Senators Who Opposed Tobacco Bill Received Top Dollar From Industry

McClatchy:

WASHINGTON - Among the 17 senators who voted against allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco are some of the top recipients of campaign contributions from the tobacco industry, which has donated millions of dollars to lawmakers in the past several campaign cycles.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[5hy56]

Take back the trillions of $$$ given to the banks, who just sit on it and make it totally ineffective then start government incentive to create realistic industries that give employment and generate real productive income, some of which would hopefully be from exports.

Every other country, especially China and most of Europe have goverment incentives to protect it's industries. No matter what you call it it's a form of protectionism and its inevitable. We should stop being naive and take care of our own house. The only ones who win if we don't are the multinational corporations who don't care where they get their hand out.

good articles for a slow news day: http://www.bit.ly/12t.ly/12NCJR>Econ & Finance Articles Updated Daily

[Fabini]

I know I'm behind the curve on this issue but I wanted to add the following to the debate:

The minority who lost the vote on HR 1256 - Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - and received money from the tobacco industry - really won.

A summary of Section 101 – Prohibits the FDA from banning existing tobacco products or requiring that they eliminate nicotine.

So much for science and public health policy. This legislation is just another boondoggle.

If good is to be done, regulation must have teeth. This bill does not.

[AZ AF VET]

This will never stop until corporations lose their "personhood" status which effectively would end bribing uh, I mean lobbying..­! I suppose Public Campaign financing could solve it as well then lobying would become bribery. Never happen in this country or in my lifetime.

[grdavis1019]

No surprise heaing McConnell was on the list. Biggest h y p o c r i t in the Senate.

[5hy56]

The recovery is a forest. People have let their credit cards go, and don"t have mortgage payments it looks as if we are spending more and people have disposable incomes again. Actually, savings are getting drained and there are no new jobs. We are in the calm before the storm. People are spending what every little cash they have left on eating out and shopping for smaller ticket items. This will come to an end in 6 months. There are no new jobs. Can you hear the quiet in America?

hat tip to http://short.ie/g264dk/g264dk">E for providing good finance and economics articles

[iridium53]

Why do the voters in the states in which these thieves live not vote them out?

They support insurance companies that raise rates to make more profit and give a portion of that profit to these politicians. Essentially, they are using our own money to pay for politician support.

Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain.

[petman2001]

NEWSFLASH: Members of Congress caught in bed---again---with tobacco lobbyists, all enjoying a post-consumation smoke. "Puff puff."

[munki]

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

like

Having someone other than the CEO pay consultants, who report to their compensation committees

DUHHHHHHHH

[DFL]

GOP motto: "we can be bought"

[CAP6]

Democrat memo: "We can be bought cheaper". Take off those blinders Skippy and allow reality to open your eyes. Both sides of the aisle are for sale and bargain basement prices.Umm­mm...let's get us some.

McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $419,025
Burr, Richard (R-NC) $359,100
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) $228,700
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) $221,340
Whitfield, Ed (R-KY) $218,935
Allen, George (R-VA) $217,600
Dodd, Chris (D-CT) $202,849
Bunning, Jim (R-KY) $194,166
Rangel, Charles B (D-NY) $193,878
Lewis, Ron (R-KY) $191,950
Bliley, Thomas J Jr (R-VA) $190,365
Gordon, Bart (D-TN) $188,200
Hayes, Robin (R-NC) $184,724
Helms, Jesse (R-NC) $180,230
Boehner, John (R-OH) $175,959
Faircloth, Lauch (R-NC) $173,069
Etheridge, Bob (D-NC) $171,000
Jones, Walter B Jr (R-NC) $170,900
Boucher, Rick (D-VA) $164,600
Burns, Conrad (R-MT) $162,700

[Senseimilla]

You do realize that Philip Morris personally worked with the legislators on crafting this bill...

Yes... even the dems... Waxman is in cahoots with Philip Morris? No way!

yes way.

[CAP6]

You are absolutely correct, it's appalling but not surprising considering the deep pockets of the tobacco industry. Deep pockets that smell like money will always get the attention of our legislators, from both sides of the aisle.

[MovingtoNorway]

Great photo. Looks like Mitch just swollowed a lit cigar

[DawnK]

I smoked for 20 years and quit not because of the health risks but because I was sick and tired of giving these southern fat cats my money. It was a great motivater to not smoke. I quit January 2008.

[Mike Keough]

Holy cow! and the Congressmen on the Banking committee have ties to the Bankers. I am just flipping shocked. You tell me the difference between McConnell and Dodd. Please. I just gotta know how one is any better than the other. And why is it that no matter how much time I put into it, I cannot find a way to address this directly with these thieves...

[vandegrasse]

Congress could impose restrictions upon itself. Just as they won't see any citizen at their doors, they can forbid themselves from seeing any corporate representative who would not be allowed in the halls of Congress. Any contact would have to be by snail mail which could be traced and would have to be filed. Congress could take care of this prostitution; of course, they won't.

[newsforjim]

The only way to reform Washington would be to start a movement against all incumbents. Party aside, we need some new faces in politics.

[5hy56]

The market just doesn't seem to care. No one cares about financial institution corruption, bad banks, recession, job loss, hyperinflation. It's just buy buy buy, Thanks to automation technology, outsourcing, in sourcing, free market capitalism­/globaliza­tion, jobless recoveries are inevitable, sadly, for all future recessions. I predict baseline unemployment will rise from the historical average of 4-5& to 7-8% within the next decade, but the stock market & GDP will keep rising. Higher unemployment will be the new normal. Stocks that benefit from this phase shift are multinationals, high tech, and commodity.

one of my new favorite finance websites: http://lin.cr/qj4.cr/qj4 ">Econ & Finance Articles Updated Daily

Politicians will do noting to impede this transition because they lack the power to restrain hypercapitalism, and because they are often paid off.

[OutWest08]

Go figure.

Disappointed? YES
Am I surprised? NOT