convenient whipping boy to pump up her image. get back to governing - you've got a state in crisis, chris.

Yeah, darn her and the money her lawsuit against big tobacco won for our state back when she was AG. She's got a lot of nerve thinking she should just be able to yell at the poor advertisers who've helped fund Stranger writers' salaries over the years.

Note to Max, there is more to governing than just trying to balance a budget!

Like Dominic my grandmother died form smoking, my parents both smoke and it's a health disaster.

I would argue with you that her stance on tobacco does help our state finically. First to Gloomy guy point, the money the lawsuit brought in was huge and second, the less people getting sick, needing long term care and medication the better because that all cost us in the end. Considering if someone who does not have healthcare goes to the ER who pays? WE DO as tax payers.

GOOD JOB GOV! GO GET EM!

@1 for the win.

Because there's nothing like a rant against cigarette companies when you're shoving an unwanted Billionaires' Tunnel down Seattle's throat that they can't afford.

Gregoire is awesome. I love her passion and competence. I don't care what they say.

Funny, last night I suffered through a LONG market survey that was obviously paid for by Altria, whom you all might know better by its former name Philip Morris, asking me all sorts of questions about how aware I am of their many school programs, donations, services to the community, jobs, blah blah blah. They're apparently concerned that their message isn't getting out. Unfortunately for them, I AM aware of those efforts, and I don't give a goddamn; I want Philip Morris to go out of business forever. That's why I agreed to do the survey; I gave the poor girl on the phone an earful (and made her laugh several times).

I did learn something cool, though: Philip Morris owns Ste. Michelle Winery, so now I want Ste. Michelle to go out of business too. I don't buy their products often (or Columbia Crest, or Stag's Leap, or Erath, or any of their other brands), but that frequency has just dropped to zero.

Eat shit and die, Altria.

The smoking rate in WA is low enough that these packs are quaint little anachronisms, not some kind of FANTASTIC INSULT.

It's as meaningless as Crisco trading cards

@8, the fantastically punitive excise taxes she's championed over the years have helped press down the smoking rate to those levels you're so happy to cite, all the while raising huge revenue to boot - some of which cycles back into funding smoking cessation programs, reducing future state health care costs tremendously.

So I'd say as meaningful as Aquasox trading cards, at least.

@9 lol. You've never bought cigs in Canada, have you?

Will, when I smoked I used to love having to buy them there - a million dollars a pack and giant warnings like "SMOKER YOU WILL DIE IN FIVE MINUTES KILLING EVERYONE YOU LOVE WITH SECOND HAND SMOKE ALSO YOU HOSER".

@11 yeah and no singles either.

@12 actually, that's an interesting point. As we tamp down on one disease risk, others rise in its place. Part of a vicious cycle, really. On the other hand, unless you live in the US, you'll have fairly good health for most of those years.