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Oct 27, 2001

100.000 dollars a day!

For two and a half years ending June, 30, the four largest tobacco companies in the U.S. spent 44.2 million dollars on lobbying in Washington. This equals 106.415 dollars each work day on Capitolium. The companies are Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, and Lorillard.

Three years ago, in a settlement with the states, these companies agreed to pay a staggering 206 billion dollars, and to shut down their powerful lobbing organization the Tobacco Institute. Lobbying is now no longer a joint effort from the companies. Each runs its own race, but they were not stopped from running.

Much of the lobbying is about health legislation. The companies are not against health programs, like improved breast cancer care. They just don't think it's a good idea to fund changes by increasing taxes on tobacco.

If a dollar a day could feed someone hungry, over a hundred thousand starving people could be fed each workday on Capitolium. Lobbyists, politicians and government officials don't need free lunches.

That the tobacco companies uses a lot of money to push for their interests in other areas as well, like in science and shaping public opinion, is another story, to which we will come back.

Bo Walhjalt

Source: Winston-Salem Journal, October 21, 2001

Related information:

The story above only tells about lobbying and manipulation on the national level in the U.S. The tobacco industry is most interested in local politics as well, since the states have their own regulations. If the industry can buy what from their point of view is politically correct, they will do it. The company officials are payed to work for shareholders interest, and since opinion is consumer goods free to buy, they use the opportunities they find. A lot of information on the tobacco companies local activities are linked to from: Tobacco Control Archives: Reports on Tobacco Industry Activity

Many states are covered, Recurring themes are the difficulties to get information on the lobbying activities, and the frequent underreporting of actual lobbying. This is an interesting aspect with regard to the story above about the lobbying in Washington. It's only that, which is reported, which is known. There is no reason to believe underreporting is less in one place than another.