Comments on Another Opinion: Louisville Metro Soviet

Mr. Springston;I agree with you 100% and believe t...

2008-01-16T04:21:00.000-05:00

Mr. Springston;

I agree with you 100% and believe that the USA is gravitating toward the European form of socialism, primarily because the extreme far left has been the most active and the most vocal in their demands for societal change. They may get their way too. The Baby Boomers are approaching retirement, which will put such intense pressure on Social Security and Medicare that it could cause our entire system to crack and splinter. Socialists are prepared to step in and offer their "solutions", I'd guess, which would of course mean fewer freedoms for all of us.

Having said that, you may not realize that your thoughts and comments come across more like a Republican speaking for individual responsbility than as a Democrat who'd normally favor the right of the state over individual rights.

You might want to consider another party affiliation. And if you can escape from "the dark side", then you'd be welcomed with open arms.

It is official the smoking ban was reinstituted as...

2008-01-12T19:42:00.000-05:00

It is official the smoking ban was reinstituted as a total ban. What a pathetic display of weakness by this Council. After being assured of 15 votes to at least exempt charitable gaming like Bingo's, and other ADULT establishments that had separate ventilation, the majority collapsed because Jerry said so.

Do we need a Council that cannot be strong enough to do what is right or one that follows blindly Abramson.

Sadly one example of this was Councilman Robin Engel. He stated: "This ordinance will continue to hurt charities,"

After stating how committed he was to Bingo charitable gaming and how integral it has been in his life and community.

He then voted on a total ban.

Sadly that is what we have and far from what we need in our leaders. Abramson has stated in the past he would work on a compromise all could live with then decided it would be his way or no way. The council members who committed to compromise were suddenly not willing to shortly before the vote. Wonder why? Simply threats from the Mayor's office. Such is politics and this is the problem.

The question is why do we as a citizenry continue to allow this mindset?

It was funny to me that at the start of every Council meeting we all stand and put our hands on our hearts and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The last part of that Pledge states "with liberty and justice for all."

Where is the justice in this? Once again liberty takes a back seat. It saddens me to see so many people allow more and more of our freedoms to erode in the always pathetic "terror" tactics that are used like "trust us because you will die if you don't." Or please Mr. Government protect my adult children from the mean ole people who will not cater to their every whim.

Councilman Benson and Councilman Heiner deserve credit for pointing out the fallacies of opposing arguments from some like Vickie Welch who has no clue.

One example was a simple one. She consistently kept trying to elude to the fact that as a nurse she knows firsthand that second hand smoke was deadly and you could not stop it through a ventilation system that would keep it 100% from nonsmoking areas.

Sounds reasonable right?

One small problem though.

When confronted by Councilman Bensen , who coincidentally is an engineer and has knowledge of such systems, who stated that yes indeed it could be done and was being done by Hospitals in regards to infectious disease she called him basically a liar. She went on to say that in no way can ventilation systems be compared to hospital vent systems because it was like apples and oranges and that the separate ventilating systems would not contain 100% of carcinogens from smoking.

Funnily enough by her own statements saying that those same vent systems Councilman Benson was referring to are 100% in a hospital I wonder where her knowledge that if it works in one it can't in another comes from?

If people in the hospital knew that infectious disease was not 100% centralized wonder how they would react. Does that explain the mysterious stapph infection problems many hopsitals have that they cannot rid themselves of? Could it be possible that *gasp* Councilwoman Vickie Welch is speaking of things she does not know?

I mean by Councilwoman Welch's own admission it works 100% of the time in the hospital. So logic would conclude if it works there it could in private business as well.

Councilwoman Green who stated she was in favor of the separate ventilation then said she changed her mind after speaking with Dr. Troutman as he assured her that secondhand smoke was evil blah blah blah.

Dr. Troutman has hidden behind the Surgeon General's report that has been proven false and fraudulent. He has not brought any evidence whatsoever to the table backing his claim.

How gullible are we?

Just one more example of idiocy in thought processes with many in this Council bought and paid for by Abramson.

Meanwhile back at the Council District 14 seat ole Bob Henderson was quiet and smiling as usual. Not one word was said in the interests of our Charitable Bingo's or our small business owners. Nothing new there either.

This smoking ban and others like it are no more than another way to control what we are allowed to do with little to no substance other than the fear tactics we allow these guys to use.

Liberty and Justice?

Anyone interested in making a difference in this mindset please contact me at myviewmatters@aol.com or call 742-8519.

We need to seriously look at where we are going long term in our City and our State and America overall. The price of freedom is not free.

Are we willing to fight for it?

Ed Springston Democratic candidate Metro Council District 14

www.myviewmatters.org

myviewmatters@aol.com

If you need ammunition against the social planners...

2008-01-03T03:21:00.000-05:00

If you need ammunition against the social planners working towards a smoking ban, then read this...

http://www.nycclash.com/Zion-Skeptic-Science_And_SHS.PDF

Sidney Zion, writing in Skeptic Magazine, exposes the heart of the issue and supplies an Everest of insights and facts which shatter every argument from activists and politicians who are suckered into believing that second-hand smoke is even minimally dangerous. Yes, the smoke smell is offensive to non-smokers, but that's the total extent of its offense... according to EVERY ONE of the most intensive studies performed by scientists.

The anti-smoking activists either distorted, bastardized, or ignored EVERY study that didn't fit into their agenda, and lacking science to support their cause they moved into a realm of pure propaganda.

If you oppose smoking bans on ANY grounds, you NEED to read it.

You may be even more opposed after you understand the history of the anti-smoking activists, and the deceit and lies on which they've promoted their gestalt of flawed beliefs into the socialization of public health policy.

The Metro Council makes all kinds of laws for our ...

2007-12-30T20:18:00.000-05:00

The Metro Council makes all kinds of laws for our community. There are too many council people in my opinion. There should be 18 members. One for each Legislative District in our town. This would save at least $75,000 of discretionary money and countless hundreds of thousands of dollars of infrastructure money. It would still leave us with enough representation thruout our community. This is more than the 12 alderman and 3 do nothing county commissioners we had before merger. Now that the sunset laws are completed the council should think about their impact on our town. When was the last time you heard about someone getting cited for not having their address posted in the rear alley or not taking in their goverment issued garbage can to remove it off the rear alley? Yes I agree every law has a reason, but I should be able to think for myself what I want to eat or where to smoke. Maybe with less Metro Council members we will not only save money but have less nanny laws.
Moderate Man

The arguments against a ban come from all sides bo...

2007-12-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

The arguments against a ban come from all sides both smokers and non smokers alike. The concerns are based on the following.

1. Government interference in private business owners in regard to legal product.

Is this the path we want to take micro managing people and their personal choice in regards to legal product? Is this a responsible way to govern in a free society?

Most on the street say no. With the issue of freedom in regards to legal product and personal responsibility the argument makes sense.

Simply this. If you CHOOSE to enter smoking establishment of your own free will, tobacco is a legal product, then you must accept responsibility for that choice especially in ADULT establishments. No one would argue against equality in signage. Make the ADULT establishments that allow smoking post a sign saying it does. The concept is simple and one that is readily available and already in place. There have been no smoking signs for years.

As Kentucky is an "at will" employment State the arguments for the concern of health of workers in this regard is not a good one. Disclosing you allow smoking and posting it negates any issue in that regard. An ADULT employee who chooses to work in that business must accept the responsibility that goes with that.

Shouldn't that be able to work both ways? That is equality is it not?

As an adult isn't that freedom? The ability to make a choice, as an adult, and the ability to be accountable for it?

2. Revenue stream.

Based on results from last 6 months (since ban) many businesses are losing revenue, some as much as 30%, with this in mind what about tax base?

We must also look at the fact with lost revenue comes loss of jobs and the taxes that individuals pay into the system. That is a double revenue loss for this community at a time we can ill afford to do that.

At the same time, when people lose jobs people use unemployment, food stamps, etc, to get by that is a drain on this community as well. Though the argument is that money comes from other sources than local the counter to that is a simple one.

While not paying into the system, because of lost revenue by individual job loss, these people are also forced to subsist on basically poverty level wages during the time of readjustment.

This means less disposable income, and in turn less spending in the community which lowers the amount of sales tax etc that goes into the coffers as well. The money in this community again gets cut down by lost revenue and sales tax.

At a time when revenue is crucial for us, Mayor Abramson is already 9 mill underfunded, do we now take that added revenue loss and throw it into the picture? Of course this is after admittedly he has no money to fund libraries and lost the Library tax vote.

If education is the key, and I fully agree with education, how do we justify taking more money out of the budget and losing the money necessary towards this endeavor that libraries offer? Could we not keep the tax revenue and use part to further educate against the dangers of smoking while using the rest for basic needs like police, fire, and infrastructure?

Negative points to consider:

With lost revenue income we have lost business tax base. Since business is taxed at a higher rate the loss is more than an individual basis. With that being said, where will the money come from to make that up?

We the individual taxpayer.

With charitable gaming committing between $15 -18 million a year in this community the added lost revenue from these businesses will negatively influence the needy in our community. That begs the question, if the needy are so needy that the money is necessary, where will it come from?

The budget does not have the money and every charity will be forced to seek revenue from the Council to help people.

Money they do not have and cannot get with a negative revenue stream.

Reference Elder serve, a charity dedicated to our elderly, that had to come to the Council for money in the last 2 years. Why? Charitable gaming rules hurt their ability to produce that money on their own. Understanding these rules started at State level, that is a separate discussion one in which we hope the Council will get involved using political pressure,with added local bans we are hurting the bottom lines of many Charitable gaming organizations, we must then look at how to fund the needy in our community in this regard.

The perception in this is simple. If this charity gets money why can't we? If we can give to one charity why can we not give to all? Since that is an impossibility how do deal with that question?

It would look again like the Council is non respondent to community needs and will have a negative impact on the political futures of many.

With Louisville as one of the highest taxed Cities in America, Kentucky is no better as a State, the continual over regulation and "Big Brother" mentality will drive us further away from being able to compete for the real jobs this community needs. We do not have the greatest reputation going for us in this regard, do we want to make that reputation worse by the perception that we do not care for our citizens, our community, and our business?

It is time for Louisville to become a leader throughout the State again and the Country as well.

Please stand against the ban and allow personal choice and the responsibility that goes with it to endure.

That is freedom isn't it?

Ed Springston
myviewmatters@aol.com

If someone isn't going to make a buck off it, you ...

2007-12-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

If someone isn't going to make a buck off it, you can bet Metro Council won't act on it.

Succienct comparison drawn to the little understoo...

2007-12-28T17:42:00.000-05:00

Succienct comparison drawn to the little understood term soviet and what our little band of brothers and sisters in the council chambers have morphed into. Zeig Heil, baby!
BTW, whoever you are..YOU'RE NEXT!
Signed,
An unhappy smoker..

In regard to the smoking ban, it may be enlighteni...

2007-12-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

In regard to the smoking ban, it may be enlightening to pore over a list of campaign contributions and eyeball the stock portfolios of local politicos who so intently support the anti-smoking campaign.

If they have contributions from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, or if they own stock in Johnson and Johnson, then there may be a conflict of interest.

The RWJ Foundation is the largest financial supporter of the anti-smoking movement in this country, as well as the largest shareholder in J&J.

You may know that J&J manufactures and sells the nicotine patch.

Who reaps the financial rewards from a hoard of smokers who have been forced to give up the habit?

You may also know that the RWJ Foundation has donated more than $250,000,000 over the last five years towards their new campaign dedicated to alcohol prohobition. It's the fifth largest foundation in the U.S., with over $9 billion in assets. They were behind the smoking bans across the country... alcohol is next.

Apparently, eliminating individual freedoms is a profitable venture.

The end result was that the Metro Council attempte...

2007-12-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

The end result was that the Metro Council attempted a blanket approach to a problem of which only a few individuals were guilty, and no doubt could have been better handled using existing laws....

Well said Paul and a position this Council seems to use in every situation.

I myself feel we have much in common in this regard and other issues as well. This would include the illegal immigration problem now facing this City and really affecting the Southwest corridor in a major way.

District 14 has been laughable to this point by its leadership failing to get involved in the issues of the day including a serious look at illegal immigration and this Council's willingness to throw aside freedom and responsibility at every turn.

Freedom is not free and never will be. It exists because people like yourself and countless others fight to keep it so. I wish this Council would quit following the leader down this path to self destruction of freedom in this community.

On a sidenote if I may, though I commend Chris Thieneman for spending his dollars fighting the Library tax with paid ads etc, understand Chris was not alone in this endeavor. Though he had the disposable income to air it, the real fight was at the grass roots level where many, including myself, Ray Pierce, Paul Holliger, you, and countless others worked tirelessly to make sure the voters were informed. This is how the library tax was defeated not by any one man who had money to burn. I appreciate his efforts but will never discount where the real power came into play. That is that people were involved in the discussion and learned the truth from it.

To each and every one of you that fought thanks. That is what freedom and democracy is about.

Ed Springston

If Doug Hawkins’ is going to tackle the problem of...

2007-12-27T20:32:00.000-05:00

If Doug Hawkins’ is going to tackle the problem of illegal immigration he should be reminded the Churchill Down seems to be excempt from more than just the Smokeing Ban. I agree with you the Metro Councel is over stepping there jobs by trying to control our personal lives. I can take care or myself and don't need there help.