Regular Locker Room readers might recall a recent entry in which I expressed concern about a business owner who appeared willing to sacrifice her right to set her own smoking policy.
Rather than take me to task as a jerk who was picking on her, she responded over the weekend with the following e-mail:
My name is Tina Bolick, the owner of Skylines Caf? that recently went smoke free. I cringe each time I read that line and you are the one to pick up on it.
I was actually for the ban. However my view has drastically altered since I reached out to my guests to find out what their opinions are regarding patronizing a restaurant that allows smoking. I have had one upset guest who asked to be removed from my e-mail list and proceeded to bring up having to be in the same area as children who are not well behaved and two of my regulars walked out because they couldn?t smoke. What I got from this whole experience is that I am absolutely opposed to the state banning smoking to business owners.
If they don?t pass the laws, I know that in these economic times, owners will do whatever their community demands.
The owners that want it out of their hands are just not willing to assume responsibility for their decisions. I am not one of those owners. I do not want the state telling business owners what to do especially if one has never taken on owning a business.
My guests are great because they love the publicity that it brings to a small but growing town and they are the ones that asked for it. If you know of anyway that I can speak out against this ban, I would love to know what I can do to fight for business owner?s rights.
The point is not that Ms. Bolick should permit smoking or ban smoking. The point is that she should make the decision. There?s no reason that a free society should assign that decision to the political sphere.
