IS IT TRUE? September 16, 2011
IS IT TRUE that just a couple of weeks ago the Evansville City Council voted 9 – 0 to support the requirement that pseudoephedrine should be made prescription based?…that this unanimous vote happened quickly and with little opposition within the members of the City Council?…that the 9 – 0 vote also expressed a belief that the cities and counties of Indiana should have self determination on this?…that the truth of the matter is that legally this is an issue that local governance has absolutely no authority over making the 9 – 0 vote a symbolic gesture with no accountability or action associated with it?
IS IT TRUE that in 2010 this exact same City Council deadlocked 4 – 4 on strengthening the smoking ordinance of the City of Evansville?…that a tie vote means the same as a loss?…that City Councilman Curt John who was absent that night later made it known that he would have cast a “nay†vote had he been there?…that the sentiment of the Evansville City Council was clearly 5 – 4 against strengthening the smoking ordinance?…that the State of Indiana does indeed grant local authority to make decisions with respect to smoking laws?…that one of the excuses put forward by some of the “Nay†voting members was that “smoking restrictions should be up to the stateâ€?…that the ones who made such statements but are now howling for the authority to regulate pseudoephedrine are quite inconsistent?
IS IT TRUE that to petition the state for the authority to regulate the “legal†substance that happens to be the active ingredient in meth while refusing to vote “Aye†to strengthen a smoking ordinance just smacks of confliction and having a comfort zone without authority?…that squawking for authority when one does not have it, yet saying the a higher legislative body should take the initiative to take an action that has already been delegated to local government is hypocrisy?
IS IT TRUE that any of these 5 City Council members who voted “nay†on the smoking ordinance citing that it is the states job and then voted “aye†on the pseudo resolution are trying to have their cake and eat it too?…that one thing that we wish for in the next City Council is consistency and that another is honesty?…that hiding behind the state on one issue and pushing something that is clearly a local issue off on the state is neither?
IS IT TRUE that we would like to thank City Council members Dan McGinn, H. Dan Adams, Connie Robinson, and Wendy Bredhold for the consistency and courage that they have shown by voting “aye†on both of these public health and safety issues?
IS IT TRUE that some of the “nay†votes on the smoking ordinance were cast because of the asserted “unfairness†of exemptions?…that taking a position of “all or nothing†when it comes to making laws is not a defensible position?…that if “all or nothing†positions were taken with respect to businesses then either “everyone or nobody” would have a liquor license, tobacco growing stamps, permission to run a strip bar, sell liquor by the drink, sell medicines, etc.?…that I think the point is made that a functional democracy does not function without compromise and taking “all or nothing†positions undermines that functionality?
IS IT TRUE that the last thing we need on the Evansville City Council is a majority that thinks and acts like they can have it both ways?…that situational leadership is not leadership at all?…that if local government wishes to have no authority period and only petition the state who has all authority things will be much different?…that we believe that the lowest level entity that has the means to enforce a resolution should have the authority to pass the resolution?…that in the case of public smoking and selling pseudoephedrine that the proper place for this authority to reside is with the City Council?…that we need 9 elected officials on the Evansville City Council who will not run and never want to hide when it comes to passing good public policy?
Now that City County Observer has gotten restaurants scrubbed clean of tobacco smoke, when will you launch your campaign to get the lower Ohio Valley scrubbed clean of all the carcinogenic power plant discharge and chemical plant effluent into our atmosphere and drinking water?
When we have a clue how to be successful. We are certainly in favor of having clean air and water. Step one is to clean up Bee Slough and the CSO problem that causes it. There are many other steps.
lighten up my pony tailed tree hugging friend from Bloomington
Been to Bloomington once in my life for one day. Last tree I hugged was holding up my deer blind.
Lets agree to keep all issues in perspective. Not everything should be treated as an emergency measure. Lets all take a deep breath (of toxic-free air)and keep the dialogue flowing. When cigarettes start blowing up houses in relatively quiet neighborhoods, then we should ban cigarette use as well.
CCO – “that I think the point is made that a functional democracy does not function without compromise and taking “all or nothing†positions undermines that functionality.”
Point well-taken.
Agreed….in the last couple weeks we have had two fires that kids playing with lighters are suspected to have caused, should we ban them also?
The vote on psuedo was symbolic at best considering the City Council lacks the authority to enact that piece of legistlation…they do however have the authority to enact a smoking ban that would impact property owners & tax payers freedom – two things that should not be tread on lightly.
You can try all day to make this an apples to apples comparison…but its not. And while I agree the meth stats in this area are disturbing – I don’t think its the same as the number of smokers.
We are quite sure that the number of smokers here (27% of the adult population) is substantially higher than the number of people who use meth. We are also sure that the number of deaths in the City of Evansville due to smoking exceeds the meth related deaths (2). That aside the comparison that we were trying to make was not meth to tobacco, it was local authority vs. state authority for legal products that kill and devalue property.
Showering praise on the City Council for their 9-0 support is like applauding a dog for licking himself…
That is funny. I believe that the thanks that we gave was for the four council members who were consistent with their votes.
Face it, folks, most of the smokers in Evansville are loyal Democratic Party voters, and we all know it. Cutting off their ability to indulge themselves in their favorite poison would threaten their party as the dominant political force in Evansville, and we can’t have that, can we? Let tobacco-less Republicans run the city? Have you lost your mind?! They might encourage people to move to Evansville! We can’t let that happen!
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