Oppose Senate Bill 1125 Huntington Beach, CA
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Thursday, June 05, 2003
The honorable Diane Feinstein
Subject: SB 1125 VIA FACSIMILE Dear Senator Feinstein: I am a California resident stricken with right Pleural Mesothelioma and I am writing to urge you to oppose senate bill 1125. I have studied the terms of this bill and, as written, it constitutes a gross miscarriage of justice for those of us injured by the Asbestos industry and a massive bailout for corporations seeking to evade even the minimum of just and fair restitution. I was diagnosed in June of 2001 and have undergone extensive, complicated, painful, and debilitating treatment in an effort to stay alive. The cost of this treatment has exceeded six hundred thousand dollars and the bill keeps mounting as long as I am alive. Many of the victims are veterans or defense industry workers, now out of work or denied adequate health care. If, like many of the workers exposed to Asbestos, I had been left without employer provided or adequate medical insurance, my family would have been left with little choice but to pray for an early death to avoid financial ruin. The compensation considered by the bill simply doesn't approach being adequate for the pain and suffering I have endured by having my lung ripped out, my sixth rib sawed out, the lining of my chest cavity burned away, my diaphragm cut out and the lining of my heart stripped, all in a desperate attempt to save my life. I then endured four months of nauseating chemotherapy and massive doses of radiation. If I live, I will never be able to work or enjoy many of life's pleasures. Deducting pain and suffering compensation from the disability payments intended for loss of employment is adding insult to injury. As I understand it, victims must also prove 10 years of exposure to qualify for any compensation and once this bill becomes law, they will have no other remedies. While many veterans will qualify under these terms, how will congress and the senate be able to face the thousands of critical care workers who rushed to save the victims of 9/11? These heroes received huge doses of Asbestos dust from the 40,000 tons of this fiber released by the collapse of the towers over a very short duration with mostly inadequate protective equipment. What will our government say when many of these gallant individuals fall prey to this horrible disease only to be denied compensation for their untimely deaths and suffering by the unfairly restrictive terms of this heinous bill? I implore you, and ask you to show your patriotism by supporting our opposition to this bill, which would be another blow against the benefits our government provides to its veterans. It will reflect poorly on all of us if we fail to protect those who risked their lives to protect us, only to shield heartless corporations from being held accountable for unleashing this poison on so many of our finest citizens. Please feel free to contact me and to examine and verify my medical records, files and story. You may reach me at 714-969-1481. Thank you for your support and your fine record in service to the people of California. Sincerely { to read the author's medical profile, please click here }
*** POSTED ON JUNE 6, 2003 *** |