Lawsuits are like surgeries. Your surgery is minor, but my surgery is major. Your lawsuit is frivolous, but my lawsuit is meritorious. How many times over the years have we seen this attitude in politicians? That’s a rhetorical question — you can read an informative article on my Web site about the Hypocrites of Tort Reform.
The latest to join the long list of hypocrites is Republican Senator Trent Lott. I’m going to take the liberty of including an entire post from David Sirota’s Working for Change blog:
12.16.05
NOW & THEN: Trent Lott on suing & lawsuits
Never underestimate the willingness of a slimy politician to prescribe one thing for society, and then do another thing in his own personal life.NOW:
“Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott and his wife sued State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. to force the insurer to pay for damage to their house in Pascagoula on the Gulf of Mexico, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.”
– Wall Street Journal, 12/16/05
THEN:
“The Democrats seem to think that the answer is a lawsuit. Sue everybody.”
– Sen. Trent Lott, 7/20/01“I’m among many Mississippi citizens who believe tort reform is needed.”
– Sen. Trent Lott, 5/8/02“You know, obviously we should [enact tort reform]…Someday it will happen, and the sooner the better.”
– Sen. Trent Lott, 1/24/01” Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi today credited the agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and tort reform initiatives passed by the Congress and signed into law by President Bush with the overall upturn in the national economy.”
– Sen. Trent Lott press release, 12/2/05“If their answer to everything is more lawsuits, then yes, that’s a problem, because I certainly don’t support that.”
– Sen. Trent Lott, 8/2/02“It’s sue, sue, sue… That’s not the answer.”
– Sen. Trent Lott, 8/4/01
