Widow wins $23 billion settlement against big tobacco

[Takket]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/19/us/florida-tobacco-verdict/index.html

Basically this guy started smoking in 1973 and died 23 years later. Should he have known better?

I'm too young to remember 1973 but it seems that health officials knew then that smoking could make you sick, but weren't the tobacco companies at that time still saying smoking was safe, and offering new products like filtered cigarettes that they claimed made them safe? I see people arguing that this widow deserves nothing because by 1973 people should have known better. The proclivity of people in this country to defend massive corporations from ANYTHING has me shaking my head. I'm pretty sure in 1973 disinformation was still being spread and if people were listening to the manufacturer's lies then they certainly could have gotten hooked WITHOUT knowing any better.

Frankly I don't trust any information I get from right wing shills like the "random people" (HA!) posting on CNN's comments page so I'm hoping all you DUers know the truth!

[Archae]

1. She'll never see a dime.

The tobacco companies will appeal this until she dies too.

[dballance]

6. Unfortunatly you are correct.

Corporation "persons" are forever. Real, biological humans have a limited life span.

She'll never see a dime. Big-T will keep this tied up in court forever.

[Turbineguy]

2. Winning is one thing

collecting is another.

[conservaphobe]

3. Anytime David kicks the shit out of Goliath, it's a good day. nt

[MohRokTah]

4. I started smoking in 1972. I was 11 years old.

I was a Marlboro smoker. The Marlboro man mad Marlboro cigarettes cool.

I smoked until 1999 when I quit cold turkey. Two and a half packs per day when I quit.

In 1973, the cool factor and peer pressure outweighed anything from the government.

[JEFF9K]

5. She has a better chance of getting her husband back.

[grasswire]

7. My 92-year-old aunt has smoked since 1940.`

She started because her GI beau smoked. They met at a roller skating r ink. Two dates, and then he shipped out to Europe and Africa. She says she started because when she lit up, she could imagine that he also was smoking at that moment. Four years later he came home and they were married.