CREATED 10/3/2012
 USAWARNING:
This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.
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OPINION ONLY
Lawrence Brunner
[Prof]
— A minor cash-for-comment economist from Central Michigan University who agreed to work for a short time for the tobacco industry. — Tobacco lobbyist James Savarese and Professor Robert Tollison of George Mason University collaborated in the 1980s to provide the tobacco industry, through the Tobacco Institute, with a number of networks of academics who would be willing to write propaganda material ... always provided their names were not linked to the industry or to any of the cigarette companies. The idea was simply that the academic 'sleepers' would be available on a cash-for-services basis when needed to counter attempts to increase excise taxes, or to ban public smoking, or just to appear as independent experts at Congressional hearings and promote the industry causes. Economist were by far the most useful academics to the tobacco industry because the distinction between economics and politics was never clear: so support of the cigarette companies could always be claimed as support for free-market economics ... the rights of individuals to make public choices ... small government ... or even the first Amendment to the Constitution. These economist working for Savarese, always claim to be 'independent' 'professionals' and ' academics', and they exploited the fact that they came from some credible university. They never revealed the source of their funding in their op-eds or letters-to-the-editor. If ever put under cross-examination, they must be able to claim (with weasel-word imprecision) that they had never received a penny from the tobacco industry. Therefore all payments were laundered, either through tobacco industry lawyers (usually Covington & Burling), the principle organisers, James Savarese & Associates, or through Bob Tollison's Center for the Study of Public Choice at George Mason University. The aim was to have, in each State, at least - one academic economist,
- one academic lawyer, and
- one academic from a business management, business law, marketing or advertising discipline
willing to jump into action and write op-ed articles for their local newspaper or to appear at local ordinance or legislative hearings. Copies were always sent to any local Congressman who sat on some important (to the tobacco industry) committee. The academics were always expected to wave their own and their university's credentials vigorously, and loudly proclaim their "independence' from any crass-commercial motives. And those who could boast of being 'non-smokers' were especially prized — since without this addiction, their non-dependent-on-tobacco status was thought to be proved beyond any doubt!
Unfortunately, it worked. | Content vs. Purpose? |
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| The question is not what was said in these articles, but rather the reasons why they were said. If your vision of economics is merely that it is a form of commercial bookkeeping (a view that prevailed until the global financial crisis), then clearly the early deaths of people who have passed their social usefulness and are a burden on the tax system, is of benefit to the survivors. Smokers who are taxed during their smoking lives and then die young are therefore a net bookkeeping benefit to their communities. In cost-benefit terms, their demise reduces the social deficit. Of course the same argument can apply to euthanasia of the disabled and the elderly, and perhaps the hanging of all academic economists who propound this sort of simplistic nonsense. |
Some key documents • Prof Lawrence Brunner, Department of Economics, Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
517-774-3820
1986: This is the Tollison/Saverese network list for 1986. It has 64 names, but it still doesn't cover all 50 States. Some States have two or three network members, so newspapers [and sometimes Congressmen] need to be specified for each member to ensure there is no accidental duplication.
Telephone numbers (office and home) are often included in case an urgent op-ed or ordinance hearing is needed. These are grouped by State: MICHIGAN
Professor Peter Boettke
Department of Economics, Oakland University, Rochester,MI 48309
Prof Lawrence Brunner
Department of Economics, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, 517-774-3820
Professor David Fand
Department of Economics, Wayne state University, Detroit, MI 48202, 313-642-2443
1988 Dec: /E Tax Hearing Readiness document of the Tobacco institute [for the 1989-1990 legislative session] This lists the TI economist who are on tap as: - Bill Orzechowski, Tobacco Institute
- Robert Tollison, George Mason University
- Richard Wagner, George Mason University
- Dwight Lee, University of Georgia, Athens
- Michael Davis, Southern Methodist University
- Gary Anderson, California State at Northridge
- Other Network economists (see attached list)
It also includes the detailed list of 64 "Other Network economists" which is divided by States: MICHIGAN
Professor Peter Boettke, Department of Economics,
Oakland University, Rochester,Ml 48309
Prof Lawrence Brunner, Department of Economics
Central Michigan University. Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 517-774-3820
Professor David Fand, Department of Economics
Wayne State University. Detroit, MI 48202 313-642-2443
 
1989 Jan 11: The Tobacco Institute's Scientific Consultancy Activity 1988-89 This is an 80 page mixed bag of files dumped together. [First is from 1990]
- Pages 3 to 23 It begins with Witness Appearances in 1988 and 1989 involving both "Indoor Air Quality experts" who work for the Tobacco Institute, and three economists [Bob Tollison, Richard Wagner and Dwight Lee]
- Pages 24 to 31 Labor IAQ Presentations in 1988 and 1989 which involves key figures in the labor movement and a few "IAQ experts."
- Pages 32 to 39 IAQ/ETS conferences attended by tobacco industry disinformation experts in 1988 and 1989
- Pages 40 to 41 Academic and Unaffiliated Scientfic Witnesses
- Pages 43 to 53 Smokers Rights Legislation in various states.
- See page 54: Tobacco Institute "Confidential" memo on "Tax Hearing Readiness" which is their battle plan to counter earmaking of cigarette excise taxes to fund health programs. It lists a large number of organizations and a few congressmen who can be relied on to help. It also has both primary and secondary lists of economists from Tollison's "cash-for-comments" network willing to give testimony.
Economists: [Primary]
- Bill Orzechowski, Tobacco Institute
- Robert Tollison, George Mason University
- Richard Wagner, George Mason University
- Dwight Lee, University of Georgia, Athens
- Michael Davis, Southern Methodist University
- Gary Anderson, California State at Northridge
- William Prendergast (resource: Prendergast/Solmon papers)
- Other Network economists [see Secondary attached list below]
"Due by mid-year is a book examining earmarking and "user fees" from a public choice perspective. The treatise will contain 8-10 chapters written by respected economists, including, Henri LePage and Nobel laureate James Buchanan." The Tobacco Institute's list of cash-for-comments professors and senior academics who were available to write op-eds and give evidence at Congressional hearings, etc. had grown extensively. Michigan now has a list of three:
- Professor Peter Boettke, Department of Economics
Oakland University, Rochester ,MI 48309
- Prof Lawrence Brunner, Department of Economics, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 517-774-3820
- Professor David Fand, Economics Department, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202 313-642-2443
[TI budget papers show that each op-ed now earned the economists $3,000. Presentations to conferences earned them $5,000. Savarese was paid $70 to $100,000 pa for this project, and Ogilvy & Mather $250,000.] ... See page 5
1989 April 18: Susan Stuntz (Issues Manager) at the Tobacco Institute memoes her boss Sam Chilcote. She is sending him material previously used for a two-day "Gerry Long" presentation. He wants to use it in a shorter one-day (unspecified) briefing session. [Gerald H Long was the CEO of RJ Reynolds who in 1988 had just taken over as Chairman of the Tobacco Institute's Executive Committee and wanted to make changes.]
It has the speaker's powerpoints which include a list of network economists divided on a State-by-State basis. Note the document is 117 pages
The outline for these Powerpoint slides is here in full, together with the politicians they were required to influence. It boasts that the.. Economists' Network 64 Strong [is] Targeted to Congressional Tax Writing Committees [and utilizing the] Production of Op-Eds on Federal Tax Policy. MICHIGAN — (LEVIN. VANDER JAGT. RIEGLE)- PETER BOETTKE, OAKLAND UNIV.
- LAWRENCE BRUNNER, CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIV.
- DAVID FAND, WAYNE STATE UNIV.
1990 May 7: The Tobacco Institute's "1991 Tax and Social Cost Plans" have sections on - "Social Costs" Hearings Readiness (preparation for fielding witnesses at Congressional hearings.) They list here the arguments that the Institute and its allies must be prepared to present.
- "Tax" Hearing Readiness (as above, but for excise tax increases, State and Federal)
- List of cash-for-comment network economists in each State.
This is an updated list with the current locations of each, with phone numbers and addresses.
MICHIGAN
Professor Peter Boettke
Department of Economics, Oakland University
Rochester,MI 48309
Prof Lawrence Brunner
Department of Economics, Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, M I 48859 517-774-3820
Professor David Fand
Department of Economics, Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202 313-642-2443
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WORTH READING
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