The numbers don’t lie. California’s deficit will reach $28-billion through June 2010 unless something is done. Sounds like a good time to throw public money down the toilet. From Orange County comes this charming story that celebrates how $1.6-million is being divvied up and shuffled to "anti-smoking" organizations. The money will be used to help smokers quit smoking. Success rate is not an issue since this is "free money" courtesy of the smokers nationwide who finance the so-called tobacco settlement. The country receives nearly $30-million per year from the settlement but in 2000 the anti-smoking gangsters financed a voter initiative that disperses a portion of the loot to politically connected organizations that offer stop smoking programs. The Orange County citizens can be grateful that they were tricked into only shoveling a portion of their tobacco settlement to cessation programs. Anti-tobacco wants all of it to go into their pocket.
Whatever the costs the cessation programs are a complete waste of state resources. The state is flat broke, some counties are warning that police and fire protection services must be curtailed. Needless to say hospitals and public clinics that provide real services are strapped for money. To a state collapsing under financial mismanagement anti-tobacco only says "give us more!" Responsible politicians have the power to take all public money from the smoking cessation grifters. Should they do so the voters, even those foolish enough to vote for money grabs such as the Orange County initiative, will not complain. Instead the cowardly politicians will take their walking orders from the anti-tobacco control industry and their mouthpieces in the media such as the newspaper that writes the glowing story to which we link.
As a testament to media anti-smoking bias, check out the hideous picture of the smoker, who supposedly will rush to get help from the smoking cessation quacks who are doing their damnedest to push California over the cliff.
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