Jump to full article: Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, 2009-09-28
Intro: Document Date: 19940300/E
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TOBACCO STRATEGY
• Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty . . .
Acton is presently preparing, with our assistance, a monograph for the Detroit News detailing arguments against "sin" taxes. I win be contacting them this week to elicit their assistance in rebutting the just-released University of Michigan report that attacks industry projections of economic dislocation caused by prohibitive excise tax hikes.
• Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (AdTI) . . .
• American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) . . .
• Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)
A staunch ally of PM for a number of years in many tax battles, ATR has sponsored print ads against the use of excise taxes to fund health cam as well as VNRs on the subject, most recently one detailing the impacts of prohibitive cigarette excises in Canada on the economy and on crime .... which had a profound influence on the eventual decision to rollback the tax. ATR is very close to proponents of alternative health care plans, has good access in the dungeons of Washington as well as with its many state-level contacts throughout the country, and could be mobilized for lobbying or other grassroots tactics either in Washington or in key legislative districts. . . .
• Cato Institute
An Associate Broadcaster of NET, Cato is in discussions with us re promotion on their show ("Cato Policy Forum") of the issues contained in the Regulation magazine article by Dr. Gary Huber, "Smoke and Mirrors: The EPA's Flawed Study of Environmental Tobacco Smoke". As Regulation is a Cato product we are optimistic that such a forum will be provided. Cato is also the "co-sponsor" of the John Goodman/NCPA/Phil Gramm health care alternative---which contains no excise taxes--and hence we should consider working with them in any way possible to promote this as a better alternative to the Clinton plan. This could include any of the spate of policy group activities, ranging from conferences and panel discussions to op-eds and ads, and, of course, including maximum promotion on NET.
• Center for the Study of American Business (CSAB)
Directed by Murray Weidenbaum, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, CSAB is perhaps the leading American think tank on regulatory issues. We have worked with them on numerous aspects of the regulatory burden imposed on the tobacco industry, and their work has, gotten tremendous airplay. . . .
• Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America
As we all know, the Chamber has been all over the map, including on the wrong side, on this debate. However, we have been intensely lobbying them behind the scenes to "bring them in line" consistent with the other major business organizations, especially on FET, but also on employer mandates. . . .
We are funding a major (400K) grassroots initiative in the districts of House Energy & Commerce members to educate and mobilize consumers, through town hall meetings, radio and print ads, direct mail, patch-through calls to the Capitol switchboard, editorial board visits, polling data, meetings with Members and staff and the release of studies and other educational pieces. The goal of this effort is to show the Clinton plan as a government-run health, care system replete with higher taxes and government spending, massive job losses, less choice, rationing of care and extensive bureaucracies. CSE is taking aim at the heart of the plan --- employer mandates, new entitlements, price controls, mandatory health alliances, heavy load of new taxes and global budgets--and, with the program well underway, is by all accounts getting rave reviews in the respective districts.
• Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ)/Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy(ITEP)
As a leading labor-backed organization, CTRJ/ITEP and we have worked closely to highlight the regressive nature of tobacco excise taxes, and, in particular, how the problem would be exacerbated by passage of the Clinton plan. As this group has a strong voice in the labor movement, we plan to reinforce this message through the mobilization of this important constituency.
• The Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy
Worked with this think tank in the development of a major policy paper entitled "The Clinton Health Plan: Bad Medicine for California". Bruce Herschensohn and other Claremont spokesmen are doing a media blitz to disseminate the findings . . .
• Consumer Alert
The antithesis of the Nader/Citizen Action brand of "consumer defense", Consumer Alert has worked with us in the promotion of the concept that the Clinton plan is anti-consumer, both in toto and because of the regressive excise taxes contained therein. . . .
• Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA)
Worked with GMA in the formulation of a resolution on health care reform mirroring that of the BRT. We currently chair the GMA Tax Committee and hence can ensure that no wayward positioning on excises ensues.
• The Heartland Institute
As a member of the Board, I am working with Heartland in several areas: . . . Through all these efforts runs Heartland's 1994 top priority: to inform policymakers, reporters and opinion leaders of the true nature of the Clinton Administration's health care reform legislation . . .
• The Heritage Foundation
Worked with Heritage in the development of alternative policy prescriptions to the Clinton plan, and articles and opeds espousing such positioning. Our efforts have resulted in several major policy papers, including one on the massive economic dislocation that would result from the implementation of the Clinton plan (including drastically less cigarette tax revenue than is currently envisioned), one on the implications of a prohibitive cigarette excise hike on the CPI, government transfer payments and net revenue, one on the misapplication of science in the EPA/ETS debate, and, possibly, one on the Surgeon General's broadside against tobacco advertising combined with a commercial speecb/First Amendment perspective.
• Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace
Have worked with them on several pieces focused on the Clinton program for universal health care coverage, which, combined with insurance coverage for mental health and reduced prescription costs, bound together with a fuzzy plan to finance the program, would be a recipe for disaster that will result in reduced employment in the international economy, continued unequal access to medical services and additions to the federal deficit.
• Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation (IRET)
Led by Norm Ture, former Undersecretary of the Treasury for Tax and Economic Affairs, and a long time friend of PM, IRET has been perhaps the leading policy group exponent of the evils of selective excise taxation. Via conferences, policy forums, articles, op-eds and the like, IRET has emphasized the point that excises are inefficient and unfair, and has beefed up these efforts since the introduction of the Clinton plan. . . .
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Have worked closely with this Michigan-based group in their policy study opposing the President's health care reform proposal, including its funding mechanism. . . .
• Manhattan Institute
Worked off-the-record with Manhattan and writer Betsy McCaughey as part of the input to the three-part expose in The New Republic on what the Clinton plan means to you. . . .
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
Similar to the BRT, but even more strongly, NAM (with our support) came out in opposition to the Clinton health care plan. Simultaneously, we have been working with the NAM Taxation Committee to ensure that regardless of what plan eventually materializes, no selective excise taxes of any kind will be used to fund it. . . .
• National Empowerment Television (NET)
Through a major financial grant (200K) we have signed on as an Associate Broadcaster of this 24-hour-a-day cable/satellite network with potential viewership of nearly 25 million people. We are meeting Friday with producers and staff to plan the miniseries on health care .... which will focus on debunking the myths of the Clinton plan and the use of excises to fund such a plan, and to investigate more market-driven alternatives. . . .
• National Journalism Center
This group was developed to train budding journalists in free market political and economic principles. As a direct result of our support we have been able to work with alumni of this program .... about 15 years worth of journalists at print and visual media throughout the country .... to get across our side of the story .... which has resulted in numerous pieces consistent with our point of view. We also co-sponsored in December a policy minibriefing on health care for a broad cross-section of the Center's Alumni Council, and are now working with the Journalism Center in the development a major health care reform policy conference (tentatively scheduled for late April/early May) that will debunk the myths of the Clinton plan . . .
• National Policy Forum . . .
As a member of the Board, I have worked closely with PRI in the development of policy pieces and op-eds, particularly for major Western markets, in opposition to the Clinton plan and in support of free market alternatives. As a Canadian, the president of PRI has first-hand experience of the evils of government-run health care . . .
• Philanthropy Roundtable . . .
• Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research
. . .
• Tax Foundation
Heavily involved in analyses of the impacts of the Clinton plan on a state-by-state basis. PM is a major supporter of this group, and we have extremely close ties. . . .
• The Texas Republic
Working with the editor of this free market monthly, funded by PM, on an analytic piece debunking the Clinton plan . . .
• Washington Legal Foundation (WLF)
A close ally of PM for many years, WLF has been involved in numerous aspects of the tobacco industry debate. They have filed amicus briefs against the EPA
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