Are Lawmakers Bashing Toyota in Order to Help Trial Lawyers?
David Asman: Lawmakers laying into Toyota’s head honcho this week. They say it was all about safety but the boss says it was all about trial lawyers. How so, Steve? Steve Forbes: Look at Toyota’s overall record; it’s no worse than other car companies. These things take on a life of their own. There cars are perfectly safe overall. This is about campaign cash from trial lawyers who are licking their chops over this thing. There’s a lot of publicity for the politicians. And the bottom line is, GM is now owned by the government and they all have invested interest—trial lawyers, unions, the whole kit and caboodle. John Rutledge: I don’t think it’s the trial lawyers who are driving this. Of course they love it and they are big lobby contributors, [but] I think this is about politics. It’s about UAW payoff and the government owning GM—it’s what happens when you have a nationalized industry. As a young man, the first time I testified before Congress, I was very disappointed to learn that thos
