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I wish I didn't have to write this. I don't like sounding
alarmist -- there's already enough stress and pressure in the
world.
But we have never faced a threat so dire. The Asbestos Bail Out
Bill presents a clear and present danger to the rights of millions
of Americans poisoned by asbestos. Instead of fixing the problems
in the tort system, SB 1125 simply abolishes it,
along with your 7th Amendment right to a civil jury trial
guaranteed by the Supreme Law of the Land. The Bill is a thinly
disguised attempt to concentrate power in another Federal
Bureacracy, destroy states rights, excuse corporate accountability,
dismantle our civil tort system and elevate corporate profits over
the health and lives of injured Americans.
The insurance and manufacturing lobbyists have amassed a huge war
chest. They are spending millions of dollars on a wild propaganda
campaign to convince the public that SB 1125 is the final, perfect
solution. Their rhetoric is filled with whoppers: "we
are concerned about the victims," "we want to
expedite the compensation of victims," "the bill
will pay victims quickly, fairly and efficiently,"
"the bill will create jobs," and "the bill
will provide certainty for claimants and
predictability for businesses." Patently untrue, all
of it.
Sen. Frist has vowed to bring the Asbestos Bail Out Bill to a vote
at the end of this month. We need to marshall the votes to defeat
the bill. Attached, I have listed the names of the U.S. Senators
who are up for re-election and whose votes against SB 1125 are
vital. We need their "no" vote. Write to them. Better
yet, help finance their re-election campaigns.
Under the new campaign finance law, you can give up to $2,000 per
person to each candidate. So, for example, my wife and I each gave
$2,000 to a number of senators. I wrote a check for $2,000 to the
senator, and my wife wrote another, for a total of $4,000.
I know this is a huge amount. But the stakes are huge. Even if you
have settled the bulk of your asbestos lawsuit, you likely have not
collected the future payments from the 10 to 15 bankruptcy trusts
(such as Babcock & Wilcox, Combustion Engineering, Owens
Corning, USG, Armstrong, WR Grace, etc). Under the Bail Out Bill,
the Federal Government will confiscate the trust funds from those
debtors and transfer same to the Federal Trust. If you have already
obtained settlements at or near the cap set by the Trust (around
$750,000 to $1 million -- it's unclear, as nobody wants to
release a draft of the bill -- minus collateral source payments),
you will forfeit any rights to additional compensation.
You have an asbestos lawsuit, or recently resolved one, you have a
direct stake in this fight. If the Senate passes SB 1125, you will
lose. If we defeat the bail out bill, you and thousands of present
and future claimants win the right to pursue your constitutionally
guaranteed civil rights.
Please consider a donation to your senator. Let them know you are
counting on their "no" vote to SB 1125. I am sending this
letter to all of my clients. If you have any questions, please call
me.
Sincerely,
Roger G. Worthington
PS: If you decide to write a check for any amount up to $2,000 [any
amount is outstanding], please make it payable to "[Name of
the U.S. Senator] for Senate'.
The following Senators we think are leaning towards voting
"No" on SB 1125, but need a "push." Concentrate
on these Senators first.
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Lincoln, Blanche - (D - AR)
355 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4843 Fax: (202)228-1371
Web Form: Lincoln.senate.gov/webform.html
Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-3841 Fax: (202) 228-3954
Web Form: Feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
Dodd, Christopher - (D - CT)
448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2823 Fax: (202) 228-1683
Web Form: Dodd.senate.gov/webmail/
Lieberman, Joseph - (D - CT)
706 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4041 Fax: (202) 224-9750
Web Form: Lieberman.senate.gov/newsite/contact.cfm
Bayh, Evan - (D - IN)
463 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5623 Fax: Not Published
Web Form: Bayh.senate.gov/webmail1.htm
Breaux, John - (D - LA)
503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4623 Fax: Not Published
E-mail: Senator@breaux.senate.gov
Landrieu, Mary - (D - LA)
724 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5824 Fax: (202)224-9735
Web Form: Landrieu.senate.gov/webform.html
Levin, Carl - (D - MI)
269 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-6221 Fax: (202) 224-1388
Web Form: Levin.senate.gov/contact.htm
Baucus, Max - (D - MT)
511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2651 Fax: (202) 224-4700
Web Form: Baucus.senate.gov/emailmax.html
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Conrad, Kent - (D - ND)
530 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2043 Fax: (202) 224-7776
Web Form: Conrad.senate.gov/webform.html
Dorgan, Byron - (D - ND)
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2551 Fax: (202) 224-1193
E-mail: Senator@dorgan.senate.gov
Wyden, Ron - (D - OR)
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5244 Fax: Not Published
Web Form: Wyden.senate.gov/contact.html
Chafee, Lincoln - (R - RI)
141 a Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2921 Fax: Not Published
Web Form: Chafee.senate.gov/webform.htm
Reed, Jack - (D - RI)
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4642 Fax: (202) 224-4686
Web Form: Reed.senate.gov/form-opinion.htm
Jeffords, James - (I - VT)
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5141 Fax: Not Published
Web Form: Jeffords.senate.gov/contact-form.html
Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA)
717 Hart Senate Office Building Washington
DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-3441 Fax: (202) 228-0514
Web Form: Cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html
Kohl, Herb - (D - WI)
330 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5653 Fax: (202) 224-9787
E-mail: Senator_kohl@kohl.senate.go
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The following Senators are either "on the fence"
or inclined to vote for SB 1125, and therefore need a major push
from thousands of constituents.
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Shelby, Richard - (R - AL)
110 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5744 Fax: (202)224-3416
E-mail: Senator@shelby.senate.gov
Campbell, Ben - (R - CO)
380 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5852 Fax: (202) 228-4609
Web Form: Campbell.senate.gov/email.htm
Crapo, Michael - (R - ID)
239 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-6142 Fax: (202) 228-1375
Web Form: Crapo.senate.gov
Collins, Susan - (R - ME)
172 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2523 Fax: (202)224-2693
Web Form: Collins.senate.gov/low/contactemail.htm
Coleman, Norm - (R - MN)
320 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5641 Fax: (202) 224-1152
Web Form: Coleman.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Dayton, Mark - (D - MN)
346 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-3244 Fax: (202) 228-2186
Web Form: Dayton.senate.gov/webform.html
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Cochran, Thad - (R - MS)
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-5054 Fax: Not Published
Web Form: Cochran.senate.gov/contact.htm
Ensign, John - (R - NV)
364 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-6244 Fax: (202 228-1374
Web Form:
Ensign.senate.gov/contact_john/contactjohn_email.html
Dewine, Mike - (R - OH)
140 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2315 Fax: (202) 224-6519
Web Form: Dewine.senate.gov
Smith, Gordon - (R - OR)
404 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-3753 Fax: (202) 228-3997
Web Form: Gsmith.senate.gov/webform.htm
Leahy, Patrick - (D - VT)
433 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4242 Fax: (202) 224-3479
E-mail: Senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
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Click
Here for a complete list of
Elected Officials
*** POSTED MARCH 4, 2004 ***
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