Mike Thompson: “If I could respond to that point just a moment, I think the Senator is reflecting a conflict that is going on within a…”

“If I could respond to that point just a moment, I think the Senator is reflecting a conflict that is going on within a lot of us. A lot of us understand the concern of our constituencies that businesses, and so forth, have legitimate complaints. A lot of us are also concerned about this rush to judgment, where the U.S. Congress and the Federal Government are on the verge of supplanting 200 years of State law, at a time when many of us are saying in other areas, whether it be welfare reform, regulatory reform, taxes, or unfunded mandates, we are all saying get the Government out of the States' business. States are where the innovation is going on. Let them take care of themselves. So we are all engaged in that conflict. Product liability has been discussed in the Chamber of this body for many years, long before I arrived. The Senator, I am sure, has engaged in those debates over the years. I think there is a feeling that this is an area wherein there is more justification for our involvement on the Federal level because of the inherent interstate nature of the activities. Seventy percent of all manufactured goods now travel in interstate commerce. If I had my desire, if I could write the legislation, or I could come to the conclusion, perhaps this is not where I would be. But I see the freight train going down the tracks, and I think we at some point have a responsibility to at least try to make sure that we wind up in as good a position as we can.”