Shocking! Tort Reformers Call For Anti Consumer Senator In Florida

With the recent resignation of the Republican Senator from Florida , Mel Martinez, the Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, needed to appoint a new Senator. Thankfully the business group Associated Industries of Florida was available to help. Who are they? Apparently, no one knows because their membership is confidential. But, goggling them and reading some of their positions, it looks a lot like the group of people who did such a great job with the economy in the last four years and then stood in line for government bail outs. It quite possibly is the group that doesn’t want to take responsibility for anything and wants to shut the courthouse doors to anyone but them and their ever growing business lawsuits.

Their statement:

“As Florida continues to weather a period of economic uncertainty, it is critical for our elected leaders to take every step possible to support Florida’s workers, business community and overall economic well being. Following the recent resignation of Florida U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, Gov. Crist is faced with a critical decision that will impact Florida’s economic future – who will he name to replace Sen. Martinez?

We believe the Governor is acting with great prudence and deliberation as he continues his interview process for a potential successor to Sen. Martinez. As that process draws to a close, we expect Gov. Crist to appoint a new Senator who recognizes the importance of advancing policies that will help Florida’s economic engines regain their strength and lead to more opportunities for Floridians. As Congress prepares to debate critical issues such as health care reform, card check and climate change, this new Senator must understand the principles of lower taxes, less regulation and litigation, and must be willing to stand up for Florida’s business leaders, and working men and women.

Many candidates have emerged to succeed Sen. Martinez; several of them could make excellent U.S. Senators. While AIF will not officially endorse any of these potential candidates, we urge the Governor to look closely at the credentials of these candidates. One thing Florida does not need is a new Senator with a history of trying to raise taxes on the hard working families of Florida or supporting special groups like trial lawyers. It would be a costly mistake to give Florida’s open Senate seat to someone who would support policies that add an even greater burden to our businesses and employers across our state. Gov. Crist has choices before him ranging from pro-business leaders to practicing trial lawyers. We are hopeful the Governor will select the candidate with the right credentials for the job.”

Yep, they go out of their way to make sure that it can’t be a trial lawyer. The Bush/Rove frivolous lawyer bashing continues. I wonder if they would have rallied against Abraham Lincoln. Read this statement close and ask yourself: what is this unnamed group really afraid of? I would suggest it’s being held responsible, not being allowed to continue to feed at the government trough, and maybe having to do what’s right for the consumer.

I hope that the next Florida Senator, George LeMieux, is someone who really wants to help people, will not just be there to be reelected, and who will listen to and fight for the people of Florida. A Trial Lawyer might have fit that description.