The Enlightened Despot

Michelle Malkin points to a provision in the stimulus bill for at least $75 million toward convincing people to stop smoking. I don’t know exactly what “smoking cessation activities” are - indeed, I would have thought smoking cessation required merely the absence of an activity, namely smoking - but I suspect they aren’t the best sort of stimulus. Were this money well spent, it should be passed elsewhere.

While we’re on the subject, though, I’ll point out that I don’t think this is money well spent. There was a case to be made for this sort of thing a decade ago: the tobacco companies spent a long time supressing evidence and lying to consumers about the addictive and harmful effects of cigarettes, so sufferers could claim to be victims plausibly, up to a point. But at this point, the facts are out on the table (and on the pack) and have been for a long time. The death toll from smoking is something that should horrify any human being, but I’d prefer my government to be indifferent.