Asbestos and Your Government For Sale

Politicians are corrupt. That should not be new news to you. An asbestos case in Texas, however, is showing just how bad the situation has become. 

The case was filed by John Robinson and his wife against Crown Cork and Seal, Inc. It is a convoluted case, but Robinson essentially asserted that he was a naval worker who was exposed to asbestos insulation made by Crown Cork. Nothing else about the case has been so simple.

The litigation started nearly a decade ago. Then something interesting happened. Crown Cork allegedly realized it wasn’t going to do to well in the courts defending this and potential other cases. To get around the problem, it started hiring lobbyists and lawyers to work on getting legislation passed that would put an end to any claims. With Governor Rick Perry in charge, that wasn’t too tough!

Texas passed “tort reform” in 2003. Perry claimed it was a ground breaking piece of legislation. He lied. It was more akin to a bordello where political influence was whored out like you would not believe. Consider one of the lobbyist hired by Crown Cork. She just happened to have been Perry’s fitness czar. A second lobbyist hired by the company had actually hired Perry’s wife to work for him. Wow. 

In truth, Perry wasn’t the only politician who seemed a bit to close to the flame if you will. House Speaker Tom Craddick took an interesting trip a year after the passage of the tort reform. What would a Catholic want more than anything? How about an audience with the Pope? Well, the lawyer for Crown Cook allegedly set it up and paid for the trip. 

What can we conclude from all this? Well, you are smart enough to draw your own conclusions. Fortunately, the Supreme Court in the state stepped in and struck down the law. The Court apparently felt that passing laws that favor one company wasn’t exactly Justice. No doubt the politicians in Texas are looking forward to a second round of “lobbying” to work on a new law!