By now, the entire country knows how Governor Scott Walker and his Republican legislature have paid back their wealthy right wing donors by stripping government employees of virtually all collective bargaining rights. And most of the country knows about the potential payback to the Koch brothers and other energy moguls by permitting no-bid sales of (or operating contracts for) Wisconsin state-owned power plants.
What seems to have flown under the radar is another bit of payback, along with some score-settling with Walker's opponents, that was signed into law back on January 27, 2011.
After only 10 hours of hearings, the Republican Wisconsin legislature passed the "Kill Granny and Get Away With It" act, otherwise known as the Wisconsin Omnibus Tort Reform Act. Walker signed it into law on January 27.
The new law makes it far more difficult to sue nursing home operators, manufacturers of defective products, and other corporate malefactors.
All of this is summarized in the April 1, 2011, issue of The Washington Spectator (pay wall) (blockquotes below are from this article unless otherwise noted).
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