymore
Go ahead and keep raising the taxes on cigarettes. I've been buying my smokes in North Carolina since the last tax hike. I made my bi-monthly pilgramage just yesterday in fact - bought six cartons and paid FIFTY DOLLARS less than I would have had I bought them in Va Beach. It's like a big middle finger to the greedy pig Virginia and Virginia Beach politicians who keep raising taxes on smokers and it feels great every time!
Get real
This is not some gov't conspiracy to take away your rights, your guns, your mind, whatever. It is OUR government simply exercising the will of the majority. It's about time.
Smoking, I don't want to
.....but money talks. In most civilized nations and most of the US smoking is controlled and taxed to protect the innocent. That money from big tobacco is to reimburse for the state's costs for paying for smoker's costs in health care, work missed, and general damage. So sure, take the money and then spend less on the above.
du.
ps. get good insurance for when the health care gets caught in a bind
I agree that smoking should be banned in SOME public spaces
but the whole idea of banning smoking in a privately owned establishment is not right. Choosing to allow or ban smoking should come from the owner. I don't like cigarette smoke while I eat and generally CHOOSE to go somewhere that is smoke free. It is not the right of the federal, state or local government to tell a private business owner that they must ban smoking. If less people go because they allow smoking and it effects their bottom line...they will ban it if they choose.
The age of big government is upon us
Don't you think the government (state and federal) is nothing more than a big fat person that continues to feed? Of course it is! Get ready for more though! The Messiah has come to make it bigger and to better take care of you... However, men far more wise/intelligent than Obama, Reid, and Pelosi say things like:
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." - Thomas Jefferson
"Government is not the solution to our problems, Government is the problem." -Ronald Reagan
Seems we have a great many folks that want to give more power to government. What is wrong with them??? Please wake up people! And last but not least:
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." -George Carlin
The inauguration comes to mind..................... :-)
Are they also going to ban
Are they also going to ban the $14.4 million dollar payment from the tobacco companies? Are they also going to ban the sales tax revenue on tobacco the Commonwealth collects? I think not. It looks like they are smoking out of both sides of their mouths.