Governor: Raising cigarette tax will cut down on smoking
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday that her proposal to raise the state cigarette tax from $1.25 to $2 per pack will help make up for lost federal dollars and encourage people to stop smoking.

The higher fee would raise about $295 million in new revenues, which would go toward filling a gap in the Medicaid budget left by fewer federal dollars.

The administration recently raised its estimate of the shortfall in next year's budget from $1 billion to $1.3 billion because of the cutback in federal dollars for the state-run health program for low-income residents.

Ah-hah! So it's George's fault!

Boy, these tax cuts are costing me a lot of money...