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Louisville council members should ignore misinformation, embrace Engle’s compromise

By Bluegrass Institute

(Bowling Green, Kentucky) – As Louisville Metro Council members prepare to vote on a proposed smoking ban, they should focus on the true impact of their decisions instead of misinformation and scare tactics.

Valid studies performed by competent economists confirm that oppressive regulations are bad for business. Economist Dr. Richard Thalheimer performed a rigorous study addressing the effects of a smoking ban in Lexington and concluded that there was a substantial drop in the sale of alcohol in bars and restaurants following enactment of the ban.

A competing study by nursing professor Ellen Hahn purports to demonstrate no effect at all, but lacks even the basic elements present in any credible economics study. University of Louisville economics professor Dr. Paul Coomes, a member of the Bluegrass Institute’s Board of Scholars who analyzed both reports, surmised that Hahn’s study lacks credibility.

“(Hahn’s) report is less an econometric study than a short running narrative surrounding a few charts,” Coomes writes. “ … The authors seem to have a pre-study conclusion and were looking for evidence to support it.”

Council members who give in to health advocates’ claims of a public outcry for a government-enforced smoking ban will deal a serious blow to Louisvillians’ individual and property rights.

Councilman Robin Engle has offered a compromise that would allow council members to show their disdain for the unhealthy aspects of smoking without trampling on the important rights of individuals and business owners. Engle’s proposal would require owners to fully inform the public of their establishment’s smoking policy so customers and potential employees alike can make their own decisions.

It’s unfortunate that today’s Courier-Journal editorial demeans Engle’s proposal as “a compromise designed for weasels and wimps.” Since when is it cowardly to work toward a solution that addresses a problem without a full-scale assault on our freedom?

Council members should reject the shrill of anti-smoking fanatics and cast their vote in favor of Engle’s reasonable compromise.

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