司法省がタバコ業界に対して起こした訴訟 その１
The Justice Department v. Big Tobacco Part 1
From episode 42, " The Fall's Gonna Kill You"
今週と来週は、合衆国司法省がタバコ業界を相手取って起こした訴訟に関する話題をお届けしましょう。
まず、司法次官補マーティン・コネリーと次席補佐官ジョシュの会話を見てみましょう。
Connelly:
The case is running out of money.
Josh:
Which case?
Connelly:
The US v...
Josh:
You're kidding me!
Connelly:
No!
Josh:
Martin, we spent 13 million the first year, 23 million the second... Where's the money going?
Connelly:
Outside counsel and staff, depositions, expert witnesses, processing database, research...
Josh:
Yeah.
Connelly:
We have 31 lawyers on a case against 5 tobacco companies, just one of which has 342. We won't count the 13 subsidiaries that have mounted their own defense. Tobacco has spent 380 million dollars to the government's 36, so when I come here asking you for money, it's not because the Justice Department blew its allowance on videogames! I should have let Mack talk to you first.
Josh:
Aren't you allowed to transfer funds...
Connelly:
Yeah, that's what we've been doing. We've been transferring money from Commerce and Health and Human Services to pay for the lawsuit. But then the House passed the HR-260 and now the Committees...
Josh:
Yeah.
Connelly:
You understand?
Josh:
Yeah, let me run it by Leo.
Connelly:
This is a fight worth winning.
Josh:
You don't have to convince me.
Connelly:
These people perpetrated a fraud against the public.
Now, some in Congress say that teen smoking has nothing to do with Joe Camel. Medical science and common sense makes it plain. Teen smoking has everything to do with Joe Camel, with unscrupulous marketing campaigns that prey on the insecurities and dreams of our children.
We passed a law last summer that says they can transfer funds from Commerce, from Health and Human Services. They can take it from Veteran's Affairs up to what? I think twelve million dollars.
Josh:
Yeah, but the problem is the law says that those transfers are subject to approval by various House committees, each of which has a chairman elected with the eight million dollars Tobacco spent in the last election. And even if the transfers were approved, it wouldn't matter, ‘cause twelve million isn't gonna get it done.
tobacco cuts government spending for programs such as health care, pensions, and housing for the elderly due to the premature deaths of smokers, resulting in a net economic gain.
