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I mean, fewer people smoking means fewer people getting sick from smoking, fewer human tragedies associated with that, lower medical bills, it is a good thing. last night californians voted on whether or not to raise taxes on cigarettes in their state, even though california in practical terms is really anti-smoking, the tax on a pack of cigarettes is low compared to the rest of the country. it s less than 90 cents a pack in california, the national average is more like $1.50 a back. so this ballot initiative yesterday would up the cigarette tax in this very, very anti-smoking state. and the proceeds from the new tax would go to cancer research. they think it would raise $750 million every year, and the money wouldn t just go to the general fund or to the legislature or to some politician you think you don t like, it would go to cancer research. ....
Remember, in march, 67% of californians were going to vote for the cigarette tax. what happened last night? 50/50 split. in terms of the preliminary numbers they ve got out so far, it looks like the tobacco companies have won. the other side is not conceding yet. they want all the absentee ballots counted and everything, and it is very close, but it is roughly a tie, and the cigarette tax may have lost, even though it was at 67% popularity just a couple of months ago. so that was $50 million well spent, right? i mean, $50 million well-spent dollars can make i hate cancer a losing idea. $50 million well-spent dollars could make apple pie and loving mom a losing idea. large numbers in politics eventually just all sound like large numbers. we lose the ability to even compare them, let alone to understand them fully. but unlimited corporate money in politics now means that any issue, any candidate, any state from here on out can be a race ....
Populous state in the nation, it s kind of a good thing for the whole country that california has such a low smoking rate. i mean, fewer people smoking means fewer people getting sick from smoking, fewer human tragedies associated with that, lower medical bills, it is a good thing. last night californians voted on whether or not to raise taxes on cigarettes in their state, even though california in practical terms is really anti-smoking, the tax on a pack of cigarettes is low compared to the rest of the country. it s less than 90 cents a pack in california, the national average is more like $1.50 a back. so this ballot initiative yesterday would up the cigarette tax in this very, very anti-smoking state. and the proceeds from the new tax would go to cancer research. they think it would raise $750 million every year, and the money wouldn t just go to the general fund or to the legislature or to some politician you think you don t like, it would go to cancer research. so if you hate canc ....
And boy, howdy, did they start it. you know, we talk about big numbers or at least big-sounding numbers in policy and in politics all the time. but let me put it this way. you think the right spent a lot of money on the scott walker recall yesterday? i mean, they broke every state record, right? that was off the charts, post-citizens united, special loophole, unlimited spending, tens of millions of dollars spent in that wisconsin race as the whole country looked on in amazement at the amount of money that was flowing to scott walker. well, the tobacco companies in california had a war chest that was bigger than the whole scott walker deal. do you want to know where the most money was spent in politics yesterday? bigger than wisconsin was just one side of this one ballot initiative in this one state. tobacco companies ponied up close to $50 million to fight the cigarette tax ballot initiative in california. and hey, wouldn t you know it, it worked. before the ad campaign, remember, in m ....
California has such a low smoking rate p. i mean, fewer people smoking means fewer people getting sick from smoking, fewer human tragedies associated with that, lower medical bills, it is a good thing. last night californians voted on whether or not to raise taxes on cigarettes in their state, even though california in practical terms is really anti-smoking, the tax on a pack of cigarettes is low compared to the rest of the country. it s less than 90 cents a ba ss in california, the national average is more like $1.50 a back. so this ballot initiative yesterday would up the cigarette tax in this very, very anti-smoking state. and the proceeds from the new tax would go to cancer research. they think it would raise $750 million every year, and the money wouldn t just go to the general fund or to the legislature or to some politician you think you don t like, it would go to cancer research. so if you hate cancer, and who doesn t hate cancer, ....