The following article is from our summer issue. We are offering it for free use on your Web site, blog, or other platform because we believe this election could have a big impact on the law and we want to do our part to spread the word about some important issues. Feel free to copy and paste as needed. To get started on your print newsletter or to put this article on a postcard to send to your client list, call us today at 877-860-9807.
Protect your rights at the voting booth
This November is a big election. Across the country we will be selecting a President, Vice President, and
congressmen and senators at the federal level, as well as representatives to state legislatures,
governors, judges, and other local and state officials. We won’t tell you who to vote for, but we would
like to highlight a few topics specific to the law that tend to get overlooked in the media. We feel these
issues are of high importance to every American. Before you cast your ballot, see where your favored
candidate stands on these four issues.
1. Tort reform is sold as a way to rein in abuse of the civil justice system. In reality, tort reform is
an effort to change the law to make it harder to bring a case to court and to limit the amount of
damages winning plaintiffs can receive. The right to a trial by jury is enshrined in the
Constitution and efforts to limit this right are un-American.
2. Mandatory Arbitration clauses are found in more and more contracts (or terms and conditions
documents) every day. By agreeing to mandatory, or forced, arbitration, consumers give up
their right to a trial by jury in favor of mediation by an arbitrator. Mandatory arbitration doesn’t
violate the Seventh Amendment only because consumers choose to sign away their rights, but it
is extremely difficult to live in the modern world without signing contracts that contain these
clauses. If you have a credit card or cell phone, start a new job, sign up for a Web site, or even
move into a nursing home, you have probably agreed to forced arbitration.
3. Cutting disability benefits is a real possibility. The Disability Insurance Trust Fund, which
contributes to both the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) programs, was expected to run out of money by 2016. This would have resulted in
a 19% cut in disability benefits for those who were receiving them. The issue was “fixed” and
benefits should be safe until 2022, but there are those who wish to cut or even eliminate the
programs. If you feel that a safety net for those who become disabled is an important benefit to
living in our society, it is worth checking to see where the candidates stand on disability
benefits.
4. Cutting regulations gets a lot of attention on the campaign trail. Candidates may claim that
government regulations are harming the economy without providing any benefit, but that is not
the case. Many of these regulations are in place to provide for safe workplaces, to ensure clean
air and water, to protect consumers from fraud and negligence, and to generally increase the
standard of living for all Americans.
Whichever lever you pull on Election Day, make sure you vote. It is a right, duty, and privilege to take
part in the democratic process.