| Wisconsin Bingo Supply We Carry a Full Line of Bingo Supplies River Bend Shopping Center 7516 W. Oklahoma 414/327-5100 |
| Wisconsin Edition |
Smoke free
It's a choice
By now we are all pretty much informed about the dangers of smoking.
Sometimes it seems that the powers-that-be are trying to force everyone to
quit smoking and bring about a totally smoke-free society. Since smoking is
an addiction like alcoholism, and drugs, whether the drug is illegal or
prescribed by a physician it cannot and will not be stamped out. Common
sense cannot be legislated.
The reality is, there are people who will never quit smoking and I must
confess, I am probably one of them. For over fifty years cigarettes have
been my personal teddy bear in all kinds of joys, difficulties and sorrows of
life.
When our state government started talking about banning smoking in
every single public place, there was an overwhelming plea to let each
business owner decide if they wanted to go non-smoking. That is the way it
should have panned out. Many, in fact most, of the restaurants in our state
had already banned smoking voluntarily, so there was no reason why non-
smokers could object to the few places left for smokers.
At the end of the day, the smoking ban went into effect on May 1, this year.
Those restaurant owners who had already gone non-smoking insisted it
didn‘t hurt their business at all. But it definitely has hurt those few
restaurant owners who still catered to smokers.
For ten years I have driven to the corner truck stop every afternoon to
meet with other old gals like myself. We’d have coffee and a cigarette, as
we talked politics, fashions, recipes, our favorite television shows and joked
with the truckers coming in off the road for some relaxation. We all looked
forward to this time of companionship in a long lonely day. Now we meet in
our homes. Just our one little table of patrons has cost our truck stop three
hundred dollars a month in lost revenue. A dozen of our local bars have
started opening on weekends only.
But the real losers are the charities, shelters, food pantries, churches,
Veterans organizations—which can no longer operate a Bingo game with
one-third of their regular patrons gone. Michigan is dotted with Indian
casinos and high stakes Bingo. The Reservations are not obligated to
adopt Michigan laws, as they are a separate nation. So, almost all our
Bingo proceeds are going to the Indian nations in Michigan. Good for them
but a tragedy for our charities.
Sooner or later, if it hasn’t already happened, there will be talk of a total
ban on smoking in your state. Kick, holler and scream and fight like a girl
before it is too late. It should be the right of every business owner to decide
if he/she wants to be smoke-free.
It's a choice
By now we are all pretty much informed about the dangers of smoking.
Sometimes it seems that the powers-that-be are trying to force everyone to
quit smoking and bring about a totally smoke-free society. Since smoking is
an addiction like alcoholism, and drugs, whether the drug is illegal or
prescribed by a physician it cannot and will not be stamped out. Common
sense cannot be legislated.
The reality is, there are people who will never quit smoking and I must
confess, I am probably one of them. For over fifty years cigarettes have
been my personal teddy bear in all kinds of joys, difficulties and sorrows of
life.
When our state government started talking about banning smoking in
every single public place, there was an overwhelming plea to let each
business owner decide if they wanted to go non-smoking. That is the way it
should have panned out. Many, in fact most, of the restaurants in our state
had already banned smoking voluntarily, so there was no reason why non-
smokers could object to the few places left for smokers.
At the end of the day, the smoking ban went into effect on May 1, this year.
Those restaurant owners who had already gone non-smoking insisted it
didn‘t hurt their business at all. But it definitely has hurt those few
restaurant owners who still catered to smokers.
For ten years I have driven to the corner truck stop every afternoon to
meet with other old gals like myself. We’d have coffee and a cigarette, as
we talked politics, fashions, recipes, our favorite television shows and joked
with the truckers coming in off the road for some relaxation. We all looked
forward to this time of companionship in a long lonely day. Now we meet in
our homes. Just our one little table of patrons has cost our truck stop three
hundred dollars a month in lost revenue. A dozen of our local bars have
started opening on weekends only.
But the real losers are the charities, shelters, food pantries, churches,
Veterans organizations—which can no longer operate a Bingo game with
one-third of their regular patrons gone. Michigan is dotted with Indian
casinos and high stakes Bingo. The Reservations are not obligated to
adopt Michigan laws, as they are a separate nation. So, almost all our
Bingo proceeds are going to the Indian nations in Michigan. Good for them
but a tragedy for our charities.
Sooner or later, if it hasn’t already happened, there will be talk of a total
ban on smoking in your state. Kick, holler and scream and fight like a girl
before it is too late. It should be the right of every business owner to decide
if he/she wants to be smoke-free.