Consumer Group Says Republicans Leverage Fear of Terrorism to Create New Corporate Protections
Santa Monica, CA — The federal “Homeland Security” legislation contains anti-consumer amendments adding new protections for corporations that injure innocent individuals, according to consumer advocates with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a non-profit, non-partisan organization.
“Republicans have allowed corporations to hijack the Homeland Security bill in order to create special protections that secure nothing but corporate profits,” said FTCR’s senior consumer advocate Douglas Heller. “Under the guise of national security, corporations are winning immunity from two hundred years of jurisprudence. Patriotism has become the last refuge of the corporate scoundrel.”
FTCR pointed out that the Bush Administration is also pushing terrorism insurance legislation, which contains a massive loophole that allows insurance companies to evade state regulation, in addition to a promised bailout of the insurance industry in the case of a future terrorist attack.
“There is a disturbing pattern developing in which the Bush Administration is leveraging terrorism in the name of protecting corporations,” said Heller.
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