Ask your Rep to oppose S.256, -- limits our rights to sue corporations

[katinmn]

This bill could come up within a matter of hours. You can tell your Representative to vote it down with a few clicks of the keyboard.

Keep Your Eye on the Corruption. This is the first bill passed by the U.S. Senate. They're off to a helluva start.

America's Future | www.ourfuture.org
Send this message to your member of Congress today!

http://www.ourfuture.org/eye_on_Congress.cfm
Dear xxx,

It's payback time! After contributing tens of millions of dollars to Congressional candidates, last week the fat cat corporate lobbyists successfully pushed their self-serving agenda through the most corrupt Congress ever.

The very first bill passed by the U.S. Senate severely limits your right to sue a corporation that does you wrong. Remember Erin Brockovich -- the crusading mom who discovered that Pacific Gas & Electric contaminated the ground water in a small town? In the 1990s, she was able to organize the community, sue the corporation, and win $333 million for the victims. Today, thanks to the most corrupt Congress ever, corporate America can rest a little bit easier knowing that it's harder for innocent victims hold them accountable.

Now, this tort reform bill heads to the House of Representatives where it will be voted on before the end of the week. Send a message to your lawmaker now -- let them know that you're watching and expect them to vote to protect you not their big money lobbyist friends.

http://www.ourfuture.org/eye_on_Congress.cfm

The second bill set to be passed by the Congress restricts your ability to seek relief from greedy creditors. Credit card companies have long pushed their deceptive credit schemes on unsuspecting families, and now this bill will pull the rug out from under these families. Who suffers? Ordinary Americans -- like Rose Shaffer -- a working class nurse from Chicago who suffered a heart attack, and then had to contend with sky-rocketing medical expenses.

A week after Rose was released from the hospital, she received a bill for $18,000. Under pressure from her hospital to pay the bill, she was forced to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Now, the most corrupt Congress ever is siding with greedy creditors who want to make it more difficult for people like Rose Shaffer to get bankruptcy protections for the little money that they have left.

Write your Representatives and tell them that it's their job to protect you, not their big money lobbyist friends.

http://www.ourfuture.org/eye_on_Congress.cfm

There will be more big money lobbyist payoffs to come. The National Association of Manufacturers -- the same group pushing to limit your right to sue -- is leading the fight to privatize Social Security. We must act now to send a clear message to Congress that -- regardless of the issue -- the rights of ordinary Americans cannot be defeated by the power of corporate contributions.

Before these bills are taken up by the House of Representatives, send a message to your members of Congress -- tell them that you're watching, and will hold them accountable.

http://www.ourfuture.org/eye_on_Congress.cfm

Sincerely,

Ellen S. Miller, Deputy Director
Campaign for America's Future

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. kick

[merh]

2. Hell, I have just accepted this as a given and will be investing

in Ford stock - once this is passed they can roll out that popular retro car -- the Pinto! Whoopeee! <<sarcasm>>

[katinmn]

4. The first bill passed shows that the Senate is just a fricking brothel

I wonder how many Dems supported this?

[merh]

5. I think it was like 70 to 24 or something like that.

Obama voted for it. That really pissed me off. He won with such a huge majority yet he voted for condi, he voted to accept the electoral college votes and he voted for this disgusting bill.

Let me see if I can find the vote tally for you.

I was close:

(snip)

Despite complaints the legislation could hurt consumers, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill 72-26 on Thursday. The House will take it up next week and send it to the president to sign into law.

(snip)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/10/limiting.lawsuits.ap/

Vote Counts:
YEAs 72
NAYs 26
Not Voting 2

Alphabetical by Senator Name
Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Alexander (R-TN), Yea
Allard (R-CO), Yea
Allen (R-VA), Yea
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Yea
Biden (D-DE), Nay
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Bond (R-MO), Yea
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Brownback (R-KS), Yea
Bunning (R-KY), Yea
Burns (R-MT), Yea
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Byrd (D-WV), Nay
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Chafee (R-RI), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Yea
Clinton (D-NY), Nay
Coburn (R-OK), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Yea
Coleman (R-MN), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
Corzine (D-NJ), Nay
Craig (R-ID), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Yea
Dayton (D-MN), Nay
DeMint (R-SC), Yea
DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Dole (R-NC), Yea
Domenici (R-NM), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Ensign (R-NV), Yea
Enzi (R-WY), Yea
Feingold (D-WI), Nay
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Frist (R-TN), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Yea
Gregg (R-NH), Yea
Hagel (R-NE), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Jeffords (I-VT), Yea
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kennedy (D-MA), Nay
Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay
Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Nay
Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lott (R-MS), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Martinez (R-FL), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Nay
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Obama (D-IL), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Nay
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Salazar (D-CO), Yea
Santorum (R-PA), Not Voting
Sarbanes (D-MD), Nay
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Smith (R-OR), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Stevens (R-AK), Yea
Sununu (R-NH), Not Voting
Talent (R-MO), Yea
Thomas (R-WY), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Warner (R-VA), Yea
Wyden (D-OR), Nay

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00009

[katinmn]

7. Thank you. I'm REALLY surprised about Obama, too

Is he a sell-out from the get-go?

Sad. We had such hopes for him.

[merh]

9. It is sad, but his record so far is 1 out of 4

He did vote against Gonzales.

:shrug:

[Cocoa]

3. thanks for the heads up

I didn't even know about this bill.

[katinmn]

6. I guess it's actually two bills that feed corporate greed

and hurts citizens.

The action alert addresses both bills in one letter. Sorry I didn't point that out.

I heard about it in passing but had no idea the Senate had already taken it up and passed it. A$$holes.

[Peak_Oil]

8. Just got off the phone w/ Boxer's office

that bill's still in the judiciary committee. Call your senator and ask them to vote No.

[merh]

10. DIdn't it pass the senate and is no in the house?

I am so confused.

[lostinacause]

11. Do you have a copy of the actual implications of the bill? -nt

[katinmn]

12. No, but there's a Senate site where you can look up votes

and where bills are in committees.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_109_1.htm

I looked in the judiciary committee for this bill but didn't see it listed yet.

Edited to include the CNN online article.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/10/limiting.lawsuits.ap/