[billbears]

Smaller companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Inc., say they will be financially ruined by both the buyout and the oversight measures.

Oh well, our Senator Giddy doesn't care. What's 2600 more jobs lost here in the last week.

But when Senate Democrats saw Gregg's final proposal, they said that the provision that allowed only Congress to ban cigarettes was so vaguely written it could have prevented the FDA from requiring changes to make cigarettes safer.

I can't believe this is even an issue. To put this power in the hands of some of biggest nanny government officials, Elizabeth Dole included, is practically insane. She signed on to end government subsidies, which severely affected RJR enough for them to cut jobs, knowing that this bill was a possibility? I guess you were right az, we're going to all have jobs standing on the roadside checking seatbelts

NC ping. The effects of electing a CINO to represent us are coming home to roost ping. Go, Giddy, go!!

[azhenfud]

"..we're going to all have jobs standing on the roadside checking seatbelts..."

Yeah,...and being paid $1.50/hr just like our industrial equiv's in China. But government is working to "cover" all those "extras", don't you know...

[azhenfud]

I'm anxiously waiting on RJR to tell Dole, the Sinate, the Feds, and the whole nine yards to kiss old rusty and then refuse to sell one bit of tobacco outside NC esp to those quick-suit states, and if the NC gov won't protect the industry, then move to Pakistan or someplace that will appreciate the revenue their industry produces.

The Feds ought to either ban tobacco altogether or leave it ALONE. I don't smoke, but the attacks on tobacco are getting mighty old already.

Personally, I'd give NC legislators the choice; protect the industry with allowing export/import like I'd suggested before or I'd close the whole thing down and let all their budgets flop. RJR can afford to move its tobacco production to any other country, build a crop and market back to the US cheaper than accomodating the idiot lawyers we call "represenatives" in the Dunce City of Washington.

Washington is infested equally with idiots of both "D"'s and "R"'s.