Ron Lewis: “the Federal tobacco lawsuit is bad public policy and a waste of taxpayer dollars. The case is not about the law, but…”

“the Federal tobacco lawsuit is bad public policy and a waste of taxpayer dollars. The case is not about the law, but about the Federal Government extorting money from an industry that it does not like. Which industry will be the next victim of this punitive action? The tobacco industry, in accordance with the terms of its 1998 settlement with the States, has changed its marketing, advertising, and business practices. The industry is also paying the States billions of dollars. Now the Justice Department wants a share of this revenue stream for the Federal Government and is willing to further sidestep to try to get it. The Justice Department needs to stop stealing veterans health care funds to pay for its baseless lawsuit. This suit claims the Federal Government and the public were deceived about the health risks of tobacco products. The same Federal Government that claims it was deceived has required health warnings on tobacco products since the 1960s. The Surgeon General's 1964 report details the risks of tobacco use. The American people are not as clueless as this lawsuit claims, people know the health risks associated with use of tobacco products. It is absurd to claim ignorance on this point. Adult consumers have the right to make risk judgments and choose the legal products they use. They also need to take personal responsibility for those choices. No Federal law gives the government authority to collect Medicare funds as proposed in this lawsuit.”