The wireless guys aren’t the only ones nagging the GOP-led Congress for liability protection against trial lawyers. The insurance, automobile, pharmaceutical, retail, chemical, tobacco and financial industries also have opened their wallets to get Congress to limit class actions by shifting lawsuits from state to federal courts.
The House, friendly to business and hostile to trial lawyers, has responded accordingly.
This week, Congress will debate whether to shield HMOs from lawsuits. HMOs, you know, have become about as popular as mobile phone-yakking SUV drivers.
Talking about HMOs, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officers is none too happy with Kaiser Permanente’s bright idea requiring subscribers to call a 1-800 number instead of 911 for emergencies.
“While I fully appreciate the HMO’s desire to manage health-care costs, the decision to place the corporate bottom line over the welfare of its subscribers is ill-advised,” said Joe Hanna, APCO’s president.
The Clinton administration, which receives generous campaign funding from trial lawyers, opposes some bills (though not 911 legislation) that curb lawsuits on grounds they hurt consumers.
But leave it to CTIA President Tom Wheeler to find common ground for warring Dems and Republicans. He did it, getting top lawmakers from both sides last week to rally around a wonderful “Call to Protect” campaign against domestic violence.
… With all the heated debate over digital wiretap, encryption, technology transfers and spying, you’ve got to wonder. The day after the White House reversed course and acquiesced to Silicon Valley’s demand for a relaxed encryption export policy, California Gov. Gray Davis officially endorsed Vice President Gore for president. Not that Davis’ backing wasn’t expected, but his timing was suspect.
It gets worse. While we spend millions on Chinese spy probes, it turns out the Clinton administration is giving away U.S. secrets. But not just to anyone. It seems that a slew of sensitive faxes from U.S. security officials-doing advance work for Clinton’s trip to the Asian-Pacific trade summit a few weeks ago-mistakenly were sent to a chicken processing plant in New Zealand.
Now, maybe, China will realize NATO did not intentionally bomb its embassy in Yugoslavia.
… As if it didn’t have enough problems already, Turkish authorities face violent uprisings in overcrowded prisons from inmates armed with weapons and (say it ain’t so) cellular phones.
… Bad news for antenna siting. George W. vows in new mailing that as president he’ll “give more flexibility and authority to states.”
… Many thanks to Dan Hesse and AT&T Wireless for the $14.88 credit on a bill sent to me. Only one problem, I’m not an AT&T subscriber. But depending how things go with my transition from Sprint Spectrum to Sprint PCS, who knows?
