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February 25, 2005

It's For the Children!

Nanny statists killing business in Alabama:

The manager of a downtown Montgomery restaurant and bar said he is losing customers and his business has decreased sharply since the city's smoking ordinance went into effect Jan. 1.

Chris Ellis, manager of the Montgomery Brewing Company, said January sales were down 22 percent from last year, alcohol sales dropped 37 percent and all sales after 9 p.m. were down 40 percent.

Having called Montgomery home once upon a few years ago, I'd like to say that business declined because - well - the beer at the brewpub just isn't very good. However, given the timing, it looks like the healthy government do-gooders have worked their magic.

[Councilman] Cook and Mayor Bobby Bright said the ordinance has made several restaurants a much more pleasant environment. Both commented on Waffle House and the dramatic change since they opted to be non-smoking.

Nevermind that the right to a "pleasant" dining environment isn't exactly enshrined, or even hinted at, in either the Constitution of the United States of America or the Constitution of the State of Alabama*: I just wanted to laugh at the fact that the shining example of fine dining offered up by the Councilman and Mayor was the Waffle House.

Hooray for my moving to Denver.

* However, while we're having fun at the expense of the good people of Alabama, let's not forget that interracial marriage was constitutionally verboten in the Heart of Dixie until 2000 - and, even then, some forty percent of the people still wanted to keep them dirty tar babies from ruining white purity.