In the 1930’s, information began to surface that asbestos was hazardous.  By the 1950’s, the substance was a known carcinogen.  Big corporations knew it and continued to use it.  As a result, today many people are being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer which is only known to be caused by asbestos exposure.  Dying from mesothelioma is an extremely painful death, an individual basically drowns in their own lungs; and to add insult to injury, it was 100% preventable.  

Tort reform has proven to be very detrimental for families whose lives have been dramatically altered simply because of the use of this toxic substance in their loved one’s industrial workplace(s).  Based on my own experience, it NOW takes a ridiculous amount of time for a person’s case to go through the legal system, and be presented to a jury, thanks in large part to Texas’ Tort Reform passed in 2005 by HB4.    Justice delayed is justice denied.    Often times, the injured party dies before having the opportunity to have his or her voice heard through the litigation process.   I urge everyone to get involved and find out where the candidates stand on the issues that could affect you.  For instance, in the last election affecting Calhoun County, upon conducting my own research to determine the candidates views I found that Juan Garcia, who is running for state representative of District 32, is another candidate who understands and has a compassion for the people of this area, many being industry workers.  I heard an advertisement on the radio regarding Juan Garcia seeking to “fatten the wallets of trial lawyers” by supporting frivolous lawsuits.  In actuality, Juan Garcia supports those people who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer, in many instances, solely caused by a corporation’s greedy desire to increase their bottom line.  In other words, there are industry workers who lost their lives because corporations did not stop using products that were known to cause cancer.  If these corporations had stopped using toxic materials earlier, many lives could have been saved.  There is nothing frivolous about that!