Volstead Lounge
Why the F--- Should We Care?
RECEIVED Wed., April 20, 2005
Dear Editor,
When Congress or the EPA decides to enact some piece of environmental regulation, the auto manufacturers and oil companies always protest by pointing out how expensive it will be. My usual reaction, one I believe I share with many in this blue city, is "Why the fuck should I care? Keeping your business profitable is not a problem that should concern our government."
But when local clubs make essentially the same argument with regard to the upcoming referendum on a tougher citywide smoking ban, many suggest that I should have a different reaction. Why? Because these bars are small? Local? Purveyors of music? None of those arguments offer more than unsupported emotional appeals.
Like most Austinites, I am a big fan of local live music, and I want to see the city retain its vibrant culture. If the live music industry cannot sustain itself profitably, then perhaps some city subsidy or tax-break would be appropriate. But I don't know that the appropriate municipal bounty – which is, after all, what any exemption from a citywide law would constitute – should be one that comes at the price of the health of bar patrons and employees. With the widespread consensus about the health risks of even secondhand smoke, Darcie Stevens' comment that "If there's any doubt about the smoking ban, maybe the price is just too high" is mind-boggling in its myopia.
When Congress or the EPA decides to enact some piece of environmental regulation, the auto manufacturers and oil companies always protest by pointing out how expensive it will be. My usual reaction, one I believe I share with many in this blue city, is "Why the fuck should I care? Keeping your business profitable is not a problem that should concern our government."
But when local clubs make essentially the same argument with regard to the upcoming referendum on a tougher citywide smoking ban, many suggest that I should have a different reaction. Why? Because these bars are small? Local? Purveyors of music? None of those arguments offer more than unsupported emotional appeals.
Like most Austinites, I am a big fan of local live music, and I want to see the city retain its vibrant culture. If the live music industry cannot sustain itself profitably, then perhaps some city subsidy or tax-break would be appropriate. But I don't know that the appropriate municipal bounty – which is, after all, what any exemption from a citywide law would constitute – should be one that comes at the price of the health of bar patrons and employees. With the widespread consensus about the health risks of even secondhand smoke, Darcie Stevens' comment that "If there's any doubt about the smoking ban, maybe the price is just too high" is mind-boggling in its myopia.
Mike O'Connor
