Can We Post: Letter to Dille and Urdahl

Greg - Can we post.

----- Original Message -----
From: Lia Nistler

Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 12:22 PM
Subject: Letter to Dille and Urdahl
Hello- had to send something off. I would hope the rest of you consider the same. Just tell it as you see it. Nothing fancy, nothing as long as I wrote, just tell them how you feel. Even if it is ,'Please support and amenndment to the smoking ban on behalf of my establishment.' Also, leave a contact number and offer to talk to them.Good luck everyone!Keep up the good work!
Hello-

I am writing both of you, as elected officials from my area, and asking you to support an amendment to the Smoking Ban for exemptions. These have been introduced in the House as HF4032 and in the Senate as S3727.0

I was very disappointed with the passing and enactment of a total smoking ban, as there were no options offered to the small businesses that would face the brunt of this act. I am mostly speaking on behalf of the small bars in Meeker County and rural Minnesota.

Many of these establishments have been in our communities for many years. They are social gathering places for the local people and regular customers. They are the places people stop by to say "hello" when they return home for a holiday or special occasion. Once in awhile, new people do come in, however it is usually in passing through. Because of the rural area, there is not an influx of new customers to attract.

These are the businesses that were promised by the Anti Smokers that they would benefit from the smoking ban. That has not happened. In fact, if you would talk directly with the bars themselves, you will hear that liquor sales and business has not increased, but decreased. Many have cut back their hours of operation. Many bartenders have seen a decrease in their hours worked and in their tips. Many of the bars do not have much option for changing their businesses focus– for example, adding a kitchen to do food, adding a patio because they don’t have room, or again, changing their customer base to attract more business. There just isn’t much of a customer base to attract except what is in our small rural areas anyhow. Many have raised their prices just to make up the difference.

With a revenue problem facing the State of Minnesota, I would think that it would be in the best interest of these businesses for allowing the free enterprise market to handle the smoking/non-smoking issue. A customer base has been alienated and businesses are not allowed to operate as they have in the past.

I know that the amendment versions are written for the 50/50 option. However, there are other ways to handle this issue. Why not consider having businesses that want to have the choice to allow smoking, pay a FEE (Heck, they aren’t taxes anymore) and Post Clearly that they allow smoking? The business would benefit, in increased sales and revenue to the State and the State would also get a FEE on top of that. The posting would tell the Anti Smokers that there is smoking and they then have the choice to seek out businesses that want to be smoke free.

The Anti’s would have you believe that it is all about Employee health and Customer Health. I do not know of one person who goes to a bar for their health. It is a social activity. If it was about employee health, there would have been a bigger line of employees and customers testifying last spring at the hearings. NOT Blue Cross Blue Shield, Public Health Officials, Paid Anti-Smoking lobbyists like American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society. These people do not frequent the small town/rural/ blue-collar neighborhood bars anyway. They won’t frequent these bars either because of their nature.

However, your small town bars are not seeing an increase in business due to the smoking ban. I have encouraged many of your area bars to let you know their situation. However, I would hope you would stop in, purchase a beverage of your choice and ask them, “How has business been the last 6 months?” They would mostly appreciate that you are showing concern about their business and also contributing a little to their bottom line.

Thank you for your time and work on behalf of us who elected you. I would hope you would consider representing us and for our benefit.

Lia Nistler – Former Bar Owner, Watkins, MN (Depending on the former bar to make my settlement payments from the divorce, so I still have a vested interest!)
Written on behalf of Meeker County Business and Citizens for the Freedom to Choose
241 Cedar Avenue S
Watkins, MN 55389
320-764-2530