I was shocked to go to their op-ed section to see this headline
States spend anti smoking money on everything but
You're kidding me right? Politicians, especially the "progressives" that brokered this deal, would never bait and switch the American public right?
All together, the states took in over 22 billion in tobacco money and spent a whopping 590 million in anti smoking programs.
To make matters worse, Ohio (along with MI, RI, and WV) sold their portion to a private company for 5 billion (even though the receipts were projected to be over 10 billion during a 24 year period).
Once again, I throw it out to all those "progress" types. How do you defend this? You call this a government of progress?
2 comments:
The organization set up in Ohio, Ohio Tobacco Prevention Organization, has spent millions on advertising, publication material and the like (http://www.otpf.org/)using a big name ad agnecy for ads, presentations, PR, etc.
Also the Governor, as you said, cashed in early for a quick money pay off that is being used, among other things, for real estate tax breaks for the elderly and other pet projects.
Very very little is spent on actual education for smoke free Ohio as was advertised.
I could tell you some stories about how this money is spent.
And then the "progressives" want to hike the smoking tax to pay for SChIP where to keep the funding from that source current, you would have to add 1-2 million NEW smokers a year nationally. Gov. Strickland endorsed this idea...
See, Strickland cashed out the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) money early and now looks to sigarette taxes for more revenues.
Amazing.
Oh the stories and insight I have into the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation and their spending habits... But that is for another day. :-)
even more amazing: spelling cigarette like sigarette
I am an ass :-)
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