Jump to full article: Columbia (MO) Tribune, 2006-03-26
Author: TONY MESSENGER
Intro: We also agree it’s a bit of an unfair fight when government uses its own resources to try to influence local elections. That’s the great conundrum of the tobacco settlement. McCaskill rightly points out more money should go to anti-tobacco programs. That was part of the deal when the settlement was agreed to. But there’s a fine line between telling kids they shouldn’t smoke and promoting a local political agenda with state money.
In this case, thanks to the Sunshine Law, we know that fine line has been crossed.
Last year, in promoting its anti-secondhand-smoke agenda, the state spent more than $50,000 on radio commercials. It spent several thousand dollars more in local print advertising in Columbia. In each case, the ads sent folks interested in the message to a group staging a political campaign.
They used smokers’ money to try to take away their cigs, and the government was a full partner in the scheme.
Perhaps McCaskill should audit that.
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