In Legislature’s hands

I’m sure you are as sick as I am having to read all those stories about legislators involved in schemes involving state money. There were the fellows helping some small church college get some state money, and somehow in the process some of it went to them. Ah well, I’m sure they meant well. Then there was a Fort Smith scheme of some sort in which a sports stadium or something like it was involved. I don’t recall how it turned out. There have been others, always someone wanting state money for “a good cause,” but the politician ramrodding it always seeming to benefit in some way.

This latest is big-league compared to those. It seems an owner-operator of nursing homes was unlucky when a trial court found for the deceased. An old lady died mostly from neglect is what I hear, but a trial court found her case bad enough to award

mucho dinero to her family. Judging from past experience, it seems the defendant decided to get to the root of it all, and that is to take a lot of authority away from the courts.

Enter Issue 1 on the next election ballot, which will strip away a lot of the courts’ power and give it to the Legislature. Yeah, that’s the ticket. And just this one change will save all kinds of businesses lots of money. Sure, get the courts under control and we can get back to business. What do they call it? Oh yeah—tort reform. It even lets them get their trial and attorney expenses back if they win. And with this new change, they can look forward to winning a lot.

So here is my message to the women because they’re better at keeping track of things than men. Go to the calendar right now, and for election Nov. 6 write down Issue 1, tort reform—not only no, but hell no. And when any politician asks for your vote, ask him or her where they stand on Issue 1. If they say they’re for it, tell them not only no, but hell no! You see, that language they understand.

WALTER SKELTON Little Rock