Do you know how many businesses in New York State have closed because of the "no smoking in public areas" legislation ("No-smoke Mondays not trend," Sept. 27)? Not enough to even make the news.

How can bar owners say that non-smoking would hurt business when New York is doing fine? When deciding to go to the bars on a Friday or Saturday night most of the time the decision comes down to, "do I really want to stand in a cloud of smoke?"

Bar owners, managers and others challenge yourselves, and find that smoking is trivial for Penn State smokers when it comes to drinking.

And just to say, "smoking is part of the bar atmosphere," seems like a statement that was not thought out. The atmosphere should be about the bar and the drinks, and what the clientele choose to make it, not the smoke.