Freed up resources should help war on terrorism;

stabilize technology markets.

Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today cheered Attorney General Jim Ryan for signing onto the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement to end the long-running Microsoft antitrust case.

"The economy's sinking, the technology sector is in trouble, the nation is at war," CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  "The United States needs every resource possible directed at real threats, and America united to bolster its security and prosperity.  Attorney General Ryan understands the Microsoft litigation's settlement will benefit both consumers and taxpayers by bringing certainty to the marketplace and encouraging new investment in technology.  Most importantly, closure in this case frees up crucial legal and financial resources for the nation's war against terrorism."

"After spending more than $35 million to date at the federal and state level, citizens were beginning to wonder whether their tax dollars were being well spent," Schatz also said.  "Working families have watched their portfolios nosedive since the district court's decisions last June, and know that a settlement would be good for the economy and their fiscal and physical security."

"The Department of Justice and now several state attorneys general like Jim Ryan have read the writing on the wall," Schatz added.  "CAGW’s one million members and supporters thank them for their prudent and fair decision.”

“With states facing unprecedented expenditures to prevent future acts of terrorism and to protect their citizens as part of the homeland security now required in the United States, taxpayer resources must be focused on those immediate priorities.  CAGW expects that following the settlement of this case, government attacks on successful companies that have benefited not just Americans, but the entire world, will come to an end,” Schatz concluded.

CAGW is the nation's largest taxpayer advocacy group with over one million members and supporters nationwide.  It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.