Last November, Michael Bloomberg won a third term as Mayor of New
York by a margin of 50,342 votes, out of 1.1 million ballots cast.
This, after he dropped $80 million on his campaign, and garnering
just eight more votes per precinct than his opponent, NYC
Controller William Thompson, in each of the city's 6,110 polling
sites. Eight votes per precinct, and there would have been no more
Bloomberg. That's why CRA has Smoke the
Vote 2010 .
But until he's out of office, we have to continue this fight.
Now, Mayor Bloomberg has revisited and issued his support for a new
outdoor smoking ban in New York City that would extend the city's
smoking ordinance to 14 miles of beaches and more than 1,700 parks.
He's backing the proposal from his Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas
Farley. That's the same Health Department that spent $71,000 to
produce pamphlets on how
to safely use Heroin. Amazing.
In the words of NYC film maker Tom Hruby, "Try to regulate the
airspace of a park, and you're one step from a fascist state."
Why can't Mayor Bloomberg act more like California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently vetoed a similar measure that
passed their legislature? Governor Schwarzenegger stated that the
proposed [smoking ban on] parks and beaches was "an improper
intrusion of government into people's lives." That's a simple
message to Mayor Bloomberg.
On November 29, 2009 Parade Magazine ran a piece on outdoor
smoking bans. It posed an opinion poll to their readership on
whether outdoor bans should be enacted. In its traditionally biased
fashion, Parade notes the growth in such bans, pending legislation
on outdoor smoking, and the proverbial citation of the regurgitated
2006 Surgeon General's Report.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the polling place.
Cigar Rights of America disseminated the poll to its members,
Facebook and Twitter community and related mediums. Other
like-minded organizations jumped in, and within days, what was to
be a lopsided poll turned from being against cigar enthusiasts,
into a 69% to 31% victory for the cause, against the imposition of
outdoor bans.
The science is dubious and inconclusive regarding these matters,
and public sentiment is turning, realizing that government control
of people's lives is going too far.
Let's send a message to Mayor Bloomberg and New York 's City
Council.
SAY NO TO EXPANDING NYC SMOKING REGULATIONS!
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