Iowa Smoking Ban Could Impact Entire November Ballot

KEOKUK, Iowa, July 10, 2008 -- The newly passed smoking ban went into affect on July 1st here in Iowa so the July 4th holiday weekend was the first big test to see how it would affect local taverns in particular. Several bar owners even refuse to go inside their own establishments during business hours as a sign of civil unrest I suppose. One bar owner has already established a legal defense fund with over $150,000 dollars pledged in order to sue the state of Iowa over the matter. The same ownership team posted a letter outside their door apologizing for not allowing their patrons to smoke, but blaming it on our "communist Governor and his Democratic butt buddies in the legislature." Creative no doubt, but I will let the readers interpret what exactly the phrase "butt buddies" means in this context. Part of the frustration seems to be in regards to the lack of specificity as to how many feet you have to be away from the door of an establishment in order to not be breaking the law.

This truly could affect Democrats up and down the ballot locally in my county. We are a traditionally Democratic voting bloc and this could even reach to the Presidential level. I say that because during the campaign Senator Barack Obama did not seem opposed to the idea of a nationwide smoking ban. Heaven knows what the ramifications of such a proposal would be. The biggest quarrel that most bar/restaurant owners seem to have with the Iowa law is that it does not currently allow for patrons to even smoke in a restricted "beer garden" type area where people could smoke outside and socialize. This seems to make the law stricter then the one just across the river in Illinois which allows for a beer garden. The beer garden seems to make sense to most people you talk to, but with open container laws still in affect you've got laws running into each other from time to time.

When questioned about the sign mentioned above about the alleged Trotskyite that we have as a Governor most folks said they weren't mad at the Governor as much as our current state representative. Too bad for these civic minded folks that our current state representative is now retiring to become a full time business consultant. Thus these folks will have to focus their energy elsewhere. If nothing else positive comes out of the law maybe waiters and staff will be more courteous to the fewer people willing to give their business in these smoke free places.

Sources:

Cindy Iutzi. "Smoking ban implementation begins." Daily Gate City.

http://dailygate.com/articles/2008/07/10/news/03.txt