Marlboro Man Meets Congress

by Joe?Pulcinella

This freaked me out. The 5 largest tobacco companies have just become what amounts to a public utility and now enjoy all the monopolistic benefits afforded to one.

Pushed hard by Majority Whip Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other tobacco state lawmakers, the bill gives federal regulators long-sought authority over the cigarette industry in exchange for a $13 billion buyout of tobacco farmers. Our guess is that Philip Morris is so giddy because it sees what its smaller competitors also see: the makings of a new public utility that will lock into place competitive advantages for the cigarette industry's biggest company and give government a rooting interest in its long-term survival. Meet the new Marlboro Man: Uncle Sam.

Big Tobacco, with the help of the US taxpayer, now has the power and authority to smite out any and all competition. The classic definition of fascism.

Wall Street Journal link: http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109028526818268092,00.html

Posted 7/20/2004 3:42:54 PM by Joe ?Pulcinella

And these companies were not, at the time of the famous Surgeon General's announcement, babes in the woods either. They see the writing on the wall, and are simply getting out ahead of the government on the regs. The idea is to let the do-gooders THINK they are punishing Big Tobacco, while Big Tobacco bitch-slaps them.

Posted 7/20/2004 5:23:07 PM by Vince Daliessio

Bigger tobacco export subsidies are next, since abroad is the only place their market is growing. Apparently the same government that fakes "concern" about the smoking "problem" has no compunction about becoming the industry's partner, spreading cancer and emphysema throughout the developing world.

Posted 7/20/2004 5:19:54 PM by Vince Daliessio