In fact, tobacco companies were likely born in the mind of Satan himself. At least, that's what several years of government litigation have led us to believe. Tobacco companies are bad, their executives are hateful men and the people who chose to smoke and continued doing so despite mounting evidence that it leads to horrible, grueling, painful death are innocent victims. Our federal, state and local governments know smoking is a terrible, unhealthy vice, and their goal is to curb the number of smokers. There are practical reasons for this.
Every taxpayer ends up paying to treat the illnesses caused by smoking.
Smoking is bad, it taxes all of us through Medicaid, the government knows this, reached settlements with the companies to reimburse taxpayers and hopes to discourage new smokers in order to avoid future costs. It might surprise you, then, to learn that one of the most pressing issues in Tallahassee and other state capitals these days is how to protect the tobacco companies, how to keep them in business and out of bankruptcy. There's a very simple explanation for this madness. Well, simply in a government sort of way. Lawmakers are quick to condemn tobacco companies for producing a lethal product, lying about its harmful effects and marketing it to children.