Lawsuits

October 25, 2005

For a long time a lot of liberals thought that gun control was a winning political issue. "Take away the guns," they cried.

To their amazement, they found that it wasn't a winner. Just ask AI Gore. That issue alone probably cost him the election. Now that the gun control advocates know that they have a political loser, they have been trying to use the courts to do their dirty work. They want to blame the companies that manufacture guns for gun crimes. We had two shootings here in D.C. last week. The guy that pulled the trigger is the one to blame, not the gun. Gun companies manufacture guns, and it is lawful to buy and own guns. That right is protected by our constitution. The U. S. Congress is passing legislation to put a stop to the liberal lawsuits. Guns don't kill. People do.

On a related subject the House of Representatives just passed a bill to put a stop to liberal lawsuits blaming the obesity problem on restaurants and food companies.

Come on -- people have a choice when they go to a restaurant. No one is cramming double bacon cheeseburgers and fries down their throats.

Let me tell you why we have a weight problem in this country. It's not the restaurant or manufacturers fault.

First, it's because the food tastes great and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Second, our food is cheap. That's the way we all want it.

I was talking to a friend that just came back from Moscow for the first time. He said no one is fat over there -- no one. Now I'll tell you why. They spend 40% of family disposable income on food -- 40%. We spend 10%. Food is expensive over there, and as a consequence they're not going to eat so much, and they probably get more exercise that we do. Perhaps they have to get up out of their chairs to change TV channels.

When it's all said and done, what we eat and how much we eat is a personal decision.

It is encouraging to think the public is getting fed up with frivolous, stupid law suits -- whether we're talking about the "Beretta Gun Bill" or the "Cheeseburger Responsibility Bill."

Until next week, I am John Block from Washington.