Bush* kicks back 120 BILLION buckeroos to the tobacco industry.

[spanone]

This was money to set up a nationwide stop-smoking program. The GOVERMENT PROSECUTERS asked for only 10 of the 130 BILLION DOLLARS.
Now I'm no genius, but I'd say there's some shit goin' on here. Can you say 'campaign contributions'?


~snip~ WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge on Wednesday questioned what was behind the government's decision to dramatically reduce the proposed size of a nationwide stop-smoking program, one of the penalties recommended in a racketeering suit against cigarette makers.

The government asked U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler on Tuesday to require the companies to fund a five-year, $10 billion program, a fraction of the 25-year, $130 billion program suggested by government witness Michael C. Fiore, a University of Wisconsin medical professor
~snip~

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Tobacco-Trial.html?hp&ex=1118289600&en=c0de458ffb4bd483&ei=5059&partner=AOL

[bpcmxr]

1. I can say it!

I also posted David Sirota's take on it here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x130528

[AirAmFan]

5. That's a 1.2 million percent return on $10 million in tobacco bribes

paid to Republicans, if Sirota's figures are correct:

($120 billion - $10 million) / $10 million = 119,990/10 = 1.1999 million/100.

Bribing Republicans sure has been a great business investment for the tobacco lobby!

[acmejack]

2. We need to be howling about this!

This simply unconscionable. Do these fckers know no shame?

[Rick Myers]

3. If you ask Dubya, he'll say it never happened...

We should be SCREAMING about this!!!

[Horse with no Name]

4. The fleecing of America

In Texas, that money was earmarked for children's healthcare.
Just goes to show you that this administration doesn't care about the citizens of this country.
Expect to see thousands of kids dropped off of CHIPS.