Ending ban a smokescreen

In Beacon Hill's effort to genuflect to the Gambling Industry for their generous contributions, their flawed legislation included an exemption from the smoking ban, successfully employed in a sleight of hand to distract from serious flaws.

One Republican Senator (who fancies himself a comedian and would save taxpayer dollars should he pursue that career) wasted precious oxygen submitting frivolous legislation and mounting the soapbox of "The Nanny State" as his mantra.

Here's another man's opinion:


Ending ban a smokescreen for other problems

It pains me to disagree with the Schockinator two time times in a mere two months, but despite the abject fear our pit-bull-dispensing mayor strikes in the very core of my being, I’m gonna take issue with him yet again.

In addition to his inadvertent Walgreens radio ad, Elgin Mayor Ed Schock said that although he’s all for smoke-free restaurants and bars, he supports a current Springfield initiative exempting casinos from the state’s indoor smoking ban.

The lobbyists behind the proposed gambling boat exception claim the 2008 ban immediately tanked the Elgin Grand Victoria’s revenues by a whopping 22 percent. Call me crazy, or maybe they just have very short memories, but can anyone think of another major 2008 event that could have had some bearing on the situation? Anyone?

Quite frankly, when you consider the seemingly eternal effects of our subprime mortgage subterfuge, I’m surprised Grand Victoria revenues are only down 33 percent since 2007. All economic evidence notwithstanding, the gaming industry insists on blaming the lack of smoking for the declining returns. They claim smoker-friendly Iowa and Indiana casinos haven’t suffered nearly the same fate as their Illinois counterparts.

While that’s certainly true, is it the smoking ban or is it the lack of appeal in Illinois’ smaller, outdated gambling boats? When an older Rock Island facility was replaced with a brand new boat in December 2008, it immediately did more business than a smoking casino a stone’s throw across the river in Davenport, Iowa.

But all specious lobbyist arguments aside, even if this smoking exception is granted — and the economy improved yesterday — the Grand Victoria faces long odds of ever returning to her halcyon days. The Des Plaines casino is almost ready to go, and Chicago — with all her clout — will eventually have one of her own as well. Don’t forget that Gov. Quinn continues to push video gaming as a means to cover his $31 billion capital bill. All that new competition compounded by video poker in local bars can’t possibly bode well for the old girl’s bottom line.

Even if a partial smoking ban repeal would restore the Grand Victoria to her 2007 $437 million glory days, what kind of state do we want to be? One that would so callously sacrifice our co-citizens’ long-term health for short-term gain? I say short term because someone will eventually have to pay for those employees’ medical care. And that “someone” always seems to be the taxpayers.

Ironically, the very same day the mayor came out in favor of casino smoking, the World Health Organization released a report citing second-hand smoke as the cause of 600,000 annual worldwide deaths. That’s like a city the size of Milwaukee being wiped off the map every year. (Of course, if it really was Milwaukee, that could be a persuasive argument to allow smoking anywhere.)

“But Jeff, if someone wants to be a hostess in a carcinogen-choked casino, that’s her right. If you don’t like second-hand smoke, don’t apply.” I hear ya. And that argument might actually hold water if not for the fact that our government tries to protect stupid people from themselves all the time. We make people wear seatbelts, we ban caffeine-laced alcoholic beverages and — my favorite — we warn folks not to use blow dryers in the bathtub.

Normally, when it comes to stupid people, I’m all for natural selection taking its course. But the majority of the second-hand-smoke-endangered casino jobs tend to befall a younger crowd who have no concept of their own mortality. The lure of reasonably well-paying, unskilled positions will always overwhelm those fleeting notions of slowly being strangled by lung cancer.

Personally, if it wouldn’t make it so appealing to chronically short-sighted high schoolers, I would ban smoking completely. Before you hit the “send” button, unless you’re willing to sign a waiver refusing all forms of health insurance and releasing your fellow citizens from ever having to pay a Medicare dime toward your inevitable demise, then don’t even think about lighting up. Until you assure me your habit won’t cost me a penny, I don’t want to hear a thing about your right to kill yourself at my expense.

The bottom line is, a great many of the 50,000 yearly U.S. second-hand smoke deaths are easily preventable. For once in their generally miserable and mismanaged lives, our state legislators took advantage of an opportunity to do better by their fellow citizens and banned smoking in public venues. Let’s not start unraveling that greater good by allowing folks to smoke at the Grand Victoria.

I do — and will continue to — hold Mayor Schock and all he’s accomplished in the highest regard. But this time, he’s dead wrong.