Smoke Free bragging

Smoke Free Wisconsin is bragging about the $0.75 tax increase on cigarettes putting us at the fifth highest in the nation. They know that the smoking ban is going to be devastating to the Tavern industry, the fact is they don’t care. Just as they don’t care that excessive taxes hurt the economy. They brag that we now have the fifth highest cigarette tax in the nation.

Lets look at the facts, the states that have higher taxes also have the highest taxes on everything else and still on the verge of bankruptcy. They also were the first ones to jump on the bandwagon at social engineering and promoting the nanny state. When Doyle took office our state had the 20 highest per capita income, every year since he took office we have moved down the list and now we are at 27. The bottom line is that excessive taxes and nanny state social engineering are not conducive to bringing in business and will hurt everyone. Look at the states that have higher taxes and they are the ones that have consistently had per capita income in the top ten. Can Doyle make that claim. No his policies have made the per capita income to go down and now he is going to punish the poorest of the Wisconsinites for not jumping on the Nanny State bandwagon.

Here is the taxes for all the states.

Smoke Free whining again

Smoke Free Wisconsin is whining about the budget cuts, Due to the fact that they have been caught in more lies then I care to count and the fact that tobacco control is a lobby group pushing to strip property owners of their property rights and therefore stripping the people of freedom of choice, I recommend that everyone contact their reps and demand that all taxpayer funding be denied all lobby groups including tobacco control. They are basically stealing our money to lobby against us.

American Cancer Society lies yet again

Dr Michael Siegel points out in his blog The rest of the story that the ACS is caught in yet another lie.

As we know, the truth is that Philip Morris – the largest company within Big Tobacco and the company with the overwhelmingly highest amount of lobbying expenditures in Congress – supported the bill and lobbied for its passage. Thus, the “slick cigarette lobbyists” from Philip Morris were promoting the bill and any Congressperson who voted for this legislation was supporting, not opposing, the interests of these “slick cigarette lobbyists.”

Timothy Carney picked up on this type of act of deception in his Washington Examiner column on Wednesday, when he wrote that: “it’s misleading to claim you’re battling the “tobacco industry” when you’re siding with the industry’s 900-pound gorilla.”

What the American Cancer Society is claiming here is more than just deceptive, in my opinion. It’s not merely that the ACS is claiming that they were fighting Big Tobacco. They are making a specific claim that the “slick cigarette lobbyists” were opposing the bill and that it was the public’s expression of support for the bill which overcame the work of these lobbyists.

I would opine that this is outright false. The largest chunk of Big Tobacco lobbyists and Big Tobacco lobbying money went into supporting this legislation. If anything, the legislation passed because of the work of “slick tobacco lobbyists.”

Also as I pointed out in the comments section I challenged their statement “As it turns out, there’s one thing more powerful than slick cigarette lobbyists — the voices of real people from all across the country fighting for change?”, since I showed the other day that a recent gallup poll clearly shows the opposite.

South Dakota organizer successfully delays statewide smoking ban

Larry Mann, who represents the Video Lottery Establishments of South Dakota and at least 16,776 petitioners provided enough signatures to delay a new smoking ban which was scheduled to be implemented July 1, 2009 until voters can decide the issue on the November 2010 ballot.

Yup no economic harm

Sales have been hurt by the spread of indoor smoking bans, which have forced people to go outside to smoke.

TAMPA – Tampa will lose part of its cigar heritage in August when Hav-A-Tampa shuts its factory near Seffner and lays off about 495 employees, closing a factory that has been operating since 1902.

The company announced the closing today.

Many employees there make Hav-A-Tampa’s iconic Jewels, inexpensive machine-made cigars known for their birchwood tips. Some workers have labored there for two decades or longer, including one who’s been there for 50 years, said Richard McKenzie, a senior vice president of human resources for Altadis USA, which owns Hav-A-Tampa.

Altadis tried to keep the plant open by closing it for a week or two at a time and furloughing workers. Eventually, though, the company couldn’t cope with a steep drop in consumer demand, brought on by the recession and a large new tax on tobacco products, McKenzie said.

Work that had been done in Tampa will now be performed in an Altadis plant in Puerto Rico, where it has extra manufacturing capacity, McKenzie said. The company is not closing its nearby distribution center off U.S. 301, where it employs about 150 people.

X rated cartoons

Popeye to be given 18 certificate for smoking pipe

Films featuring the cartoon character Popeye could be given an 18 certificate because he smokes a pipe.

NHS managers at Liverpool’s Primary Care Trust says its plan to ban the promotion of smoking in films, including cartoons, could mean problems for the spinach-loving sailor if he ever makes a return to the screen.

Other cartoon favourites including Bugs Bunny and Herman the smoking baby from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? could also end up adult-rated if they turn up in any new films.

Majority Does NOT Support Smoking Ban: Gallup Poll

PRINCETON, NJ — By 52% to 46%, more Americans disapprove than approve of the new law expanding the federal government’s power to regulate the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products. Opposition is especially strong among smokers.

Implications

Even as fewer Americans are smoking today than in the past, and as those who do smoke report smoking fewer cigarettes, the public appears somewhat reluctant to back policies aimed at further reducing the prevalence of smoking. A slight majority disapproves of recent legislation that gives the federal government more power to regulate tobacco, and the vast majority opposes the most extreme anti-smoking policy of a total ban on smoking in the United States.

The precise reasons for Americans’ lack of support for anti-smoking policies are unclear. However, it may be that Americans place a higher value on allowing people the freedom to choose to smoke over the public health benefits that would come from reducing smoking even further.

American Cancer Society Lies to American Public About Effects of FDA Tobacco Legislation

Dr Siegel strikes again.

Also Deceives Public About Big Tobacco Opposition to Bill

Telling the Truth Would Have Required Admitting that the Bill is a Public Scam Which Does Little to Protect Children from Cigarettes But Lots to Protect Cigarette Sales

In a communication sent to the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) network of advocates throughout the nation (including myself) and posted on the Society’s web site, the ACS has lied about the effects of the FDA tobacco legislation passed last week by the U.S. House and Senate and signed into law Monday by President Obama.

According to the American Cancer Society’s statement: “Our nation’s children – potential first-time smokers – will no longer be seduced by flavored tobacco products, including candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes, which will be banned.”

The American Cancer Society is thus claiming that the FDA tobacco legislation bans all flavored tobacco products that might seduce children.

For the rest of the story!

Another Kool-aid drinker

(Mark Peterson, a West Bend resident and University of Wisconsin Washington County philosophy professor, is a blogger who publishes at www.the-motley-cow.blogspot.com.) Had this to say about us.

Some of the Ban-the-Ban pundits and politicos are still stuck in denial but Wisconsin’s Tavern League – the folks most affected by the ban – showed real backbone and got to acceptance ahead of everyone else.

Of course I posted a response on his blog we will see if he responds. But as we all know more and more people like Michael Siegel and the former Winston man are comming out of the woodwork and exposing the lies and corruption within the tobacco control movement.

And of course he claims that smoking bans are good for business, is that why states like Ohio and Minnesota are working on exemptions? Here is an article on another place working on exemptions.

ELKHART — The debate over whether smoking should be allowed in city bars appears to be far from over.

Several Elkhart City Council members said at a meeting Monday night that they are willing to reconsider extending exemptions of a citywide smoking ban to bars that allow only customers 21 or older.

Councilwoman Mary Olson, R-at-large, went so far as to apologize for her “yes” vote on the ban last year. Other members said it is essential the council seriously examine the effect that ban has had on bars and taverns, and see if the smoke ban is the best course of action.

“We need to be big enough that we can admit we may have gone too far,” said Brian Thomas, R-2nd. “If it’s working, fine. If its not working, let’s revisit it.”

Passed 9-0 by the council in April 2008, the law barred smoking in all public places, a decision council members said was made to protect children and employees. The ordinance allowed a one-year exemption for 21-and-over bars, but that expired May 16.

Nearly 30 bar owners, employees and patrons addressed the council (many of whom came at Olson’s invitation). Most said business has dropped significantly — between 30 and 70 percent — in the month since smoking was forbidden.

Some theorized smokers are drinking at home, while some said they’re going to bars outside the city. Several owners said they will likely have to cut hours, lay off employees or close if business doesn’t turn around soon.

“Without our customers, we’re not going to survive,” said Bill Jamieson, owner of BJ Star’s on Baldwin Street. “Without smoking, we’re not going to have customers.”

The owners handed petitions to the council containing more than 700 signatures from people who oppose the ban.

Velvet Glove, Iron Fist

Michael J. Mcfadden does a very good review of Christopher Snowdon’s book  Velvet Glove, Iron Fist.

While not as strongly focused on Antismokers’ psychological language tricks and dubious scientific deceptions underlying smoking bans as my own Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains, Chris Snowdon does not neglect these areas

and on the contrary has done an excellent job of showing how they form an integral part of the history. His approach embodies a strong neutrality that will win him friends and enemies on both sides of the issue, but I believe that overall, that neutrality only serves to underscore the damning facts that will eventually bring judgment against what historian Jeremy Richards has called “America’s Second Great Prohibition Experiment.”

Part of the reason that I bring upChristopher Snowdon and his book is he did an interview with David Goerlitz the former Winston man who exposed the fact that the cigarette companies did in fact target kids with their advertising.  Like Dr Michael Siegel he is dissillusuoned with tobacco control and can no longer remain silent about the zellotry and corruption of the tobacco control movement.  Here is an exerpt from an email he sent to Ryan.

Four or five months ago, I decided to sever ties with the anti-tobacco movement and made the decision to “come out”, but had to have my ducks in a row.   I am ready to expose with what ever Army I have to back me up the inner workings, the politics. the corruption, and

moronic bans, legislation and FDA bill that is nothing short of of being racist, protectionist,cynical, hypocritical, and misguided.

Just to remind you, this has been a long time coming and I know I’m ready to take My fight and Your fight to the streets.  If you are serious about bringing this issue to a head, I’m your man.   Whatever you heard about me when I was the keynote speaker in Madison in Nov. of 2008, I only talked about my experiences and never came off as a zealot.  I just wanted yo to know that.   Check me out, and if I can help, give a call and I’ll answer any and all questions you need answered.

My Youtube interviews with Chris Snowdon came out a couple of weeks ago as well as the scathing accusations of one of our biggest hoaxes ever perpotrated on the public.

David B. Goerlitz,
Former Winston Man
http://www.formerwinstonman.org

Exclusive interview with long-standing anti-smoking spokesman David Goerlitz. Read about it at Spiked and listen to the whole extraordinary interview here.