Gaston, if it went for health care, I would be all for it. However! The state Health Coalitions went nuts when all that money fell into their laps. Since it comes from the smokers who pay taxes on cigarettes (yes, the smokers are paying the Tobacco Settlement money, 100%), the Health Coalitions thought that since it's from SMOKING, then they would take matters into their own hands and start the campaign to CONTROL, BAN, RESTRICT and RAISE TAXES to high heaven.
In past years before the MSA, the American Cancer Society, the American Lung, the American Medical Society were educating and working to find cures.
Now, the money has completely turned them around into being Brown Shirts wearing JackBoots. You go to their sites, and they are all the same: nothing but a war on the smokers.
Big Tobacco sold us out. Like Spinner said about the Attorney Generals and Big Tobacco: it was like two wolves and one sheep at the table talking about what's for dinner. And the sheep lost.
As for funding the tobacco farmers. Well, when Big Tobacco sold us out, they also sold out the farmers. The farms have been in the family for decades, and to just want to rip this way of life out from under someone for growing a legal commodity is not fair and it's not right. I even wonder about the moral issue in this. So, I am for helping the tobacco farmer.
After all, there are 55 million people that refuse to quit smoking, and SOMEONE has to continue growing tobacco.
