Attorney General Tom Reilly has joined the growing ranks of tobacco
settlement historical revisionists ("Spend
litigation money on tobacco control - and save children's lives," op ed, April
6). He asserts that the Legislature is being asked to "neglect the original mission
of the lawsuit," but he himself neglects it.
The alleged purpose of the litigation, presented in trial court
documents, the settlement agreement, and countless newspaper reports, clearly was to
"reimburse" -- the lawsuit's word, not mine -- the Commonwealth, thus the
taxpayers who fund it, for their years of alleged expense treating tobacco-related
illnesses of uninsured smokers through Medicaid and CommonHealth programs.
The attorney general's office argued in Middlesex Superior Court:
"Reimbursement is simply 'repaying or making good the amount paid out.'" If this
is not a bait-and-switch scam, then taxpayers should now receive that reimbursement.
CHIP FORD
Citizens for Limited Taxation
Peabody