Virginia Shocks Tobacco Road

[dArKeR]

Without a word of dissent, Virginia legislators did what once seemed unthinkable: increased the nation's lowest cigarette tax in the state where colonists first raised tobacco as an American cash crop nearly 400 years ago.

The Senate and the House of Delegates, both controlled by Republicans, passed a $1.3 billion tax package Tuesday night that increases the state's cigarette tax from 2.5 cents a pack to 20 cents this year and to 30 cents in 2005. Democratic Gov. Mark Warner had sought higher cigarette taxes and other tax increases to balance the state's budget.

While a 30-cent tax seems modest compared with per-pack taxes of $1 or more in 16 other states, the increase is remarkable in a state that has protected tobacco interests for decades, public-health advocates said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/29/politics/main614640.shtml

A little tid-bit CBS left out: These same white Americans hired other white people to go and capture through force, capture by killing many, black human beings around the world, to bring them back to work producing tobacco which made these southern white power elite so rich and powerful. Some who still own their current political fortunes built on trafficing of the human species.

I never hear anyone talk about this and I wonder if it's the true 'secret shadow government and controled media' which was reallly behind the attacks on the Clintons. Clinton tore down the Tobacco industry. He supported all the anti-smoking legislation, the lawsuits against the lying murdering Tobacco board of directors.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

1. Holy crap!

:wow:

I've been watching this debate for the past few years, and am absolutely stunned that someone finally gathered up the cojones to go against the southside politicians moaning about the great legacy of tobacco to pass this tax, which will save lives while providing some desperately needed revenue.