Should smoking be banned in public?
A sign at the entrance of Manhattan's Battery Park. Smoking is prohibited in New York City's parks, public beaches and pedestrian plazas like Times Square. (PHOTO CREDIT: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Fewer than one-quarter of American adults are smokers, meaning they've had at least one cigarette in the last week. That number has been dropping for years. And while they may be a shrinking minority, when smokers light up, people who don't smoke take notice.
Over the past 10 years or so, as study upon study has revealed the long-term danger of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, smokers are finding they are welcome in fewer and fewer places.
Now comes a new Gallup Poll that shows a majority of Americans, 59%, support a ban on smoking in all public places. That's the highest percentage in the 10 years since Gallup starting doing the poll.
Twenty-seven states have passed tough smoke-free laws. A new law in New York City prohibits smoking in just about any public place, including beaches and outdoor plazas. And increasingly tough laws are in the pipeline in cities and states across the country.
While the growing majority of Americans don’t want to be around people who are smoking, they aren't pushing for an all-out ban on the behavior. Only 19% say smoking should be made illegal. That percentage has been relatively unchanged over the past five years.
But suffice it to say the battle between smokers and nonsmokers will likely continue. And for now, nonsmokers seem to have the upper hand.
Here’s my question to you: Should smoking be banned in public?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
CEO Wynn: Obama Admin. greatest 'wet blanket' to business, jobs in his lifetime. Is he right?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's pretty safe to say President Obama shouldn't bother sending billionaire and casino mogul Steve Wynn an invitation to his next fund-raising event in Las Vegas.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/07/19/art.steve.wynn.jpg caption="Steve Wynn"]
During his company's quarterly earnings conference call, Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts, went on a rant about the harm he believes the President has done to the economy and business community. Wynn told listeners on the call, "this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime."
Since he was elected, President Obama hasn't had the strongest relationship with business leaders who strongly oppose the health care and Wall Street reform laws he's pushed for during his administration. Wynn says business leaders like himself, who have business opportunities and the capital to act on them, are sitting in fear of the president's policies.
Despite Wynn's tirade, his company Wynn Resorts did well in the second quarter. But Wynn said he could be doing even more if it wasn't for Obama's policies and overall philosophy as president. Wynn claims his company alone could add 10,000 jobs in Las Vegas if it wasn't for this political climate.
Wynn is a self-described "Democratic businessman" but he says he supports both Democrats and Republicans. But he's not happy with anybody in Washington these days. He believes Congress and the administration are so focused on holding their jobs for the next year that the discussion in Washington right now is quote "nauseating."
Here's my question to you: Steve Wynn calls the Obama Administration the greatest "wet blanket" to business and job creation in his lifetime. Is he right?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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