[Gabz]

It costs about $6 to make a carton of cigarettes, yet they sell for around $35. That's about $29 a carton in taxes.

here's some real $$$$$$:

From 1999 to 2001, federal and state governments collected more than $88 billion - or about $80 million a day - from smokers through excise and other taxes and litigation settlement payments to the states.

Let's all stick those numbers in our hats and smoke them!

[Lion's Cub]

From 1999 to 2001, federal and state governments collected more than $88 billion - or about $80 million a day - from smokers through excise and other taxes and litigation settlement payments to the states.

Thanks for posting those figures.

That's more than $88 billion - or about $80 million a day - being sucked out of the private sector (on the backs of 20% of the population) and into government coffers. Do reputable economists really believe that the private sector can keep taking that kind of hit and still recover -- much less grow?