Countdown to Sept. 18

Bravo to the Maine Legislature and Gov. Angus King for once again playing the part of government tyrant and potentially putting more business out of business. Starting Sept. 17 it will be illegal for all Class A restaurant and lounges to allow smoking in “their” establishments. However, patrons from my bar will be allowed to smoke in two bars directly across the street.

I manage a lounge located within a restaurant in my community. We have had a very lucrative lounge business for the 10 years that I have worked there and for at least 13 years before that. Ninety percent of my customers are smokers.

Our lounge is a separate room which is separated from the restaurant. Thousands of dollars have already been spent to be compliant with the upcoming law and nobody under the age of 21 has been allowed to be in the lounge for several years. Liquor enforcement has informed us that we could be fined if anybody is caught smoking in the building after Sept. 17. I have talked to several representatives, some of whom voted for this law and some of whom did not. Every one of them said they believed all lounges would be exempt from this law. However, the Maine Department of Human Services, Bureau of Health regulation reads, “The law doesn’t allow for separate liquor-focused smoking rooms within a restaurant, since many restaurants opposed this exemption in 1997 because it placed restaurants who had the space or the finances to afford this on an uneven playing field with those who could not.”

Socialism rules! How in the world could they as public servants in the political arena pass a law they could know so little about? I urge politicians to correct this mistake and immediately make an amendment for restaurant lounges to be exempt from this law.

In order to become compliant with the law and allow smoking in “our” establishment we have the following choices:

1. Change from a Class A Restaurant/Lounge to a Class A Lounge status thus turning the whole restaurant into a lounge. This includes a $2,200 license as opposed to a $1,500 license and any minor (under the age of 21) will have to be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. Sorry, Gram and Gramp, you cannot take Junior out to eat in a restaurant that has a separately enclosed smoking room in the back unless the courts have appointed you as their legal guardian. Obviously, this is not an option.

2. We can put an outside deck on the bar and smoking will be allowed on the deck. This will be very convenient in January.

3. We can totally separate the two businesses. This means separate entrances, bathrooms and storage space, and the kitchen is off limits even if we have a separate entrance going to the kitchen, however, some food must be served.

This is under the guise of protecting the children and employees and I’m sure a lot of sheep will miss the point and think it is great. However, hotel lounges and Class A lounges may allow minors in their establishments if they are accompanied with a parent or guardian and they can and will allow smoking. I’m pretty sure they will also have employees working in their bars after Sept. 17. I wish they would extend the same compassion to my fellow bartenders and waitresses at our local competition. All this doting on me makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. I’ll remember this in a couple of weeks when I can no longer pay my bills and support my family.

This is not a smoking rights issue but a business rights issue. I’m not arguing that first-hand or second-hand smoke is good for you, but until it is made illegal, it should be up to the discretion of the business owner (the one who pays the taxes and bills). Political figures, business owners, workers who pay taxes, anybody who is receiving any kind of state aid and to all of the special people who have all these wonderful causes, keep in mind that if you continue to be unfriendly to business in this state, there may be a day when you will not have a tax base to draw from. Contrary to popular belief, Augusta does not have a money tree.

I recently heard a quotation, “Russians know they are not free, Americans just think we are.”

Becky Boucher lives in Presque Isle.