ABSTRACT
Health care legislation clearly presented legislators with an institutional dilemma. More important, placing legislation within the context of the collective dilemma analytical framework can clear the way for a better understanding of what motivates legislators when they face difficult and complex decisions. Few contemporary issues bring the collective dilemma into sharper relief than campaign finance reform. The industry strongly supported the proposed settlement and looked to Congress to provide the relief it sought. Modern practices have led to an overwhelming and corrosive public cynicism about both Congress as an institution and politics in general. The modern Congress is charged with being less concerned with the public good and more attentive to special interests than ever. Only Congress has the authority to provide national liability protection, so the tobacco settlement required legislative approval. Mississippi attorney general sued the major tobacco companies to recover the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses.
