🚀 go-pugleaf

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C08F8F.4544B580
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010205/3042695s.htm

Tobacco lawsuit is unfair=20
By Thomas Donohue=20


Our country's journey to freedom started with a cry of ''no taxation =
without representation.'' If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they =
would have surely provoked another revolution with a cry of ''no =
taxation through litigation.''=20

Not long after Congress rejected President Clinton's 1998 request for a =
massive tax on smokers, the Clinton administration ordered the Justice =
Department to go after tobacco companies through a taxpayer-supported =
lawsuit. The Bush administration now has the chance to correct this =
unfairness and treat tobacco like other legal industries.=20

The former administration, however, once stymied by Congress, bypassed =
the legislative process by launching a massive legal assault against a =
legitimate but ''politically incorrect'' industry.=20

The Justice Department manipulated a number of statutes, including laws =
meant to be used against organized crime, and disregarded court rulings =
that significantly weakened its case.=20

This issue isn't really about tobacco. It's about whether unelected =
lawyers, armed with the awesome legal powers and resources of the state, =
should be allowed to use lawsuits to fill government coffers and force =
policies on the public that our elected representatives have refused to =
enact.=20

This dangerous trend toward government-sponsored litigation isn't =
limited to tobacco. Other public agencies have advanced suits against =
gun makers and former manufacturers of lead paint. Who will be next? =
Fast-food restaurants? Computer makers?=20

No Americans should feel secure when the enormous power of the =
government can be unleashed against them in these cynical schemes to =
raise revenue, change policy or gain publicity. If it can happen to one =
of us, it can happen to any of us.=20

Abusive government-sponsored litigation has the potential to drain =
billions of dollars and thousands of jobs from our already-weak economy. =
More importantly, these lawsuits threaten to turn our balanced system of =
government upside down and jeopardize our freedoms as Americans.=20

Taxation without representation led our revolutionary forefathers to =
dump British tea in the Boston Harbor. So, too, should we dump the =
previous administration's economically destructive and legally suspect =
vendetta against lawful American industries.=20


Thomas Donohue is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. =
Bush has opportunity to correct government's abuse of litigation.=20




------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C08F8F.4544B580
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4611.1300" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010205/3042695s.htm">http://=
www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010205/3042695s.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><FONT size=3D5>Tobacco lawsuit is unfair<!-- End =
HeadLine -->=20
</FONT>
<P><!-- Begin ByLine -->By Thomas Donohue=20
<P><!-- End ByLine -->
<P><!-- Begin Story -->Our country's journey to freedom started with a =
cry of=20
''no taxation without representation.'' If the Founding Fathers were =
alive=20
today, they would have surely provoked another revolution with a cry of =
''no=20
taxation through litigation.''=20
<P>Not long after Congress rejected President Clinton's 1998 request for =
a=20
massive tax on smokers, the Clinton administration ordered the Justice=20
Department to go after tobacco companies through a taxpayer-supported =
lawsuit.=20
The Bush administration now has the chance to correct this unfairness =
and treat=20
tobacco like other legal industries.=20
<P>The former administration, however, once stymied by Congress, =
bypassed the=20
legislative process by launching a massive legal assault against a =
legitimate=20
but ''politically incorrect'' industry.=20
<P>The Justice Department manipulated a number of statutes, including =
laws meant=20
to be used against organized crime, and disregarded court rulings that=20
significantly weakened its case.=20
<P>This issue isn't really about tobacco. It's about whether unelected =
lawyers,=20
armed with the awesome legal powers and resources of the state, should =
be=20
allowed to use lawsuits to fill government coffers and force policies on =
the=20
public that our elected representatives have refused to enact.=20
<P>This dangerous trend toward government-sponsored litigation isn't =
limited to=20
tobacco. Other public agencies have advanced suits against gun makers =
and former=20
manufacturers of lead paint. Who will be next? Fast-food restaurants? =
Computer=20
makers?=20
<P>No Americans should feel secure when the enormous power of the =
government can=20
be unleashed against them in these cynical schemes to raise revenue, =
change=20
policy or gain publicity. If it can happen to one of us, it can happen =
to any of=20
us.=20
<P>Abusive government-sponsored litigation has the potential to drain =
billions=20
of dollars and thousands of jobs from our already-weak economy. More=20
importantly, these lawsuits threaten to turn our balanced system of =
government=20
upside down and jeopardize our freedoms as Americans.=20
<P>Taxation without representation led our revolutionary forefathers to =
dump=20
British tea in the Boston Harbor. So, too, should we dump the previous=20
administration's economically destructive and legally suspect vendetta =
against=20
lawful American industries.=20
<P>
<P><I>Thomas Donohue is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of =
Commerce.</I>=20
<OPPOSING_VIEW>Bush has opportunity to correct government's abuse of=20
litigation.</OPPOSING_VIEW> </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C08F8F.4544B580--