Jackson Free Press

Gov. Haley Barbour, who was Big Tobacco's "go to" lobbyist when he was in Washington, D.C., is still maintaining that he'll veto any kind of tax bill that is laid on his desk, including a cigarette tax that most Mississippians support, according to a recent Stennis Institute of Government poll. Furthermore, Barbour thinks he has the perfect cure for Mississippi's impending Medicaid crisis—ransacking the state's health care/tobacco trust fund.

The trust fund collects annual installments from the state's 1997 $4.1 billion settlement with tobacco companies. This year's payment alone was $96 million—$20 million of that a year goes to the private organization Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, which heads an anti-smoking campaign for teenagers.

The Senate has a bill (SB 1408) that would take $200 million from this fund for a one-time Medicaid fix (call it a Band-aid, if you will), but even State Sreasurer Tate Reeves, a Barbour man, has warned that looting the tobacco trust will probably harm both the state's credit rating and financial stability. Still, he is supporting Barbour's move.

Former Attorney General Mike Moore, who won the tobacco settlement in 2000, accuses Barbour of plain old politics. Moore told WLBT that Barbour's idea to raid the trust fund is the "silliest thing I've ever seen." He added: "Haley Barbour represented the big tobacco companies when I was suing them. He was making millions of dollars a year. Haley lost. We won."

Barbour's chief of staff, John Arledge, told the station: "The last time I checked there were no tobacco company representatives who were Medicaid recipients in the state of Mississippi," skating past the point that the tobacco industry will certainly benefit from low taxation and the gutting of anti-smoking programs such as that of Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. The more kids smoke and the less a pack costs, the more money for Big Tobacco.

Meanwhile, the House thinks they have a better long-term solution with House Bill 410 that proposes a 50-cent-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes—which Barbour defiantly refuses to consider, saying it isn't enough to cover the entire deficit now anyway. He defends the no-new-taxes solution, saying that increasing taxes isn't enough to fix the deficit because income taxes couldn't be collected until next year, and he is adamant that a cigarette tax wouldn't cover the entire deficit now.

Previous Comments

ID

64538

Comment

I knew Haley Barbour was a snake. Just needed a little time to see it. If he touches the tobacco fund, Mississippi will have a new Governor next term.

Author

Black Man

Date

2005-03-04T16:40:53-06:00

ID

64539

Comment

In a state where we are just about LAST in everything.. - let's leave alone one of the few things we're doing better than ANY other state. Tobacco use is down 30% due to the Partnership For A Healthy Mississippi. *LEAVE IT ALONE*

Author

phsjr1

Date

2005-03-06T13:59:23-06:00

ID

64540

Comment

Tobacco use is down 30% due to the Partnership For A Healthy Mississippi. That statement alone shows how ridiculous Arledge's statement to WLBT is, as quoted above. Do they think we're idiots, and can't see how it would benefit Barbour's old clients to rob the tobacco fund?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-03-06T15:23:04-06:00

ID

64541

Comment

What really gets me seeing red is when I turn on talk radio & hear those two IDIOTS JT & Dave trying to drum up a mob mentality of the LOWEST commen denominator against the Partnership... !@#$%$#! I think JFP should interview JT & Dave. They don't care about justice in politics, - 1st & formost - they're show is to ENTERTAIN. But sadly, it mostly MISINFORMS people......

Author

phsjr1

Date

2005-03-08T22:49:35-06:00

ID

64542

Comment

I don't think we want to give them any more publicity, ph. Right now, their listenership is fairly limited to their choir anyway. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Besides, I doubt they'd do it. We tried to interview Kim Wade about his blustering about the JFP not getting into heaven, or whatever, but he wouldn't do it. The bluster only goes so far. Too bad it doesn't make it to the factcheck stage often enough.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-03-09T09:59:46-06:00

ID

64543

Comment

From the governor today: "According to the Mississippi State Tax Commission, if an additional 50 cent tobacco tax was implemented April 1, the state would collect three months of taxes by June 30 or the end of the fiscal year. They estimate $23 million would be collected. Therefore, Mississippi cannot tax enough in three and a half months to cover a $268 million deficit. There is only one option available to legislators - the Health Care Trust Fund." There couldn't possibly be any sort of compromise, using a variety of revenue-generating and cutting options to make up the shortfall, could it? It just amazes me the hubris of Barbour not to allow even one inch of negotiation. Wow.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-03-09T10:30:38-06:00