Driving Another Nail Into Democracy’s Coffin

Major U.S. public health groups, including the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Assn., have urged the U.S. to quit the World Health Organization talks on a global anti-smoking treaty (Feb. 26). The tobacco lobbying group is apparently alive and well funded; it is resisting an advertising ban and tough action on secondhand smoke, and this group has been provided the wherewithal to speak for the U.S. at this international gathering.

This is simply another instance of the Bush administration’s tie with the contributing members of the tobacco lobby in Washington. It is another example of this administration’s total lack of concern for the welfare of the American public and its symbiotic relationship with its corporate contributors.

By allowing the tobacco industry to represent the United States at this international meeting, the Bush administration is driving another nail into the coffin of American democracy.

Bernard Solar

Laguna Woods