Dear Chain-Smokin, Slot-Playin Grandma: Illinois Wants You Back

• Fred, the state of Illinois lost at least 400 million in tax revenues due to the ban on smoking in casinos.

• mistake: In my last post I put "billions" and meant "millions".

• It is about the money and not health. Comparison was faulty; sure, Missouri had more business than Illinois, that is where the smokers went. Misleading lost; Illinois casinos did not lose $500 billion; that would mean they spent that much more than they took in. I believe they mean, they did not gain that much expected profit.

• Rather than selectively exempt casinos,Illinois should reinstate the Chicago air filtration exemption statewide: "Any public place or place of employment otherwise subject to this Chapter whose owner or operator can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the commissioner of public health and the commissioner of the environment, that such area has been equipped with air filtration or purification devices or similar technologies as to render the exposure to secondhand smoke in such area, notwithstanding the fact that smoking may be occurring in such area, equivalent to such exposure to secondhand smoke in the ambient outdoor air surrounding the establishment. The commissioner of public health and the commissioner of the environment are jointly authorized to promulgate regulations specifying what types of technologies, when and if available, and taking into account any applicable Federal and/or State standards, satisfy the requirements of this paragraph." http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/MunicipalCode7-32_1.html#7_32_080 Or just exempt "over 21" establishments as Tennessee does.

• It is interesting that Burke is a sponsor of the amendment and heads the committee. Back before the smoking ban passed, I spoke with Burke for about a half hour on the smoking ban. He was against it but said he would not oppose "if I am the only one." The lobbyist for the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association told me later that that meant he would be loyal to his powerful Chicago alderman brother who got the Chicago ban passed in 2005. It looks like the Chicago establishment has now decided to roll back the ban.

• Kudos to Chad for being responsible! So the point is, and this better piss off the "smoking-ban militia", that it is only unhealthy to smoke in bars/clubs/restaurants that don't have slot machines... The question is, will the smoke-nazis still back these politicians? My guess is that they will, just like feminist organizations continued to back Bill Clinton...

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