It's Christmas time in June! Or is it a surprise birthday party? Who knows but the Justice Department is no longer asking the tobacco industry for $130 Billion to combat the 50 year industry-wide conspiracy against smokers and without reason or explanation, they have lowered the penalty down to $10 Billion. This is the same case that Ashcroft and the GOP tried to dump a few years ago. Karl Rove had been a paid consultant to Philip Morris in the '90s and Bush and the GOP have raked in millions from the industry. Hooray for freedom and demoracray!
"It feels like a political decision to take into consideration the tobacco companies' financial interest rather than health interests of 45 million addicted smokers," said William V. Corr, director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The government proved its case, but the levels of funding are a shadow of the cessation treatment program that the government's own expert witness recommended."
