Got a reminder of this in an article I read earlier today.

--There are entire legal firms whose whole business is asbestos suits.

--So far, asbestos claims have cost $54 billion -- and less than half of that has gone to actual victims.

--Projections of the ultimate costs now range from $200 billion to $275 billion -- and the final number of claimants is estimated at 1 million to 3 million people.

--Suits have pushed more than 50 companies into bankruptcy and 6,000 companies have been sued.

Tort reform in this country should be a top priority. Those who condemn corporate CEOs for sharp dealing, sleazy practices, and less than ethical ways of making money seem to have a blind spot where trial lawyers are concerned. In the case of the politicians, this may have something to do with the trial lawyers being the fourth largest political donor in America, with 87 percent going to the Democrats. The fact that most politicians are also lawyers probably doesn't hurt either.