Henry Should Veto Corporate Immunity Act

(Are you sick and tired of U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe’s outrageous public statements about climate change and the environment? Take a few seconds to sign this petition urging state Senator Andrew Rice to run against Inhofe in 2008.)

(The basic philosophy behind Oklahoma Senate Bill 507, a GOP bill designed to take away your legal rights, is this: Corporations should be exempt from responsibility for the safety of their products, and Oklahoma citizens should be denied access to the legal system as much as possible.)

Imagine your loved one lying comatose in Integris Baptist Medical Center after eating some manufactured food tainted by poison. The bills are mounting, and doctors say there’s no hope of recovery. You’re emotionally devastated and angry at the food company. Dozens of others across the country are either comatose as well or dead after eating the same food.

Does this sound far-fetched? It won’t if you’ve been paying attention to the news and know just a little about the recent history of corporate farming and food production in this country. Do you think the bigwigs at big food corporations and corporate animal operations care one bit about your safety and overall health? Do you think they care whether you live or die?

But at least, you might think, the American legal system will ensure you get compensated for medical costs and loss of wages, right? Well, increasingly, corporate America and the Republican Party are taking away your right to obtain monetary compensation for negligence.

The basic philosophy behind Oklahoma Senate Bill 507, a GOP bill designed to take away your legal rights, is this: Corporations should be exempt from responsibility for the safety of their products, and American citizens should be denied access to the legal system as much as possible.

Under the bill, which some might call the “Corporate Immunity Act,” state residents will be denied basic constitutional rights to sue for appropriate damages. The Senate this week passed the bill, 25-23, and it will now go to the governor’s office, according to news reports. Gov. Brad Henry should veto this bill.

According to the Oklahoma Center for Consumer and Patient Safety (OCCPS), “The legislation contains many provisions that will strip away individual constitutional rights in the interest of providing immunity for corporations.”

OCCPS points out three particular corporate-windfall portions of the bill: (1) It contains caps on so-called “non-economic” damages that could be rewarded. Punitive damages would only be allowed if an individual can show gross negligence. It caps pain and suffering damages at $300,000. (2) Products eight years or older would be exempt from liability even if the manufacturer knew such products were not safe. (3) It eliminates the collateral source rule, which basically prohibits a defendant, say a big corporation, from arguing the person suing might be reimbursed for injuries through other means, such as insurance. By eliminating this basic law, some companies could escape any legal responsibility for their actions.

Some Democratic senators also complained about a provision in the bill that would make it difficult for people to use information about particular incidents in nursing homes or other health facilities in a civil lawsuit.

Why in the world would we reward big corporations at the expense of regular people? The lucky ones who own these companies are filthy rich. They don’t care about you. They care about how much money they make. You’re nothing to them but a revenue stream.

Watch The Daily Oklahoman crank up the propaganda on its editorial page and in its news columns about this bill. It’s all about itself. It will be a big corporation speaking up for all big corporations.

Democrats should not concede the language about this bill. To call this “reform” is ludicrous and ironic. This bill promotes corporate immunity at the expense of basic individual legal rights. Don’t let the people get duped again. Call it what it is.