The Marion County commission is full of self serving, self righteous, pompous douche bags that obviously do not have their finger on the pulse of their constituents. There is one exception and that would be a gentleman named Randy. He was the only member of the commission that didn't go for this. I've talked to Randy several times and while he is a loud and boisterous gentleman, he knows the people of this county very well. He's a politician, yes, but don't hold that against him. This makes me wonder if there isn't some federal government grant that the commission is eye balling for their own usage in whatever business ventures they may undertake.
Smoking is bad. I get that. I'm in love with that fickle bitch otherwise known as nicotene. As far as I am concerned drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking a cigarette is like peanut butter and jelly. Separate they are ok but putting the two together works best. No smoking in restaurants I agree with. No smoking in public places, I get that too. But to ban them from bars? To borrow an old hillbilly saying, "That dog just won't hunt." Which leads me to my next point.
This is West Virginia. Change is bad to most of the people around here. The other day an older guy came into my bar and was bitching and moaning about how West Virginia might get another area code! Inconceivable! I thought this guy was going to have a stroke. The fact of the matter is that a recent study showed that twenty five percent of all West Virginians light up everyday. One in four high school students are addicted to smoking or nicotene in some form as well. I'd cite my sources but I'm lazy and don't feel like it so you'll just have to take my word for it. I'm not totally sure but that number of smokers has got to be down from when I was in high school. Shit, everyone smoked back then!
A public blazing ban does work, I believe New York state has had just such a law in place for around three years. I was up there recently and I must tell you, going into a bar with no cloud of smoke in the air was slightly disconcerting. That's just because I'm used to the shit hole bars around Marion county I'm sure, but it seemed weird to me nonetheless.
Here is the article that was ran in the local newspaper, the Times West Virginian. I want to comment on it and then my rant is almost over.
The following quotes are copy/pasted directly from the Times West Virginian's website. I purposefully left the typos in there so you can get an idea of what I am dealing with.
FAIRMONT — When the Marion County advertised for public comments about the proposed revision to the Clean Indoor Air ordinance they received four.
The board members advertised that it was accepting the public comments in a 68-word legal ad that ran 24 weeks prior to the measure being voted on. No public hearings were held prior to the vote.
The original Clean Air ordinance banned smoking from malls, eateries, and the like. How can they get away with this? Well for those not hip, it's a revision to a law already on the books. No voting necessary! Go! Go! Elected officials! This is the way they can do whatever the hell they want and say screw you. Wake up and smell the democracy.
But a legal AD? A legal ad you say? In the Times West Virginian you say? The very paper I just quoted? Your newspaper is a fucking rag. There is no news in the times unless it's football season and the WVU Mountaineers are winning. This newspaper used to have articles that were pertinent, not a springboard for inane gossip and shit that everyone knows anyway (with the exception of this phantom legal ad). The college newspaper I worked on was far superior, more news worthy, and it only came out twice a month. Basically what I am saying is that subscriptions are way down for the Times West Virginian and the only people who probably read this legal ad were people who don't go out anyway. Your readership consists of elderly people who want to look at the obituaries and people who visit a bookie on a regular basis.
During the meeting, which was held in the Poky Dot, the board passed the revision to an older smoking ordinance by a three to one vote with one member adstaining.
Great place to have a meeting. The Poky Dot is a over priced sandwich shop with above average desserts which are also too expensive. I wonder, did the tax payers of Marion county pay for this quote-unquote meeting? Why not have the meeting, oh I don't know, at a local bar? Can't do that though. There might actually be some people with opinions contrary to what the commission members have on their agenda!
Now the part that hits my wallet...
The revision prohibits smoking in all free-standing bars and video lottery establishments. Fraternal organizations are exempt when holding a private function.
I work at one of the said video lottery establishments. Basically these places are set up with five poker machines per "store". These machines are basically what you will find in Las Vegas or Atlantic City or on most Indian Reservations (damn that's racist eh?). They are gambling dens, pure and simple. State certified and government approved. West Virginians love getting drunk, smoking cigarettes, and shitting their money away gambling. If this clean air thing goes through alot of my customers will stop coming in to gamble. They don't come in to gamble, I don't get tips. I don't get tips, I'm working for just over minimum wage. Fairly simple equation I think.
In conclusion, yes West Virginia needs to move forward. I just ask that you let me make some money off the poor suckers that pour dollar after dollar into the poker machines before this move. The state already gets around sixty percent of every dollar that goes into those machines, why can't I get my share as well?
-Twiz
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