Many years ago when I was still a respectable lad I got called to jury duty in Minnesota. Back then, in the early 80's, you got a two week assignment to a pool and could be called multiple times. The second case I was called for was a complaint against the Illinois Ladder Co. by a farmer who was suing them for an incident with one of their products. He claimed they didn't warn him about a potential danger and an accident that he had was thus their fault. See if you can guess what his accident was, here's the warning label his attorney claimed was missing
"Warning! Do Not Place Ladder In Materials That Become Slippery When Melting"
Really. That was the warning, if you hadn't guessed from the diary title and that warning the farmer had placed ladder against the barn in the winter secured at the base by some frozen cow manure. In the spring it melted and when he climbed the ladder it gave way and he fell and was injured. He decided to sue the ladder company.
You're probably asking yourself "Gee, what does that have to do with conservatism?" Let me tell you about one of the heroes of conservative values John Stossel. For many years he's championed the cause of tort reform. He loves to find cases like this one against the ladder company, or the famous one about the hot coffee spill at McDonald's, or how a drunk pilot's family sued every maker of a part in the airplane and got millions. He and others like him claim this is part of the "nanny state" that is ruining America.
They see things like stickers on hairdryers warning you to not use them in the bathtub or laws to wear seat belts and helmets as part of the same "government overreach" that eventually leads to blacks being allowed to vote or gays to get married. That the courts and the government are taking away their "freedom".. Oh, wait, let me say that right
Yeah, that's the ticket. Back to the point, this is all part of the conservative agenda of "less government is better". A government so small you can "drown it a bathtub". A government where people can't sue corporations for malfeasance. Of course they're perfectly happy to have police round up (and occasionally kill) people especially in their bizarre attempt to "save the children" from drugs. Or to force women to deliver a fetus. Or to deny people actual rights like voting. But as long as corporations are allowed to do what they want their "freedumb" is secure.
In case you're wondering the others jurors and I laughed at the farmer back in the deliberation room. We couldn't believe how stupid his case was. But that's not the point I'm trying to make. Yes, this was a frivolous lawsuit, but the ability to allow a corporation to be sued is still an essential function of our government. Perhaps there is some room for modifying the system. However all the conservative ideas in this regards grossly over-simplify the problem and demands things like miniscule damage caps or punitive fines against plaintiffs if their suits fail in the courts. That's the real conservative agenda, protecting the corporate bottom line at the expense of the citizens of this country. Perhaps Romney could've been more honest and said, "Only corporations are people" because that is what they really want.