Auntie Dotal - My Favorite Relative - Goes to New Jersey

Good for the bar and restaurant owners in New Jersey.

In an Associated Press story appearin' throughout the state today, the New Jersey Restaurant Association released new information provin' the smokin' ban is closin' perhaps millions of New Jersey restaurants. The proof is being offered in the form of expert testimony from my favorite relative, good ol' Auntie Dotal. I love Auntie Dotal, you can always count on her. And she makes a mean shoo-fly pie.

Auntie Dotal usually shows anywheres from a month to a year after one of them vile smokin' bans has been put in place. She does all sorts of studyin' where she travels from bar to bar and takes a look see around at what's happenin'. She then reports that information to good folks like smokespeople...uh....spokespeople for bar and tavern groups, smokers rights organizations and other like minded fine upstandin' folks.

Accordin' to the story Deborah Dowdell, president of the New Jersey Restaurant Association, said hundreds of restaurants, bars and taverns have seen sales cut in half while others will be forced to close.

Good old Auntie Dotal is back in town! Oh and never mind none of you smarty pants health types who go and point out things like "this isn't based on any objective meanin'full study" or "this is just one person's opinion" or "what do the hard number say?" Sush I say to y'all. You don't need numbers when you got Auntie Dotal!

And no don't even bother yappin' about that BMJ report "Tobacco Industry Manipulation of the hospitality industry to maintain smoking in public places" from March 2002 that linked the New Jersey Restaurant Association to tobacco companies' efforts to block smokin' bans. Bunch of fuss over nothin'.

Just you wait a couple months from now some other health smarty pants types will probably come out with some study on liquor sales, applications for liquor licenses or unemployment that completely refudiate Aunty's observations. Jerks. Who needs it.

I say Auntie is expert enough for me. So what if the evidence out of California, New York, a dozen other states and several countries shows by and large smokin' bans don't harm businesses in the long term. That doesn't mean things will turn out the same way in New Jersey dag nabbit. And by the way, tobacco companies are businesses and smokin' bans sure as heck harm us!

Look, if Auntie Dotal's word is good enough for restaurant groups and tobacco companies it should be good enough for you! Who's gonna argue with Auntie!?!