Political Quotes

“This letter was signed by companies or groups too numerous for me either to name or to count. They explicitly state support of the Year 2000 Coalition for S. 96 in the form in which it finds itself now, explicitly opposing the Kerry amendment to that bill. Personally, I think that letter deserves great weight and our most solemn consideration without regard to any of the details of the debate on the differences between S. 96 with its bipartisan amendment and the Kerry amendment. When one goes into the details of those differences, the justification for this letter becomes even more apparent. My long-time friend and distinguished rival in this matter, the Senator from South Carolina, and I have differed on a substantial number of legal concepts that go far beyond Y2K legislation. He knows, as does the distinguished occupant of the Chair, that my own personal preference--and I suspect the preference of the Year 2000 Coalition-- would be to abolish the concept of joint liability in its entirety. The concept of joint liability is one pursuant to which a person, a group, a defendant, only partially or even marginally responsible for a given legal wrong, nonetheless can be held responsible for all of the damages caused by all of the defendants against whom a judgment is entered. On its surface and beneath its surface, such a concept is extraordinarily difficult to justify.”