Smoking Ban Bullshit

I would like to say that I am one of the biggest anti-smoking advocates out there. I am allergic to tobacco, cigars make me deathly ill. The hipocracy I see with this whole smoking ban, just makes me angry. If you want to stop smoking make it a nation wide thing, city wide, do something other than targeting certain establishments. Don't target places where people accept smoking. I hate smoking, yet I frequent bars, I accept it, it is my choice. People who don't want to be around smoking should go to smoke free bars, there are plenty of them out there.

Tonight I was at a bar with Padre, I Pee Freely and Free Meat. I would say more the 80% of the patrons of this bar were smoking. This bar was packed. Since the smoking ban came into effect in Austin, only one bar stands to be prosecuted for allowing smoking. Would it be the bar I was in tonight? No, it is a bar called Mickeys Thirsty. Mickeys is a very small bar that on a good night may have 20 customers, unlike the bar I was at tonight that probably saw five times that amount. So what sets these bars apart, what makes one different from the other? Both bars are pretty much dives. Both bars you would walk in expecting to see smoke. So really what sets them apart? The bar I was in tonight leases their property, it is a strip mall bar. Mickeys, on the other hand owns their own property. If the bar is forced to shut down, then the owner will most likely be forced to sell. Who stands to gain from this, the city, the owners of Mickeys, or could it be the church that is next door.

The Austin Smoking Ban can really only prosecute establishments where someone has gone into and complained about the smoke and then called the police. Who, honestly would walk into a bar that is basically made out of plywood, see people smoking, go up to the bartender and complain, then go outside and call the authorities? Does this sound like your average plywood bar frequenter? Or could it be a neighbor, who stopped in to use the bathroom real quick in order to make an excuse to prosecute this bar. I have been to plenty of bars that are pretty much not enforcing the smoking ban, why has only one place been targeted. Could it be they are on one of the main streets in Austin? Could it be they are an eye sore to the religious compound next door (not exaggerating, there are several buildings, schools, churches, probably an arsenal)? Honestly, does this seem right? I don't like being the guy that yells conspiracy, but really, no one but a regular would walk into Mickeys, unless they were a hasher, and hell we don't care. Who the hell reported them? The owner cannot afford to pay the fine, nor can they afford to fight this in court. They will be forced to sell. Again i want to say that smoking is a horrible thing, and I seriously hate it. But when it comes to the Austin ban, see my title.

stepping off the soap box.