Tea Party Was Created by Big Tobacco and Billionaire Koch Brothers

[LAM]

Correspondence to Stanton A Glantz, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Room 366 Library, 530 Parnassus, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, USA; glantz@medicine.ucsf.edu

Received 1 October 2012
Accepted 29 January 2013
Published Online First 8 February 2013

Abstract

Background The Tea Party, which gained prominence in the USA in 2009, advocates limited government and low taxes. Tea Party organisations, particularly Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, oppose smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes.

Methods We used the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, the Wayback Machine, Google, LexisNexis, the Center for Media and Democracy and the Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org) to examine the tobacco companies? connections to the Tea Party.

Results Starting in the 1980s, tobacco companies worked to create the appearance of broad opposition to tobacco control policies by attempting to create a grassroots smokers? rights movement. Simultaneously, they funded and worked through third-party groups, such as Citizens for a Sound Economy, the predecessor of AFP and FreedomWorks, to accomplish their economic and political agenda. There has been continuity of some key players, strategies and messages from these groups to Tea Party organisations. As of 2012, the Tea Party was beginning to spread internationally.

Conclusions Rather than being a purely grassroots movement that spontaneously developed in 2009, the Tea Party has developed over time, in part through decades of work by the tobacco industry and other corporate interests. It is important for tobacco control advocates in the USA and internationally, to anticipate and counter Tea Party opposition to tobacco control policies and ensure that policymakers, the media and the public understand the longstanding connection between the tobacco industry, the Tea Party and its associated organisations.


???To quarterback behind the scenes, third-party efforts???: the tobacco industry and the Tea Party -- Fallin et al. -- Tobacco Control

 

[Swfl]

Of course it was, it couldn't possibly be from a group of concerned individuals who feel like there being taxed to death and the government is getting way to big, because we all know the government only has our best interests at heart .

It had to be a big corp behind the scenes, That makes perfect sense!

That's like saying the occupy movement wasn't orchestrated, and encouraged by George Sorros and his minions.... 99% vs 1% my ass. Anything I hear someone say something about the 1% I make a note that there mentally challenged.

 

[LAM]

Anything I hear someone say something about the 1% I make a note that there mentally challenged.

a group you never had to worry about being a part of....


look who the big money people were that formed the Citizens for a Sound Economy. yes they are all surely getting "taxed to death"...they all pay lower taxes than you do and have hundreds-thousands of times more wealth.

Citizens for a Sound Economy

* don't you people get tired of not knowing anything about your country, the people or the policies you embrace?

 

[Swfl]

You appear to be a typical liberal. Always pushing your agenda /beliefs down EVERYONE'S throat regardless if they agree or not. That is the primary difference between libs and conservatives, if we (conservatives) don't like something we don't go on a rampage demanding change and that you have to change your ways we just look the other way..well at least that's how most are. Some have learned from the lib play book and. Try to force change but not most. As I said before I try to ignore you but when you keep screaming for attention it's hard to ignore. You remind me of a child throwing a temper tantrum. Destroying the house for the sake of attention... Admit it, if you didn't love to argue You wouldn't post anything at all, this is all for your own self gratification to make you feel worthy of all that money you wasted/invested on your education.

 

[troubador]

You appear to be a typical liberal. Always pushing your agenda /beliefs down EVERYONE'S throat regardless if they agree or not. That is the primary difference between libs and conservatives, if we (conservatives) don't like something we don't go on a rampage demanding change and that you have to change your ways we just look the other way..well at least that's how most are. Some have learned from the lib play book and. Try to force change but not most. As I said before I try to ignore you but when you keep screaming for attention it's hard to ignore. You remind me of a child throwing a temper tantrum. Destroying the house for the sake of attention... Admit it, if you didn't love to argue You wouldn't post anything at all, this is all for your own self gratification to make you feel worthy of all that money you wasted/invested on your education.

You're wasting your time.

 

[KelJu]

That is the primary difference between libs and conservatives, if we (conservatives) don't like something we don't go on a rampage demanding change and that you have to change your ways we just look the other way..well at least that's how most are. Some have learned from the lib play book and. Try to force change but not most..

This is the truth. When I think of tolerance, "conservative" is the first thing that pops into my mind. God bless you sir.

 

[Swfl]

You're wasting your time.

I know, but it is fun some days

 

[LAM]

You appear to be a typical liberal. Always pushing your agenda /beliefs down EVERYONE'S throat regardless if they agree or not. That is the primary difference between libs and conservatives, if we (conservatives) don't like something we don't go on a rampage demanding change and that you have to change your ways we just look the other way..well at least that's how most are. Some have learned from the lib play book and. Try to force change but not most. As I said before I try to ignore you but when you keep screaming for attention it's hard to ignore. You remind me of a child throwing a temper tantrum. Destroying the house for the sake of attention... Admit it, if you didn't love to argue You wouldn't post anything at all, this is all for your own self gratification to make you feel worthy of all that money you wasted/invested on your education.

and that's why the red states rank at the bottom for just about everything.....conservatives are too stupid to realize they are getting fucked over by the very same policies they embrace.

see that's the difference....I believe in using REAL WORLD ECONOMIC and other DATA from known history and economists and not the talking points and rhetoric of politicians and pundits on tv..

we get our information from 2 vastly different sources. mine is based on objective facts and yours on fantasy

 

[Swfl]

Repeat the lies strong, long and loud enough and before long someone will start to believe them... Go lam go

 

[Supreme Allah]

This is the truth. When I think of tolerance, "conservative" is the first thing that pops into my mind. God bless you sir.

you will still burn in the fires of the eyes of Allah

 

[Swiper]

and that's why the red states rank at the bottom for just about everything...

see that's the difference....I believe in using REAL WORLD ECONOMIC and other DATA from known history and economists and not the talking points and rhetoric of politicians and pundits on tv..

you get your economic theories form Paul Krugman. the guy who wants the US to mint a trillion dollar coin and deposit it into the US treasury. LMAO!!!!!!! he lost the little credibility he had, if he even had any to begin with.


Indiana is running a surplus.

 

[Zaphod]

Of course it was, it couldn't possibly be from a group of concerned individuals who feel like there being taxed to death and the government is getting way to big, because we all know the government only has our best interests at heart .

It had to be a big corp behind the scenes, That makes perfect sense!

That's like saying the occupy movement wasn't orchestrated, and encouraged by George Sorros and his minions.... 99% vs 1% my ass. Anything I hear someone say something about the 1% I make a note that there mentally challenged.

Taxed to death? The tax rate for the top 1% of incomes is only now back up to where it was in 1979. If you were to double the tax rate on them it would not affect their lifestyle one iota.

Interesting you mention people being mentally challenged.

 

[hoyle21]

Taxed to death? The tax rate for the top 1% of incomes is only now back up to where it was in 1979. If you were to double the tax rate on them it would not affect their lifestyle one iota.

Interesting you mention people being mentally challenged.

Funny how conservatives love everything about the 1950's except the 90 % tax rate.

 

[Zaphod]

Funny how conservatives love everything about the 1950's except the 90 % tax rate.

That's from not paying attention to history.

 

[Swiper]

Taxed to death? The tax rate for the top 1% of incomes is only now back up to where it was in 1979. If you were to double the tax rate on them it would not affect their lifestyle one iota.

Interesting you mention people being mentally challenged.

it may not affect their lifestyle, but they'll do everything they can not to pay it. thus reducing tax revenue to the US treasury.

 

[Zaphod]

it may not affect their lifestyle, but they'll do everything they can not to pay it. thus reducing tax revenue to the US treasury.

Then they bitch about the deficit.

 

[Swiper]

Then they bitch about the deficit.

yeah because govt never wastes money. I bet half of the 1% ers are liberals. why do you think only rich people are republican?

 

[IronAddict]

Funny how conservatives love everything about the 1950's except the 90 % tax rate.

 

[DOMS]

and that's why the red states rank at the bottom for just about everything.....conservatives are too stupid to realize they are getting fucked over by the very same policies they embrace.

see that's the difference....I believe in using REAL WORLD ECONOMIC and other DATA from known history and economists and not the talking points and rhetoric of politicians and pundits on tv..

Source #1. Source #2.

Comparing the 50 states can be a challenge because they are so different. Some states have abundant natural resources while others rely on service or innovation. State populations also can
be more rural or more urban. Some had booming industries that are waning or that have disappeared altogether. Border states with large immigrant communities have populations that are growing rapidly. Many states in the Northeast are not growing at all. All of these factors affect the finances and the living conditions in a state.

24/7 Wall St. considered data from a number of sources, including Standard & Poor?s, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Tax Foundation, Realty Trac, The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Conference of State Legislators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics provided unemployment data, Credit rating agency Standard & Poor?s provided credit ratings for all 50 states. The Tax Foundation provided state debt per capita for the fiscal year 2009. The FBI?s Uniform Crime Report provided violent crime rates by state. Realty Trac provided foreclosure rates. A significant amount of the data we used came from the U.S. Census Bureau?s American Community Survey. Data from ACS included percentage below the poverty line, high school completion for those 25 and older, median household income, percentage of the population without health insurance and the change in occupied home values from 2006 to 2010. These are the values we used in our survey. Once we reviewed the sources and compiled the final metrics, we ranked each state based on its performance in all the categories.

Once again, you trot out the bullshit.

we get our information from 2 vastly different sources. mine is based on objective facts and yours on fantasy

The same can be said about you issue of race.

 

[troubador]

Funny how conservatives love everything about the 1950's except the 90 % tax rate.

It's not like we're talking about some equivalent of today's tax code.
Almost Classical: The 90% Tax Rate Myth

 

[Zaphod]

yeah because govt never wastes money. I bet half of the 1% ers are liberals. why do you think only rich people are republican?

You know their political leanings?

Since the rich are in control of the government and political process the waste is there because they want it there.

 

[troubador]

U.S. "1%" Is More Republican, but Not More Conservative

 

[Swiper]

Then they bitch about the deficit.

at least you agree higher taxes on the wealthy reduces tax revenue.

 

[Zaphod]

at least you agree higher taxes on the wealthy reduces tax revenue.

Not at all. Not sure how you read that into anything.

 

[Swfl]

Taxed to death? The tax rate for the top 1% of incomes is only now back up to where it was in 1979. If you were to double the tax rate on them it would not affect their lifestyle one iota.

Interesting you mention people being mentally challenged.

I never said the 1% were being or complaining about being taxed to death. The upper 10% are paying far more in taxes than you give them credit for. What you probably are unaware of is they may not be getting hosed on INCOME TAX but they are double taxed if they own a business. First you pay taxes on the profit/distributions and then you pay personally. What no one ever talks about is what taxes business pay into the pot... It's more than you think!

As far as my spelling... As I said before I didn't graduate from some big fancy college so I'm obviously not worthy. Secondly it's called autocorrect without review before posting.

 

[Zaphod]

I never said the 1% were being or complaining about being taxed to death. The upper 10% are paying far more in taxes than you give them credit for. What you probably are unaware of is they may not be getting hosed on INCOME TAX but they are double taxed if they own a business. First you pay taxes on the profit/distributions and then you pay personally. What no one ever talks about is what taxes business pay into the pot... It's more than you think!

As far as my spelling... As I said before I didn't graduate from some big fancy college so I'm obviously not worthy. Secondly it's called autocorrect without review before posting.

I know full well how much the wealthy pay in taxes.

You don't need to graduate from a college or university to know how to spell. I was just calling you out on saying some are mentally challenged yet you posted what you did. Sort of a pot/kettle thing.

 

[LAM]

I never said the 1% were being or complaining about being taxed to death. The upper 10% are paying far more in taxes than you give them credit for.

as they should be...the top 25-30% of earners in the US are taking in 70% of the national income which leaves a whopping 30% spread out over the remaining workers or roughly 100M people out of 155M with about 12M unemployed for various reasons. the remaining 150M people in the US are either disabled, too young to work or out of the workforce due to old age, etc.

and that top 10% and more also derive the majority of their income from "investment" capital derived from a corrupt and fraudulent US financial sector that offers no benefits to the real economy. the IMF released a report last year that stated once the amount of credit to the private sector reaches 100% of GDP it offers no more positive growth to the economy only negative effects. currently the debt to the private sector is about 42T. this is because business owners (not the average ones i'm talking capitalists at the top) have been extracting equity out of US large firms by paying themselves in dividends in cash and replacing that with various instruments of debt. all nice and "legal like" thanks to off-balance sheet reporting another "financial innovation" of the 80's.

the notion that a person can simply make "money" with money is false and has never held true or is stated in any economic theory ever. there has to something of "added value" in return for any true investment there has to be something real and tangible gained in return. the fake wealth in the US that has been created out of debt, derivatives, etc. since the 80's all it does is damage the real economy, where actual goods and services are manufactured and produced, etc.

yes...the law of diminishing returns also applies to economics like it does everything else in the physical world.