Spun Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Does anyone have a problem with this? http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local...iness-headlines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of BiB Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Does anyone have a problem with this? http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local...iness-headlines 354517[/snapback] Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I don't. The government isn't spending the money on what was promised when the settled it. Graft, corruption... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I don't. The government isn't spending the money on what was promised when the settled it. Graft, corruption... 354553[/snapback] In Suffolk County, NY, 16% of the settlement money was used for quit smoking programs. In Nassau County, 0% of the money was used in this manner. It was thrown into the general fund of the county, and they STILL had historic property tax hikes. Besides, why is it the responsibility of the government, or those who sell a legal substance to help persons quit smoking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of BiB Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 The tobacco settlement seems to have paved the way for an entire genre of class action mentality as well. Do you actually think someone would have sued McDonalds for cheeseburgers making them fat before the tobacco deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 The government reduced the "asking price" of the monetary compensation because they have 0.1% chance to win this case. In order to win a RICO type lawsuit (I know there are lawyers on the board who would have way more info on this than I) they have to first prove that the tobacco companies willfully with-held information about the dangers of smoking in the past, currently are doing so, and would be likely to do so in the future. Even if they could prove that Big Tobacco did mislead the public in the 1940's and 1950's, there is no way they can win this case due in large part to the way that companies like Philip Morris currently do business. For example, after the Master's Settlement Agreement (MSA), tobacco companies have severe limitation on advertising. This is why you don't see magazine and billboard ads. Also why Joe Camel has gone the way of the dodo. PMUSA spends tons of cash funding Youth Prevention Programs, and even partially funds those crappy TRUTH.com ads you see on tv. There is also a program smokers can enroll in to help them stop smoking. Oh yeah, the government was collecting tax on cigarettes way back then too. In fact, the very product they claim was used to mislead the public, they made a ton of money on. Strange you don't hear about that isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted June 11, 2005 Author Share Posted June 11, 2005 I don't. The government isn't spending the money on what was promised when the settled it. Graft, corruption... 354553[/snapback] If the suit can't be won then hang it up for now. I am not so sure if that is the situation. There is now added protection against class actions because of their abuse. However, all class actions are not the same. But you are right, the money has not been spent as it was intended. The media should be all over the governments who are misspending the money. I don't smoke but I understand how it must be extremely difficult for smokers to quit. What sickens me is seeing eighteen year olds smoking like there is and will be no harm to their bodies. As long as there are "examples" acting as if that there is nothing wrong with smoking then gullible kids will continue to ingest the poison. As for the execs, trust who you want but in my view they lied in pursuit of profits. Any lawyers have any insight on the lawsuit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 If the suit can't be won then hang it up for now. I am not so sure if that is the situation. There is now added protection against class actions because of their abuse. However, all class actions are not the same. But you are right, the money has not been spent as it was intended. The media should be all over the governments who are misspending the money. I don't smoke but I understand how it must be extremely difficult for smokers to quit. What sickens me is seeing eighteen year olds smoking like there is and will be no harm to their bodies. As long as there are "examples" acting as if that there is nothing wrong with smoking then gullible kids will continue to ingest the poison. As for the execs, trust who you want but in my view they lied in pursuit of profits. Any lawyers have any insight on the lawsuit? 356107[/snapback] The fact of the matter is, people are going to smoke no matter what the health risks are. Yes, it is totally true that cigarettes are addictive and dangerous, but these days Big Tobacco freely admits these facts. A lot of research has gone into making "reduced harm" products. I test some of these, and let me tell you, they have almost negligible levels of PAHs, VOCs, Phenolics, Carbonyls, etc. The problem is, they don't taste all that great. It seems that taking out the nasties in cigarette smoke reduces the flavor quite a bit. There is an electrically heated cigarette on the market that produces almost no second hand smoke and has almost none of the constituents listed above. You put a 72 mg "cigarette" into a lighter device. The problem is, other than the reduced flavor, is it takes away from the "smoking experience". Smokers are just as addicting to the act of smoking as they are to nicotine. You last statement, did the execs lie, I don't and cannot know for certain. They might have, in fact they probably did. But anyone who has lived on this planet since the 1960's knows that no one is currently saying that cigarettes are good for you. It is IMPOSSIBLE for the government to win this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 I am not so sure if that is the situation. 356107[/snapback] Here are the FACTS. In order to win a RICO lawsuit you must prove ALL of the following: 1. That the companies accused willfully mislead the public about the dangers of cigarettes. 2. That they are likely to engage in such behavior in the future. Take a quick peak at this, and tell me if you think they can win: http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/responsi...ing/default.asp Face it, the government is trying to extort money they have no right to. They made money on cigarettes DURING the period of time they claim the companies were misleading the public!!!!! Here are some other factoids for you to help you understand how the government is trying to steal money from the tobacco companies: FACT #1: Studies linking cigarettes to lung cancer received wide attention in the early 1950's FACT #2: Surgeon General warning labels began appearing on cigarette packs way back in 1966 -- thirty eight years ago. FACT #3: In 1972, warning labels began appearing in every cigarette ad -- well over thirty years ago. FACT #4: Since then, hundreds of thousands if not millions of public service announcements, newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio reports have exhaustibly covered the link between smoking and cancer. Oh yeah, the government's lawsuit covers profits obtained from 1971-2001. Funny, based on facts #1 and #2 above, you would have thought that any reasonable human being with and IQ above a retarted clam would have figured out that cigs are bad by then.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Here are the FACTS. In order to win a RICO lawsuit you must prove ALL of the following: 1. That the companies accused willfully mislead the public about the dangers of cigarettes. 2. That they are likely to engage in such behavior in the future. Take a quick peak at this, and tell me if you think they can win: http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/responsi...ing/default.asp Face it, the government is trying to extort money they have no right to. They made money on cigarettes DURING the period of time they claim the companies were misleading the public!!!!! 356135[/snapback] Can I sue the government for willfully misleading me about my tax dollars and being likely to engage in such behavior in the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Can I sue the government for willfully misleading me about my tax dollars and being likely to engage in such behavior in the future? 356136[/snapback] HAHAHA! Good luck. Remember, the government's only interest is to protect you from yourself. You and all the gullable young people out there who pick up a cigarette because they don't know that they are dangerous.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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