Governor’s Tobacco Tax A Fake |
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The tobacco companies agree to pay Texas over $15 billion. Florida and Mississippi get billions more. And what does Maryland get? Well think of it this way: If you’re the Marlboro Man or Joe Camel, and you’re looking to hook kids - lots of them, and at little cost - Maryland is the place to go. Because making tobacco companies pay - companies whose own documents prove that they intentionally target children - isn’t the way Parris Glendening does business. The governor deceived parents into believing that he was on their side in the fight against teenage smoking. On February 27th of last year, the governor held a press conference — in which he was surrounded by children. He issued a press release in which he said, "The tobacco companies spend $6 billion a year to get you to start smoking. I promise you that I will continue to do everything in my power to fight back on your behalf." The governor promised to sponsor a 36 cent increase in Maryland’s cigarette tax, which according the same press release would, "prevent early deaths for 6,000 children." NO ACTION BY GOVERNOR But Glendening’s tax proposal went up in smoke. Who killed the tax proposal? Some implacable opponent of the governor? No. A veto override in the Senate? No. The governor himself killed the proposal. He never even bothered to have his proposal introduced in the 1997 legislative session. Instead, he squeezed as much favorable publicity as possible out of talking tough about the cigarette tax. Then, he simply walked away. Even by the standard set by Parris Glendening, this was a betrayal of unconscionable proportions. "Glendening simply can’t be trusted to keep his word, to stand up to the powerful on behalf of the weak, to act on principle and serve with conviction and strength, to be courageous not craven," Eileen Rehrmann said. "As governor, I will not be afraid to raise the cigarette tax or protect our children by standing up to the tobacco companies." |
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Copyright�1998 |
Eileen Rehrmann for Governor |