GOP hopefuls target lawyers, unions, IRS

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Thu, Jun. 17, 2004

SENATE CAMPAIGN

GOP hopefuls target lawyers, unions, IRS

BY BRIAN E. CROWLEY
Palm Beach Post


WEST PALM BEACH - It was a tough night for trial lawyers, teacher unions and the IRS, but the seven Republican U.S. Senate candidates took it easy on each other during a 90-minute talk fest Wednesday at the Airport Hilton, where they agreed on nearly every issue.

Trial lawyers, who many Republicans say are responsible for frivolous lawsuits and higher medical costs, caught much of the flak. Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd called trial lawyers a ``predatory lawsuit industry.''

Former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum called for reducing the size of the IRS and replacing the income tax with ''a flat tax or a national sales tax.'' Clearwater attorney Sonya March and Coral Gables businessman Doug Gallagher said they would ''get rid'' of the IRS.

Teachers' unions did not fare much better. Mel Martinez, the former Housing and Urban Development secretary, said tax dollars must be spent to ``make sure our educational system is working for the benefit of children and not teacher unions.''

And while they all favored more domestic oil drilling, all were equally fervent in their belief that there should be no oil drilling off Florida.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8941268.htm

[saigon68]

1. Nice Photo of the GOP candidates

LOL

[Mental]

2. GOP Sucks

I think......He,he

[teryang]

3. Well, then!

I guess they want to export Florida standards to the rest of the country. People in Florida basically don't have a vote and can't unionize. The wages and labor conditions here rival those of a third world country. Let's get rid of the constitutional right of access to the courts while we're at it.

[SEpatriot]

4. And while were at it...

let's not forget that blacks, gays and other un-Americans are the cause of all of your troubles. Rich people good - IRS bad. Corporations good - lawyers bad. Corporate schools good - teachers unions bad.

Interesting thoughts: 1. How much did each of these guys pay in taxes last year? 2. Have they or any of their families ever been injured in an accident or filed an insurance claim? 3. Do their children (if they have any) go to public schools and if so, are their districts fully funded?

[dusty64]

5. Being rethugs, hypocrisy

is to be expected. Its OK to vote to ecologically rape the REST of the Country, just not Florida.

[struggle4progress]

6. kick

:kick: