FreedomWorks recruits, educates, trains, and mobilizes ordinary Americans to fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. For more information please call 1-888-564-6273 or click the link.
__
ASBESTOS LITIGATION IS OUT OF CONTROL… Aggressive trial lawyers continue to cash in on asbestos lawsuits, bankrupting American businesses and siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars that would be better used to compensate victims of asbestos-related illness.
…BUT A NEW GOVERNMENT PROGRAM IS NOT THE ANSWER
Congress needs to fix the problem. Unfortunately, Senator Arlen Specter is pushing “Trust Fund” legislation that would make matters worse by creating a new $140 billion government program to pay out asbestos claims. This staggering level of funding would come from a new tax taken from companies, many of them only remotely related to asbestos. The ultimate effect will be lost jobs and a weaker economy. The last thing American industry needs is a wave of bankruptcies and another entitlement black hole guaranteed to swell the budget deficit. TRIAL LAWYERS WILL CASH IN WITH THE SPECTER TRUST FUND Even worse, the Specter Trust Fund guarantees a payoff of nearly $14 billion to asbestos attorneys. Money should go to victims, not trial lawyers. Haven't the trial lawyers taken enough already? TRUE ASBESTOS VICTIMS ARE HURT MORE THAN HELPED BY THE SPECTER TRUST FUND The Specter Trust Fund establishes rules that The Wall Street Journal calls “far too loose,” failing to provide airtight medical criteria that would benefit legitimate victims of asbestos-related disease. With so much Trust Fund money at stake, unrelated and fraudulent claims will aggressively compete for funds that should go to true victims. THERE IS A BETTER WAY: MEDICAL CRITERIA LEGISLATION
Let’s fix the underlying legal problem--not create a new tax-and-spend program. Instead of the Trust Fund, Congress should follow the lead of states like Ohio that have already enacted practical asbestos relief legislation based on strict medical criteria, ensuring real victims receive prompt and just compensation.
