This 12 page paper discusses several issues which faced 2000-2003 legislative body in the US. Issues concerning the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance and a lawsuit against the major tobacco companies is analyzed for partisan support, media slant, major issues of the controversies, who the major 'players' are, and gives projections for outcomes. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
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based on wrongful death and negligence on the part of the companies. Now, whole states are suing the tobacco industries seeking to recover money that the states had to pay
out for the extensive health care required to treat and maintain the health of those whose health was affected by the use of tobacco. Many legislative remedies have been proposed,
by at least two presidents, and yet the problem continues to exist, leaving the status of this concern unanswered. Many believe that the forward progress on this issue has been
slowed by bi-partisan shenanigans. Then US Attorney General, Janet Reno addressed the Justice Department, saying that for years the Tobacco Industry falsified claims which lead the public to believe
that cigarettes were non-addictive in nature. As a result of an exhaustive investigation Reno reports, the United States has formally filed a lawsuit against the major manufacturers of cigarettes. "This
lawsuit calls those companies to account for alleged wrongful conduct that has led to the death and illness of millions of Americans"(Reno 2000). The U.S. tobacco industry, faced with class-action
lawsuits from all 50 states, agreed to a settlement of $206 billion (US) to go toward the cost of treating smoking-related diseases, the money to be paid out over 25
years(OMalley 2003). However, even with this enormous award, which effectively gets the states off their backs, the tobacco companies are still liable to be sued by individual smokers. Several proposals
have been made to address this problem. President Clinton when he was in office, at one time, proposed regulations that would limit tobacco ads, ban vending machine sales and require
tobacco companies to pay for an education campaign against underage smoking. He also fully supported the massive lawsuit which was filed by the United States against the major tobacco companies.