SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Ferguson sues Johnson & Johnson over opioids, not Satterberg?

Jan 2, 2020, 2:18 PM

Johnson & Johnson...

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

It’s 2020 and Attorney General Ferguson is suing not Trump, but pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson.

I don’t know much about the company’s ethics so I can’t comment on that, but I have a big question about this lawsuit. He apparently is suing them because they contributed to the opioid crisis. Alright.

Has he filed any lawsuits against a prosecutor who has effectively legalized personal possession amounts of hard drugs in King County? This policy has no doubt attracted lots of opioid users from around the country.

Has he filed any lawsuits against Seattle city officials who are violating federal laws by working to bring heroin injection sites to the city? At the federal level, heroin is illegal. Local government should not be helping people to use an illegal substance.

Did AG Ferguson try to stop Pierce County from intervening in 976 suit?

But would Ferguson do anything against his own party? Of course not. Would he actually watchdog his own state? No way. Bob Ferguson wants to be the next governor. To do that, he needs the help of all good Democrats. So he will never act in a way that would jeopardize his rightful place in the governor’s mansion.

He could save taxpayers millions of dollars if he wanted to stop the City of Seattle from pursuing an income tax that is clearly against the state Constitution. He is supposed to protect our Constitution, but he won’t in this case, because he will lose the radicals. It’s ironic, coming from a man who promised in his original campaign that “politics and partisanship would have no place” in his office.

Look at all the transportation spending he could watchdog. The feds have launched a criminal probe of Seattle transportation projects because of the streetcar ripping off taxpayers. Sound Transit is billions over budget and 14 years behind schedule on their first phase. Does Bob Ferguson do anything? No — it’s more important to go after Johnson & Johnson.

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

longview swat assault firearm...

Jason Sutich

Woman, child escape Longview home before SWAT arrests man accused of threatening her with gun

A 47-year-old man was arrested after a SWAT response to his Longview home, where he was allegedly threatening his girlfriend with a firearm and assaulting her.

17 minutes ago

Katie Wilson gun violence plan seattle...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘You’re probably going to get Care Bears showing up’: Jake rips Seattle mayor’s gun violence plan

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson released a gun violence plan that would move $5 million to the city's CARE Department. Jake thinks it landed with a thud.

1 hour ago

chelan hills fire suspect (1)...

Julia Dallas

3 more suspects arrested in connection with deadly Chelan Hills Fire that burned more than 10,000 acres

The U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the deadly Chelan Hills Fire.

2 hours ago

fall city abuse family...

BRANDON THOMPSON, KIRO 7

‘Like the life was squeezed out of them:’ Family describes alleged abuse at home where 5 were killed

Two family members testified that their suspicions of mistreatment of the children living inside the Fall City Home, where five people were killed, were confirmed by the two surviving children.

2 hours ago

This image provided by the National Library of Medicine shows part of an advertisement for Clark St...

Associated Press

One thing that hasn’t changed in 250 years: Americans’ willingness to get suckered

NEW YORK (AP) — America: land of possibility. And also: land of suckers. Our enduring belief that anything is possible — whether based in reality or not — has helped the nation become the world’s largest economy. It has also led us to fall head over heels for hucksters and charlatans, again and again. If […]

2 hours ago

Ashish Rajurkar, a research scientist at the Salk Institute, digs out root samples from genetically...

Associated Press

Scientists hope deeper-rooted soybeans can withstand climate extremes and store more carbon

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant’s roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants. Researchers hope roots like these could help crops […]

2 hours ago

Dori: Ferguson sues Johnson & Johnson over opioids, not Satterberg?