The Smoke-Free Pennsylvania Act was passed by the House Health and Human Service Committee yesterday. The bill would prohibit smoking indoors except for specific locations such as tobacco shops, private homes, and 25% of hotel rooms designated as such. Casinos are also exempt (surprise, surprise). The Act will go a long way to making Pennsylvanians healthier. Many restaurants are already smoke free. An employee working in a smoke filled establishment will inhale enough second hand smoke equivalent to half a pack of cigarettes in a typical eight hour shift.
I hate going to businesses which allow smoking. I come home and my clothes just reek of cigarettes. Having designated smoking and non smoking sections is like having a peeing area in a community swimming pool. It's just as impossible to keep the carcinogens out of the air in the non smoking section of a restaurant as it is to keep some kid's pee out of the rest of the water in a pool.
It's unfortunate that our legislators think the health of casino employees is less valuable than that just about everyone else.
Posted by: Emma | June 22, 2007 at 04:57 PM
how many of our reps will vote against this one
Posted by: Fran the pipefitting man | June 22, 2007 at 07:37 PM
Amen Emma.
Posted by: Lee Levan | June 22, 2007 at 07:49 PM
This bill seems to hav ewidespread support. We'll see when it comes for a full vote.
Posted by: John Morgan | June 22, 2007 at 10:10 PM
What, you think the health of casino employees trumps (pun intended) all that flood of cash the casino corporations put into last year's campaigns????
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Posted by: John Morgan | June 22, 2007 at 10:16 PM
I have been researching the health issue and second hand smoke for over a year now. The pro banners and all their orgs have not been able to produce one incident of of death or real illness caused from second hand smoke other than ones that can be avoided by not netering a freedom smoking establishment.
The progessives have ruined the real democratic party. Maybe its about time you form a progressive party and leave us real democrats to ourselves. Elitist socialism is not for us. Go let Hillary and the "village" baby sit you and raise your kids.
Posted by: Nemo31 | June 23, 2007 at 06:46 PM
Me thinks thou is not a very good researcher.
Posted by: dl | June 23, 2007 at 10:33 PM
M says around here there is a village that STEALS people's babies. Try researching that one! Here is a good place to start: thelizlibrary.org, go to liz notes and read "Stalking through the Courts" especially the Father's Manifesto - I think its page 32. Then check out the christian legal society, check out the newsletters. Look up legalmomentum.org, under sexual health. Check out doctor dobson, clinic lies, marriage promotion, and then tell us all about ELITISM and DEMOCRACY.
Posted by: dl | June 23, 2007 at 10:41 PM
I'm trying to figure out how progressives have ruined the Democratic Party (by the way, idiot, you need to capitalize that or, instead, you're referring to everyon ewho believes in democracy), we've saved it from itself because we actually believe in something.
Dobson is an intolerant, bigoted Neochristian who needs to read what Jesus taught. Talk about eleitism, he thinks only he knows what God thinks.
Posted by: John Morgan | June 23, 2007 at 11:19 PM
Nemo, unfortunately you have demonstrated your lack of knowledge of progressives. Most progressives oppose Hillary for the Democratic presidential nomination. I suspect that you are not a Democrat (or possibly not even a democrat).
Posted by: Lee Levan | June 24, 2007 at 12:01 AM