Bloomberg's Tobacco Investment

After leaving office, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will stop using government to discourage people from smoking and start using his own money—to support organizations that lobby the government to discourage people from smoking. The New York Times reports that Bloomberg has promised $125 million "to build a global antismoking campaign" featuring New York–style smoking bans and New York–style cigarette taxes. "Once governments take tobacco seriously," says an approving Canadian epidemiologist, "they can figure out that there are a few really effective interventions." According to the Times, these include "clean-air laws that restrict public smoking." You didn't believe all that talk about protecting the health of innocent bystanders, did you?

Comments

[c]

Bloomberg is a walking anus. Worldwide deaths from malaria--an easily preventable disease--are probably over one million a year.

He could save so many more lives if he focused on things like malnutrition, clean water projects, fighting AIDS.

Instead this preening pretty boy is going to take on the evil tobacco companies because he thinks they make an easy target.

He could save lives but he'd rather pad his ego.

The guy is a megalomaniac and a moral criminal.

http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/

[tomWright]

Is it too late to get in on the ground floor of tobacco smuggling and distribution?

I would like to get in while profts are good and get out before the violence sets in.

Maybe buy a few surplus cigarette machines, hide 'em somewhere, etc.

Or have the mafia and the Indian Reservations locked this up already?

[Art]

Oh! by the way. Bloomberg's public smoking laws which outlaw even an ashtray in a bar or restaurant and any outdoor covering to shield smokers excluded his cigar clubs from the ban.

[jf]

Bloomberg is a walking anus. Worldwide deaths from malaria--an easily preventable disease--are probably over one million a year.

He could save so many more lives if he focused on things like malnutrition, clean water projects, fighting AIDS.

Testify. Unfortunately, like you said, Bloomberg has done a cost-benefit analysis, but his benefits involve himself more than the people ostensibly being "helped".

[Russell]

Unless Bloomberg succeeds in cleansing Rockefeller Center of the smell of chestnuts roasting on an open fire by Thanksgiving and banning incense in St.Pats
by Christmas, how can New Yorkers possibly expect a happy new year ?