The Tax Cut Up in Smoke?--It's time to put the federal tobacco lawsuit to rest.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10521793459450600,00.html?mod=opinion%5Fmain%5Fcommentaries ^ | May 6, 2003 | STEPHEN J. ENTIN

[SJackson]

President Bush has proposed a tax cut of $726 billion over 10 years to spur the economic expansion. The Senate has voted to cut it to $350 billion. Bowing to Senate pressure, the House allowed for a $550 billion tax cut in its budget resolution, and the president reluctantly agreed.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[AbsoluteJustice]

TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX......

I think another Boston Tea Party is warranted against ALL TAXES!!!!!!

[Gabz]

The Justice Department claim would act like a selective excise tax on cigarette consumers and producers.

Of course it would and it would end up just like the MSA - only the consumer paying the bill - no hurt to the tobacco companies.

[Just another Joe]

no hurt to the tobacco companies.

But when the tobacco companies go bankrupt because they can't sell any more, so will the federal govt. Just like the state govt's are doing.

[John O]

Indeed, senior officials at Justice don't seem to have been monitoring the tobacco task force's plans

Why is there a tobacco task force? fire them all

[Gabz]

And you think that bothers me???????????

[Just another Joe]

Nope.

[billbears]

no hurt to the tobacco companies.

30,000 jobs in my home state alone over the next 3-4 years will be affected. No, no hurt to the tobacco companies at all. I thought this President promised he would stop this nonsense against the tobacco industry. God knows our state's Senators don't care

[Gabz]

I understand what you are saying.

But loss of jobs to employees and hurt to the companies themselves are 2 entirely different things.

The companies made a sweetheart deal with the Attorneys General with the MSA that only hurt their customer base. when the customer base starts disappearing, costs need to be cut. Like any corporation they are going to cut where it hurts the least - not hte big salary guys - but the little guys.

When I make reference to not hurting the TCs, I'm not talking about the folks working in the plants or on the farms - I'm talking about the corporate bottom line.

I have a lot of friends in NC who work for RJR and I have friends elsewhere that work for PM and the subsidiaries of both companies.

The nonsense against the industry has, to a certain extent, stopped. The current problems for those working in the industry are being caused by their own employers. the customer base is eroding because the top brass said "FU" to their customers and smokers are looking elsewhere other than the big 4.