Are we really losing that much with the closures of Mac Baren and Sutliff?

[NookersTheCat]

To be fair, this (profitability assessment) can happen to all blends by whatever manufacturer, right?
Otherwise they'll be losing money and risk going down as well.

Even though we hope blenders is doing stuff just to please us pipe smokers, I think that without profitability we will lose all blends in the end, Right?
I'm really sad over this Mac Baren/Sutliff ordeal, but I think it is unfair to blame STG only... Some blame should also be put on the previous Mac Baren owners, though MOST of the blame should be thrown hard at our regulating bodies; EU, US etc, governments, politicians.. the really evil taxating ones. Booh them.

(And no, this is not a political post. I just happened to mention some political institutes in a tobacco blame game)

Agreed, on all points.
And (not to derail the thread, but it seems about played out by now anyway) to prove it goes beyond politics look into how Central Banking works... highly recommend the documentaries "Money for Nothing" & "Four Horsemen" free on YT. You'll see how it's really only in the last 100 years how we've allowed the banking system to be structured to produce tons of "cheap money" for those at the top (regardless of political affiliation).

That's the root of what creates these mega-conglomerates that get the opportunity to take an otherwise profitable and viable business like this and destroy it just for "shareholder value" or whatever. People blame capitalism but in reality the amount of central planning in our economy would make Stalin jealous. Again, this has nothing to do with Red vs. Blue...