[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 44 (Thursday, March 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2899-H2900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRESS MUST CORRECT THE PROBLEM OF FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS

  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, as a lawyer, I am the last person to 
suggest that everybody in my profession is a money-grubbing, scum-
sucking toad. The actual figure is only about 73 percent.
  Ha ha, I am of course just pulling the Speaker's honorable leg. The 
vast majority of lawyers are responsible professionals, as well as, in 
many ways, human beings.
  But we really do need to do something about all these frivolous 
lawsuits. We have reached the point where a simply product such as a 
stepladder has to be sold with big red warning labels all over it, 
telling you not to dance on it, hold parties on it, touch electrical 
wires with it, hit people with it, swallow it, and so forth, because 
some idiot somewhere, some time, actually did these things with a 
stepladder, got hurt, filed a lawsuit--and won.
  My feeling, Mr. Speaker, is that anybody who swallows a stepladder 
deserves whatever he gets. And I am sure the vast majority of the 
American people would agree with me. The minority would probably sue.

[[Page H2900]]

    REQUESTING THE NAMES OF SOCIALISTS ON NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL BOARDS

  (Mr. FROST asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I read with interest comments by Speaker 
Gingrich which appeared in yesterday's newspapers about the editorial 
boards of many of our Nation's newspapers.
  The Washington Post reported that Speaker Gingrich told a group of 
business executives Monday night that many newspaper editorial boards 
contain Socialists. Speaker Gingrich has been accused recently of 
exaggerating the truth or making plain misstatements of facts.
  Quite frankly, I do not know whether the Speaker is telling the truth 
in this instance or not. But I am willing to give the Speaker the 
benefit of the doubt. According, I call on Speaker Gingrich to name 
names. Who are the Socialists on the editorial board of the Dallas 
Morning News? Who are the Socialists on the editorial board of the Fort 
Worth Star Telegram? Who are the Socialists on the editorial board of 
the Houston Post? Who are the Socialists on the editorial board of the 
San Antonio Express News? Who are the Socialists on the editorial board 
of the Austin American-Statesmen? Who are the Socialists on the 
editorial board of the New Orleans Times Picayune? Who are the 
Socialists on the editorial board of the Daily Oklahoman?
  If you are telling the truth, name names, Mr. Speaker. We are all 
waiting.

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