Authorities in Gng’an county are concerned about the economy and faltering sales of the local cigarette brand, Hubei. The solution was simple. They reportedly ordered government workers to smoke more or face possible fines.
China has 350 million smokers, but the authorities believe that civil servants and teachers could do more — setting a target of 230,000 packs a year. That amounts to 4.5 million cigarettes.
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Perhaps they mistranslated some of the dialogue from the movie “The Mask” where he used the macho phrase “SMOKIN’” often as a sign of doin’ gooooood …
I see a dream hook up with the Chinese govt. and a Mr. Phil Morris. BYOOxygen to the wedding!
There is an insanity that runs through the Chinese Government that is almost beyond belief. Is it the worst in the world, probably not. Certainly the religious based governments in the ME and those bordering on India are ridiculous in their methodology. At least, though, they have a religious orthodoxy to tend to. The Chinese are not religious, no longer Communist and in fact have gone fascist. Having billions of people makes individual human life insignificant unless you have an in. Otherwise it is ones duty to give all for the State at any personal cost. The striking thing is probably no one in power is even embarrassed by this story.
Another example of why state control of anything is a very bad idea. No mater the intentions of the individuals in charge it always, necessarily, will degrade into a diminishment of individual rights one way or another.
Fascism, Communism, and Socialism are anti-human life.
Well those that remember the the attitude of the service is you only got to take a break if you smoked. During the wars, it was common practice to make cigarettes available to all servicemen free of charge and if I remember the Red Cross put them in care packages for the POWs.
Our government has historically paid the tobacco farmers until it became socially unacceptable.
Now believe it or not s number of the major tobacco companies have expanded over seas as well as have interest in a number of Hospitals and Insurance Companies. (Go Figure) Do you think that this is horizontal or vertical integration?