Caring, but only as long as the money keeps flowing in

The Councilmembers who run Atlantic City recently banned smoking in the city's casinos, ostensibly to protect the health of both the employees who work in them as well as that of non-smoking patrons.

Now that the revenue flowing into the city's coffers is declining, however, the Council's all-consuming, Big-Brotherish concern for the lungs of the workers and customers seems to have gone out the window:

"The City Council passed a total smoking ban in April but the financial meltdown led to a steep decline in takings at the casinos.

The council has now changed its mind and agreed to repeal the smoking ban for at least a year."

Anything to keep that moolah rolling in. Those civic hypocrites will apparently step right over dead bodies to collect their fair share, because isn't that what's always announced when the draconian bans are implemented - how many lives are going to be nobly saved from the scourge of second-hand smoke? That it's of vital importance to deny every last privately owned location the choice of whether to allow smoking, even if the only people running and patronizing the business are smokers? The poor schmucks have to be protected from themselves, you know.

We now see where the councilmembers' priorities really lie.

Those workers had better open the window out of which the caring for their well-being was tossed, in order to better air out the place.


(For the record, I'm not a smoker and can't stand being around it, but I certainly am able to vote with my feet if I find a business not to my comfort. I'm also fully capable of finding employment at a place that doesn't allow smoking on its own accord.

If a place wishes to cater to smokers, more power to them. Just don't expect me to spend money there.)