I want to be able to taste what I am eating, for which I am paying.

And I don't want to smell nicotine in my clothes and hair after I leave.

I know I am not alone.

The Bristol Herald Courier, weighs in:

For the third year in a row, Virginia lawmakers have the opportunity to strike a blow for better health by banning smoking in restaurants.

We urge them to pass the ban. Lawmakers must stand up for state residents - a majority of whom support the ban - and quit performing acts of obeisance to the tobacco industry.

Amen.

Why can't we get a paper like that here in Arlington?

as progressive as SWVA!

here in Charlottesville?

The best Arlington paper around :)

Considering a full 70% of Northern Virginians support a ban, the eleven Northern Virginian delegates who voted against the ban last year are especially in focus.  The nine Republicans and two Democrats are: Dave Albo (R-Springfield), Chuck Caputo (D-Chantilly), Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg), Jeff Frederick (R-Woodbridge), William J. Howell (R-Fredericksburg), Tim Hugo (R-Centreville), Bob Hull (D-Falls Church), Scott Lingamfelter (R-Woodbridge), Robert G. Marshall (R-Manassas), Joe T. May (R-Leesburg), and Jackson Miller (R-Manassas).  

...particularly for the Democrats on that list.  What. The. Hell?

anything the virginia democrats do really surprise you anymore?

I do NOT expect Democrats to be acting like this.  

it to a WTF.  There is no reason any of these NOVA reps should be voting against a smoking ban, much less our Democratic reps.  

Caputo and Hull need to account for their actions.  This is absolutely unacceptable from Democrats in this area and they better have a damn good reason for voting that way.

right however no one holds any of these guys accountable for anything. If we had a decent press in this state, maybe someone somewhere would be held acoutable for their votes, their actions (or non actions).
Sad state of affairs.I will say it again, it is up to us to hassle these guys. and we're a pretty apathetic group of citizens.
Except for the abuser fees-folks did jump on the bandwagon for that since it affected their wallets.

tto see Joe May on that list.  I expected more from this fine man.  What's going on, Joe?  Did the tobacco lobby buy your vote?  

I refuse, refuse to enter a restaurant where smoking is permitted and I encourage others to do the same.  

even if they are not "your" Delegates. Ask them for their rationale. Listen to what they say, and then let them have it with both barrels. I plan on doing so next time I see them (which I probably will onmy usual legislative trip to Richmond about cross-over time.

Who knows? There may be a quid pro quo in the vote for something else that Caputo and Hull want, but even if there is, one wonders why they trust the Republicans to honor any such horse-trading in the future dust-ups coming.

smoke and even I and others support this ban. Anyone who can't sit in a restaurant for an hour and have a meal without a cigarette has some kind of a problem. When folks are paying for a meal they should not be subjected to our second hand smoke. I'm fine with that.
Wonder how the tobacco lobby will spin this.

who isn't directly invested in the tobacco industry (and even in that case!) who would oppose this commonsense, public health legislation.  It's not controversial in most of the world or most of the U.S.; why do the right-wing Republicans in the House of Delegates have a problem with this?  I presume, by this same reasoning, they want to get rid of all other OSHA regulations?

they are in bed with the tobacco lobby ($) and nationwide and here don't really care about citizens or believe in science.
They are just nuts. Their brains are wired differently from ours. I know this is a simplistic answer but it's the only one I can think of at the moment.

At this point, with all the evidence about secondhand smoke, to oppose protecting people == especially those who work in the restaurants and may not have other options -- is simply "nuts."  I can think of no possible explanation except for pure nastiness.  

One.... Tobacco is STILL a major cash crop of Virginia and at least North Carolina. The manufacture of cigarettes and the associated marketing organizations to the rest of the world are headquartered here in Virginia for the most part, big money, large constituencies, lots of jobs at stake.... this is not a justification, just a statement of facts.

Two.... A very large number of wealthy restaraunt/bar owners got together as a voting block and and applied huge business and financial pressure to the GA members on both sides of the aisle through the various business "Chambers of Commerce". This was an election year just past and the huge amount of money that was at stake could easily have changed the results of the elections in the close districts.

Also, after personally talking to several of the law makers involved, their by far greatest number of actual constituents who spoke up or whom voted with their check-books were in favor of maintaning a choice to smoke. Each of the GA members I spoke to about this felt that they had to vote for the opinions of the majority of their voters, something about how our form of representative government is supposed to work. This is NOW the time for everybody to speak-up and to destroy this objection to the smoking ban, using the power and numbers of the grass-roots voters from all partisan groups.

but they really aren't addressing the issue properly.

Specifically:
1. A restaurant smoking ban will have little effect on the overall tobacco industry.  Does anyone believe that if a smoker can't light up during dinner or in a bar that they'll simply give up and stop smoking altogether?   They might be fighting tooth and nail because they see this as a slippery slope, but this action by itself will have almost no impact on employment or profits in the tobacco industry.

2. This speaks to the more general problem of big business being able to buy influence where individuals can't.  But putting that issue aside, I'm not aware of any non-biased studies that have shown catastrophic (or even significant) negative effects on the food service industry when smoking has been banned.  Are people going to stop eating out?  Of course not.  A few smokers will bitch and moan, but they're still going to go out to eat and hang out in bars.  As long as all the restaurants have to follow the same rules, none will be hurt.

3. Agreed that citizens need to speak up more - it's disappointing that more people aren't in direct contact with their representatives.  But don't any of these politicians read public opinion polls?  It doesn't take a knock on the door, phone call, or email from the NOVA citizens for a representative to know that the vast majority of constituents support this smoking ban.

sucks here in VA. As you might imagine there are many violations at UVA-mostly medical-ie needle sticks etc. So when you file an OSHA complaint, they CALL UVA and tell them they are coming for an inspection. This gives UVA plenty of time to get in compliance instead of a surprise on site visit. Workman's comp laws here are also horrific.
Unfortunately there's no one to take on all these issues and get the laws changed. Labor is weak, the rethugs run the house and the political will just isn't there to protect workers.
Pretty damn sad for us regular workers.

"I presume, by this same reasoning, they want to get rid of all other OSHA regulations?"  You even need to ask?

The Washington Post argument is very weak.  Noone is forcing anyone to work in a smokey environment.  

Additionally the market would work if people refused to work or PATRON smoke establishments.  And actually, the market is working because there are many resturants that have gone smoke-free.  

Finally, this is just another example of the nanny state of government.  Transfat is probably not far behind.  

to admit smoking is different than transfat.  The nanny state label might be worth discussing when related to transfat, but someone who smokes effects not only themselves but anyone who breathes the same air.  This issue is not about the government saying you can't smoke - it's about the government saying you have no right to pollute someone else's fresh air.

Does the government own resturants? No they are private busineeses and should be free to set policy.  The individual has the choice about whether to patron a particular establishment.  

Also this creates a very dangerous slippery slope.  Where do you draw the line of government knows best.  Before you laugh take a hard look at what Arlington is seriously considering.  Not only transfat, but taking peoples cars away, seizing property for the "common good", mandating "affordable housing" requirements etc...  

yeah. The government does that already. Heard of the department of health? But I presume that you find a little rat feces is healthy!

And all safety/health regulations for "private" businesses?  Alright, let's be like Communist China, sounds great!  snark

I know its not going to make sense to most of you but over time everything would sort it self out

Businesses that have nasty reputations would lose customers
and the businesses that are run well would survive

I can't really comment on OSHA however I would be willing to bet that most people have never dealt with them.  Also, noone is forcing anyone to stay at a job.  If the job is that bad leave and find a new one.  

Look, bottom line its going to be an agree to disagree. Its why there are two parties. I just happen to think that most people don't need or want the government telling them what to do.  Call it the Rugged Individualisim yes there are still some of us out here :-p

They can go somewhere else.  It's about the WORKERS, who often don't have many options.  

most of these workers dont have any other options

Most of these jobs are on the low-end of the pay scale and there are always plenty of jobs in that category

and I'm not.

Ron Paul has joined Raising Kaine! Everyone give him a nice welcome.

I would like to know if a restaurant permits smoking as I approach the door or look it up on the Internet.  As things stand now, I have to stick my nose in the door and if I smell cigarette smoke, I go elsewhere to dine.

So, GA, if you don't have the cajones to pass a total ban in restaurants, at least pass a law forcing "smoking-allowed" restaurants to state this outside the entrance(s).

The bill you're referring to would have allowed establishments to eliminate no-smoking sections in return for posting a "Smoking Allowed" sign.  He amended the bill to ban smoking in restaurants and bars.  The House rejected the amendment so Kaine vetoed the bill because it would have allowed for the elimination of nonsmoking sections.

Butt really not shocked. Cole and Howell represent the land of the "Butt Flickers", persons who toss their cigs out the window. A couple of years back a local Stafford Supervisor
tried to raise the publics awareness of the negative impacts of flinging trash and butts out the windows. It seemed to get them more motivated to do the same. If you notice folks often hang their hands w/cigs out the window to keep the smoke outside the car. Always thought it was ironic-considering they don't mind inhaling the stuff directly into their lungs.

If a restaurant or other venue has a "whiff of smoke"..I "vote with my feet" and leave. Unfortunately employees do not have a similar option other than quitting.

then how will we be able to tell who the cool people are?

The ones with the collars of their polo shirts up, wearing flip flops with long pants, and drinking Heineken.

on all of those behaviors individually. If committed in combination, I'd like the punishment to be expulsion from the state.

examine their diseased, ravaged lungs to see how "cool" they are!  

I think it could all get much more complicated than that.

Trips through the star-off machine will be involved. Until no one can tell whether this one is that one or that one is this one or which one is who.

when it became one of the first states to adopt a smoking ban. There was the usual "right to smoke" and business' rights rhetoric as we see from opponents anywhere else, but also concerns about losing business to neighboring states -- Delaware comprised of just three counties and bordering Maryland, Pennsylvania and Jersey made the argument more credible. But after the enactment, it really didn't hurt businesses because people won't stop going to their favorite restaurants or instead drive an extra several miles to go someplace else. I fully support a smoking ban in Virginia! Crowded bars full of college kids dancing and smoking is probably the most annoyingly unhealthy environment I've been in; not to mention once getting burned by some dimwit's cigarette accidentally on a dance floor!

Go Hens! Beat ODU! ;)

than smokers, a smoking ban should only HELP business. In fact, I believe that's what all the evidence from other states has shown.