On June 5th, The Washington Times reported a disparity of $4.6 million in “soft-money” contributions to the Democratic and Republican parties, made on be half of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and some 25 law firms and lawyers. As the article outlines, ATLA and its associates gave $6.2 million to the Democratic Party and $1.6 million to the Republican Party in unrestricted "soft-money" contributions.

The New York Times recently published an article entitled, “Fund-Raiser May Be Achilles’ Heel for Gore” in their June 4th edition, which outlined the growing influence of trial lawyers over American politics. In particular, the article focused on Fred Baron, the soon to be president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA).

State Unity on Microsoft Remedy Called into Question Washington, DC—North Carolina Attorney General Mike Easley is now on record saying that a federal breakup of Microsoft goes too far. When asked for an appropriate punishment for the software company from Redmond, Wash., Easley backed off of an earlier hard-line position. Easley said in an interview with a reporter from The Charlotte Observer:

No section of the tax code is more unfair and more dangerous to our entrepreneurial economy than the Death Tax. With rates as high as 55 percent, the death tax punishes people who build a successful business or farm and try to leave that legacy to their kids. Moreover, the Death Tax’s modest contributions to the federal Treasury are more than off set by its staggering impact on the U.S. economy. The reasons to terminate the death tax are simple:

Consumers have seen the cost of their telephone service drop for years. As a result, many consumers pay about the same amount every month but have new features like caller identification and make more calls – both local and long-distance – every month.

Today the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission announced two measures intended to comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demands on air quality. First, the TNRCC selected the federal emissions standard for new cars, trucks, and SUVs instead of the more stringent California standard. Second, the Commission recommended that Austin, San Antonio, and Longview-Tyler-Marshall receive an "unclassifiable" designation under the EPA's 8-hour ozone rules, which have been struck down by the courts. The TNRCC could have recommended that these areas be considered in "non-attainment."

Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) Foundation today applauded the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to expand their review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) controversial 1997 air quality regulations. “The expanded review may someday soon give us the ability to weigh the costs and benefits of proposed regulations,” said Patrick Burns, Director of Environmental Policy at CSE Foundation. “Americans could finally make objective decisions about whether the potential benefit — either to public health or the environment — of a new rule is worth its expense.”

A Zogby Poll … found that seven out of ten voters polled, approximately 71 percent, would prefer to pursue an independent review that is legally binding on an HMO, when care is denied, than seek a lawsuit against the HMO and their employer. Furthermore, after learning that such a lawsuit may cause a business to enter into insolvency, support for the HMO lawsuits dropped by a margin of three to one. Another survey conducted by Harris Interactive indicated that 45 percent of employers would consider disbanding health care benefits than be faced with the risk of a lawsuit.