Ohio private clubs can't allow smoking

The apparent exclusion for private clubs in Ohio's statewide smoking ban was a breath of fresh air to local VFWs.

[Akronite]

Leave the VFW alone Mr Cain. And in the meantime, get your head out of your a**!!!!!

How dare you overwrite a State law. I think these club owners should get together and sue you for their loss of business.

[Ashamed Dem in Summit]

I am not a smoker and I feel that the whole smoking ban is a crock. Let people do as they wish. What's next, prohibition?

[tom]

This is a fair thing to do. The rules will be the same for all the businesses and it will balance out with no single entity having an advantage

[Pete]

If the state rules in private clubs, are our own homes our castles, or are our homes now under direct supervision of the state and the local courts?

If private means nothing to the state, I truly believe we have a violation of the Constitution of the United States of America.

And this gives citizens the right to protest in a vocal way, and in passive demonstrations.

I think that in the last few years, underground private clubs must be increasing in their business and numbers.

In the old days we called such places, after hours bars....or in the real old days...speak easies....

[Dalton Betty]

The non smokers have rights too.
This new, spineless governor had no right to overrule the voters.
If you go into any of these places you will see almost as many non smokers as smokers!

[Richard Gorenflo]

In all the coverage about private clubs and veterans clubs I've never seen a report of one of these clubs taking a vote of the membership before fihting the ban. Nobody seems to be concerned with the rights of the non-smoking members and employees of these clubs. The ban passed the public vote by a wide margin and would probably be supported in a club vote as well.

[Navarone]

I despise these restaurant/bar owners who use war venterans as there crutch to defend smoking in there establishment. Look smoking is bad for you, it's bad for the person next to you. It's simply not healthy and not to mention it's terribly exspensive to smoke. A carton of cigarettes can buy a tank of gas now-a-days.

[Scott]

Screw the vets huh! This whole law is bullshit. How can they make up rules after the fact and then have the courts say this or that is not legal. I'm a veteran and non smoker...we continue to let the government dictate what private business/club owners will/will not do. Are we becoming a communist state? I too hope the club owners sue over this. Next thing they will do is say the smokers cannot smoke in their homes or cars. I say if they do that then all the smokers should send their mortgage and car bills directly to the state. That way the state can pay their notes. Ohio has just shown that they cannot be trusted when it comes to us residents voting on a law that seemed pretty cut and dry.

[Severe Asthmatic]

It still stands ... a level playing field for all businesses... if you can't go out to eat or drink for even 2 hours and not have to have a sickerette then stay home. As for the Vets sorry but there are many many other places you cant drink or smoke, IE: such as stores, hospitals,any public place. Once a business opens its doors to sell any item so be it beer or burgers or just to play pool they are no longer private. Just because you pay a fee to belong doesnt mean they dont have rules to abide by. Also where is it anywhere in the constitution that a person has the "right" to inflict their habit (smoke) onto another? Where are MY rights as a non-smoker with asthma to go to work or even out to eat and not risk being sick?

[TOLDJA SO]

Just as I had suspected, many people voted FOR this ban without actually READING IT. How sad it is to see laws like this pass where people don't EDUCATE themselves on the proposed changes before they cast their votes! You wanted it, YOU GOT IT with this smoking ban. One by one, our freedoms are going up in smoke. Just another step toward communism if you ask me!
Now--what I'd like to see is a law for overweight people (who have more health issues than smokers) to ban them from entering fast food restaraunts. Taxpayers are footing the bill for these people to eat whatever they like, however often they like, and cause diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, liver disease, stroke, heart attacks, and many others. Why not impose a "FAT TAX" on these people to pay for their medical issues? SOUND FAIR??? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND EXTRA TAXES/MORE RESTRICTIONS ON SMOKERS?
Its the same "LIFESTYLE CHOICES" that smoker's make!

[Old Joe]

In NJ our smoking law also bans smoking in clubs. The Elks lodge down the road from me had several fund raising events like dinners and sometimes bingo. But since the smoking ban went into effect they had very little traffic and shut down most of it. Now the Kids are loosing out with all the money that was raised for things like scolarships.

[Betamax]

Already some of the posts here applaud the rules bein' applied to a private club. Many of which, they as a citizen, may not be allowed to join. Yet here they are dictatin' what they do and how they operate. This isn't about smokin', but a group of moronic liberal boobs that feel they must exert control over the lives of their fellow man.

What's next??? Special bathrooms in our colleges for transvestites???

[Toledo Tim]

If there are so many liberal voters in Ohio (according to Beta and Reagan) then how the heck did "W" win the state twice?

[Absolute BS]

This is absolute BULLSH*T!!!!
I am so mad right now I could scream. We were all told from the beginning that the private clubs would be exempted when we voted. Now, that we the people voted in this nazi law, they want to change the rules on their own??? Why did we even vote if they can do whatever they want anyway???!!!
Get it back on the ballot and see how different the results would be the next time around now that EVERYONE is well aware of the details!!!

[Living in Sin]

Akronite wrote:

Leave the VFW alone Mr Cain. And in the meantime, get your head out of your a**!!!!!
How dare you overwrite a State law. I think these club owners should get together and sue you for their loss of business.

The lawmakers write the law. The judges interpret it. If the lawmakers made a faulty law that conflicted with others, it's their own fault. Don't blame the judges. Blame the lawmakers that you voted for. It's in your hands, now.

Also, to reply to whether this is a "liberal" or "conservative" issue...it is neither. The same organizations who pushed the smoking ban are comprised of the same types of individuals who try to ban abortion - the sorts of groups that try to legislate morality for the rest of us. They're usually right-wing Christians (for example, the Southern Baptist Convention, which has been officially opposed to tobacco for decades). They made the smoking issue into a moral issue, which motivated voters. But, guess what? BOTH LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES VOTED FOR THIS BAN! Get over yourselves, and quit pointing fingers.

It's not a liberal/conservative thing, it's a smoker/anti-smoker thing.

[Joe]

I see it both ways, yes its silly that the government has to step in and create such juvenile laws, after all this is the land of the free as they say. However, how hard is it for you to stand up, excuse yourself for 5 minutes to go outside and enjoy a cigarette with the other smokers? Afterall, if you can't do that, then why are you smoking anyways? As for the "fat tax" commentor, it's not like there's some magical dust flying off their fried foods that effect the surrounding customers as cigarette smoke does, right? I guess the oversized bunch should be punished though, for being fat, even though skinny people will goto KFC, McDonald's, etc... and eat the same way.

[ESE]

Why do you people think that clubs have some kind of mystical authority to say "Well, our customers don't care so we will allow smoking."?

Do you even understand what it means when something becomes law?

You can't speed because there are no other cars around.

You can't steal food because you know the store manager and he won't care.

You can't dine and dash because the restaurant manager won't sue.

The PEOPLE passed this law. The government didn't mandate this. You smoker people had your chance to keep the status quo. Did you vote? Did you care enough about this to vote or think that whining after the fact would be a better option?

I say bravo. I might even go to the VFW I joined IF they are enforcing it. If if they aren't, I will make the report myself to see that they DO enforce it.

[Betamax]

Toledo Tim wrote:

If there are so many liberal voters in Ohio (according to Beta and Reagan) then how the heck did "W" win the state twice?

No-buddy said the liberals were the brightest candles on the cake.

[Class of 68]

As TOLDJA SO indicted, the VAST MAJORITY of both the membership and the leadership of private clubs in Ohio did not read or understand the law. They were CONVINCED that they were exempt.

As a member of one of those veteran's private clubs, I absolutely, positively know this is true.

I also know that several Summit County veterans clubs have sent letters to their membership asking for monetary donations (usually $50) to help replace lost canteen revenues so that they can keep the doors open, lights on and pay their property taxes. Bar business is way down and private events bookings are way down. Hours of operation have been cut back and employee hours reduced. This law has effectively eliminated the main daily 'hang out' place for a large number of Korean War and Viet Nam War vets who are retired. A few draft beers with their buddies, some cards and yes - cigarettes - were how they spent every afternoon. Not now.

Richard Gorenflo - YOU may not have seen or read coverage of private club members voting internally about this ban, but it is/has happened.

[Popleepy2]

To all the dictators of whats good for people on smoking. If you know God(what or which ever you serve), there are two things promised death and taxes. It does not make a difference whether you smoke or not, if you are inhaling smoke from others smoking or not, when your time comes you are going to leave this earthly place when your numbers up. I am a Veteran and I think it is a shame for someone to have so much control to tell people they can not do what they do not do, which is not to smoke but I will bet you the same people sit down to a drink with their friends, by the way no one is telling the people the effects of alcohol to the body.Take time and look around you, do something with the children, who are out of control, killing like it is nothing,out of control, the danger is not a cigarette, the danger is young people not taking what the backwards laws are dishing out. You better look around you because no one knows when the next person will pull out a gun and start shooting people. Leave Smoking ALONE, put it back on the Ballot,not misleading people with your wording. Do something with the Children and Young Adults, make the schools safe, from elementary to College.