According to a news story on CNSNews.com, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in a statement it put out about the 7th annual "Kick Butts" event today that the agency would spend nearly $1.1 billion in 2002 to combat smoking.

Much of this money will, of course, go to the antis (the ACS, the ALA, the AHA and individuals like Stan Glantz and lawyer Richard Daynard, who have already received over $1 million apiece from HHS for their "work"). And, of course, the antis get money from each state and from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and from the American Legacy Foundation.

Doncha think that in these troubled times when the world seems to be on the verge of being destroyed by war in the Middle East and by international terrorists that DHHS might find something more important to spend more than one BILLION dollars on than enriching even further all the cash-rich antis?

Our tax dollars at work.

Helllllllooooooooooo? And doctors are walking out right and left on Medicare and Medicaid patients - elderly and disabled people who supported, raised, and took care of those of us in our age ranges during their productive years. Hellllloooooooo, anybody home????? Come to think of it, the underlying message to younger disabled persons with such severe disabilities (cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.) that they are physically unable to work is this: You're not worth the expense that Medicaid has been spending on you - so we're signing out. Nobody home, I guess.

But with this new largesse, the anti's can continue to smugly smirk.

This is HEALTHY??

Snitty rant-of-the-month!

Well, like I mentioned on another post: yesterday was "Kick Butts Day," and believe me, there are a few butts "I'd" love to kick!

And Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine was all over the local yokel news handing out hundreds of T shirts, candy, and Lord knows what all, to the Teens.

Isn't it nice that we smokers paid for that!

Jane, good rant! I am also aghast at reducing funds for the elderly and disabled while spending on anti-tobacco tee shirts & the self-serving dip **** 'experts'.

The message to younger people (teens) you had better have your lawsuit planned in case anything goes wrong in your life. The social contract to help the elderly & disabled is moribund. If you need help don't call a social worker or a doctor, call a lawyer.

Can't promise this is my rant-of-the-month either!

Thanks for the heads up, Wanda.

Just out of curiosity I tried to figure out how many seconds there are in a billion.

It takes about 31.7 YEARS for a billion seconds to tick off.

And if THAT'S right, then it follows that a trillion seconds takes about 317,000 YEARS. Further, the currently proposed Bush / Congressional budget calls for the US to spend over two trillion dollars a year! And how MUCH of that is on crap like a BILLION damn dollars to "combat" smoking. Are you all aware that the phrases "coffin nail" and "cancer stick" for cigarettes were both current by 1918! I was born in 1944, and I knew by the age of 5 that smoking was not healthy. My parents, both smokers, made sure I knew that. Who the hell needs a billion dollars, or a million or a thousand or even one, to understand that?

Boy am I mad! Sheesh!

sorry for the rant, but i'm feeling better now. Thanks everybody.

Dennis - I'm younger than you - I was born in 60 - both my parents smoke, but I knew it was not good for you and it was for grown ups, just like drinking alcohol.

What has become of society that parents are now unable to raise their own children without assistance from the state (and I include all of the body parts and pharmaceutical cartels in that term)?????

My parents were smokers and raised to kids who have become productive members of society. 1 smokes (me) 1 doesn't, my brother - he's retired now from NYPD and I'm a full time mom. The vast majority of us are very similar - productive members of society raising another generation of productive memers of society - if the money grubbing nannies and their government cohorts would leave us alone.

As Wanda says - in these times our government should be looking toward helping citizens, not hurting them. There are more important things to be dealt with right now than worrying about a little bit of second hand smoke, and balancing budgets should be the responsibility of everyone - not just smokers.

Jane - you're right - I recently saw a piece about doctors taking care of their medi caid/care patients but refusing new ones because the government keeps cutting how much they are paying for it. We pay big bucks every month for our health insurance - but I also see how much goes to medicare in tax withholding every month. Do I think I'm ever going to see any of that - of coourse not.

When my late mother-in-law chose to move to an assisted living community, the kids were stuck selling off her assets in order to get any assistance in paying for it. Fortunately we did a "pre-paid" funeral situation and so there were no out of pocket expenses for anyone - but every penny that was left over from the funeral policy had to be turned over to the government. when she passed away her 3 children got nothing, except for the furniture and such that were moved out of the house when it was sold.

This is a woman who worked most of her life, was a veteran, was the widow of a veteran, who had worked his entire life, and was unable to leave anything for her children and grandchildren. To this day (it was 5 years ago) I remain ticked off about the situation. My sister-in-law should have gotten that house. But because we are honest people we never thought to have the deed transfered to my SIL, before mom got to the point where she wanted out. And by that point, her mental faculties were not exactly ace.

The one thing I can say - as much as I miss my mother-in-law, I do know that neither smoking or exposure to SHS had anything to do with her passing at the very young age of 68. 4 years prior to her death she had buried her 92 year old father who was a life long smoker and drinker. Nope - a fall that broke her hip and early onset alzheimers is what took her from us. Longevity runs very deep on both sides of my husband's family!!


I've got to stop now - I've gone totally off the subject - the gist is - government 9so-called) health care is bogus and smoking or not smoking is no predictor of quality of life or longevity.

Gabz, don't consider you went off the subject at all. The government seems to have all sorts of excuses & rules to take money away from productive people and then 'gift' it to others who are the politicos pets.

In another string there is a reference to the thousands being spent daily on stupid symbolism that teens will see through in an instant. But some teens are getting government paid trips & media attention (read having some fun) and behind the scenes there are greedy adults are getting tobacco money (laundered by Big Brother).

What's wrong with this picture? Everything.