despite her good looks and good figure, all of which have enabled her to promote herself beyond being the personal favorite of former Governor Jim Gilmore (or so I hear), into a rising Republican star.  Reminds me of Libby Dole in some ways. It will do no good to lobby her about this situation now that she has received marching orders from the Republican Powers That Be, as she understands the game plan only too well.

Word on the street is she was quite the popular lady under Jim Gilmore....

If so I think it may have a better chance.

If not it will be tough.

I am all for no smoking in Restaurants. Bars are another matter though.

Anyway. I hope it goes through.

Hence the problem with that suggestion.

And, any restaurant that serves alcohol is technically a bar.

supporting smoking bans in restaurants??Here's a novel approach have your membership itself vow to not allow smoking on the premises. Why do they need government to pass a law if they have the power themselves to committ to change and make it happen. Or is the membership not fully in support of banning smoking?

Green Miles your better than that to give such a low rating for what is obvious. My comment comes from years in the industry and the memebrship has the power to decide as a group to take a stand and dicontinue smoking in their establishments should they prefer to do so. It is well within their right as business owners and more and more chains are moving that way just as they remove trans fat from the menu calling it to a health issue. Go figure.

Alter,
I'm going to guess that you are a smoker.

The problem with voluntary restrictions on smoking is that they don't work.  You see, smokers have no idea how much their smoking affects non-smokers.  They cannot smell the odors of smoke because their olfactory system and taste buds have shut down.  They don't believe that tobacco smoke is dangerous or they wouldn't be smoking.  Consequently, smokers don't consider smoking restrictions to be anything other than nuisance nannyism by a bunch of do-gooders.  Without the force of law and fines, smokers will ignore voluntary smoking restrictions.

Tell me, just how many business owners will tell a smoking violator to put it out and risk losing a customer?

As to your last point, I doubt that a majority of business owners support a legal ban.  My experience has been that bars and restaurants oppose smoking bans because they don't want to automatically alienate 24% of their customer base, even if the other 76% favor it.  

yes thats right I am a non-smoker and you hit on the point I was making that if the Association membership truly wanted this ban and were inclined to feel it important enough more political capital could have been waged had they themselves determine to end smoking collectively in their respective restaurants and shown politicians just how serious they are about the matter.
Instead, the cop out is if government is not going to pass the law well we need to keep allowing smoking in order to compete. Is that true. Well most fast food places do not sell alcohol and they manage to compete with other restaurants in the industry that do. Plenty of restaurants have gone non-smoking and the NRA (thats National Restaurant Assoc) has seen little impact on sales in national chains moving towards no smoking. Its the food and service that matter not the ability to smoke that people care more about.
In the end however, I am in favor just like alcohol the establishment should have the option of offering such abilities or not depending upon their own determination.  

Terrie Suit is 100% party girl. Witness Suit being one of the three Repugs killing last week the redistricting bill at a 7:30 am subcommittee meeting. Witness Suit last year moving to immediately table a Del. Waddell bill, not even giving the woman a second to get a word in.  She knows on which side her bread is buttered.