I really can't comprehend much of a 'fix' for our current judicial system. In my opinion the whole mess is caused by people blaming others for their own ignorance or errors. We do need a system protecting us from negligence, either from a product or an individual, that also disallows fivilous lawsuits. I've written to my representatives and congressmen about the need for tort reform. I've heard nothing from them./w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif
I think 'common sense' should be a viable defense for some of these companies. Everybody knows coffee is hot! Everybody knows smoking is harmful to your health! Everybody knows fast food is full of fats and salts! If you dont, you admit you are an idiot, and you deserve to revisit grades 1 through 8.
Here's my list of what is wrong with the tobacco litigation:
-Cigarettes were not popular until WWI, when the US army issued them to the soldiers. Should the government shoulder some blame?
-Cigarettes have had a product warning on them for years now, and is one of the only products that has such a prominent warning, if any at all.
-The government currently, and has done so for the last several years, makes more money off of taxes on the smokes than the manufacturer does.
-The human body can pick up disease, cancer or otherwise, from any number of sources. Proving that a particular product caused a disease in a particular individual seems rather like an implied notion. This thereby instantiates the point that everyone knows smoking is bad for one's health.
-Since everyone knows smoking is bad, doing so, you run the risks, and should be responsible for your own actions. They don't call them 'coffin nails' for no reason.
-Tobacco State settlements are in large, NOT going towards health programs or anti-smoking programs. The States would probably go bankrupt if they lost the tax revenue.
I could go on and on, but even I'm getting tired of reading my post!/w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif
Finally, anyone who thinks this is punishing some old company CEO's is being foolish. The company's either go out of business, or raise their prices. In the end, it is YOU, the consumer, who pays for these lawsuits whose sole purpose is to make lawyers rich.