Random Test Sample II

I searched in vain for a Suburban Journals article reporting the February 14th St. Charles Wellness Commission meeting, only to find a breezy article blithely describing the Smoke-Free St. Charles County Coalition and their Smoke-Free Happy Hour. Raymond Castile reports, “the organization's short term goal is to educate the public by disseminating statistics about health complications linked to secondhand smoke.” While I laud the noble pursuit of education, which was the primary purpose of the happy hour, it completely neglects the active lobbying of Smoke-Free St. Charles County Coalition for a smoking ban in St. Charles.
The reaction of the coalition to dissenting points of view at the Wellness Commission meeting was disheartening to say the least. They casually shrugged off potential economic affects of such a ban, and rankled at tough questions from the Journal reporter regarding the studies of St. Louis Federal Reserve Economist Michael Pacco, and the very Surgeon General's report they were using as the foundation of their arguments. When I confronted them with specific examples of the free market already offering smoke-free options for non-smokers, Don Young responded with accusations of (I'm sure he meant negligent) homicides.
I personally believe an organization that cannot answer simple questions regarding the medical science of their arguments, and reduce those that have serious questions about economic affects of their suggestions to Libertarian nutjobs and mass murderers should be more closely scrutinized by the media. This is especially true for an organization as well connected and funded as this one. It does make me wonder if there is a Politically Correct chilling effect in the Suburban Journals, seeing how I never did find that article from the reporter that was there at the scene.