As a professor of medicine and member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies and the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of California, Dr. Glantz can tell Evansville about the problems of tobacco and e-cigarettes and about the solutions to the health devastation that tobacco use and secondhand smoke that include having strong policy to reduce exposure, educating every Evansville resident as well as companies, organizations and students. Evansville has a rare opportunity to meet and hear the man who led the charge to restore funding to tobacco programs in California and who has written the books providing a “Way to Win the Battle for Health” vs “The Tobacco Use Epidemic in the United States.” Current tobacco use rate in California is 12.6%; current Indiana rate is 24%. Please come take advantage of this opportunity and meet Dr. Glantz!

Stan Glantz meet and greet
June 4th 4pm Browning Room B Central Library

Stan Glantz E-cig presentation 6:30-7:30pm Ivy Tech’s Vectren Auditorium

LETTER TO THE EDITOR of the City County Observer

posted without opinion, bias and editing
Follow link and post your comments!> https://city-countyobserver.com/2014/05/08/letter-to-the-editor-smokefree-community/

Dear CCO Readers

A lot of information has been going around regarding the recently overturned smoke-free air ordinance by the Indiana Supreme Court. There is one simple solution to all of this; pass a new smoke-free ordinance that includes the casino. Those who work in the smoky environment cannot afford another day of having their health put on the line for a paycheck. In an interview with Tropicana’s general manager Jason Gregorec said, “People have a choice to game or not and with this gamers like adult beverages and like to smoke.” This is an interesting statement considering that Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights says that studies show that 80% of casino patrons do not smoke. He goes on to say that allowing smoking is a “competitive advantage” over the Illinois casino. This is also hard to believe when 73% of Illinois voters support Illinois’s smokefree law that includes casinos, racetracks, and other gaming facilities according to “Commercial tobacco-free Illinois Frequency Questionnaire,” Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, June 1, 2008. Ohio Voters also approved smoke-free casinos in their state survey and Nate Forbes co-owner of Horseshoe Casino Cleveland said that one of the top two comments he has received about the casino is how people are so thankful for it being a completely smoke-free environment.

Gregorec also went on to say how he saw firsthand how the casino industry in Illinois was negatively affected after going smoke free in 2008. This is true but the state of the economy was more to blame and not the smoke free law. The Center for Policy Analysis (CFPA) conducted a survey in 2011 of reasons why Illinois patrons stopped going to the casinos as much and 40% said the cost of gasoline and 35% said it was because of the increased cost of living. Following the recession Illinois unemployment rate went from 6% to 12.4% and the cost of gasoline went up over a dollar a gallon. In this survey not a single person indicated that the smoking ban was the reason for gambling less frequently in Illinois.

Evansville has already proven that we accept the smoke free ordinance and want all workers to have the same chances when it comes to their health. There are more than 500 state-regulated gambling facilities across the United States that are required to be 100% smoke-free indoors. Tropicana needs to get with the times and show that they stand up for their workers and patrons by accepting that the future is smoke-free.

Sincerely,

Vanderburgh County Smoke Free Committee

“Look how well our stock market is doing. It is now time for the hourly minimum wage worker to share in this prosperity”
Indiana’s 8th district Congressional Candidate Tom Spangler announced today that he fully supports an increase in the minimum wage to at least $10.10 per hour.
“In reviewing current economic data it certainly dismisses the Republican Congressional obstructionist position that an increase in the minimum wage would hurt and even cause a decline in job growth stated Spangler. “ At the beginning of 2014, thirteen states increased their minimum wage either by passed legislation and or automatically increased in line with inflation. There was little to no evidence for the claim that raising the minimum wage threatens job creation efforts.
“We need to focus and have a caring and compassionate attitude towards the hard working Hoosier families that are earning minimum wage and having to work two jobs, and still are not able to rise above the poverty level. I have always lived by God’s law that a worker is worthy of his wages. When businesses, large and small reaps large profits and are not willing to fairly share with their hard working employee’s that is nothing but greed”, stated Spangler.
There are two other changes that he would like to see happen from our Congress. We need to tie any and all future automatic increases to the minimum wage to the rate of inflation which will give more security to the Hoosier worker instead of being a political football for our career and do nothing politicians. Additionally, change the name to “Sustainable Wage”. This will bring the right identification and help our hard working Hoosiers get closer to self-sufficiency.

Contact: Tom Spangler (Spangler For Congress) www.spanglerforcongress.com 812-630-0600