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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (52058)	3/6/2008 10:40:14 AM
From: KyrosL	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541008

Hi John. Here is an area where I agree with BCB. I think trial lawyers and the tort system are a blight on America, wasting some 5% of GDP by some estimates, which is more than our total defense budget. From what I understand, Edwards made his fortune suing hospitals for birth complications, that were overwhelmingly caused by dismal pre-natal care. The hospitals and gynecologists that were sued were not responsible for the dismal pre-natal care (that typically included heavy drug and alcohol consumption etc), but when the juries see a little baby suffering, they are inclined to reward richly the poor thing's mother. Especially if it's some big insurance company paying.

To: JohnM who wrote (52058)	3/6/2008 6:23:16 PM
From: Bearcatbob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541008

"As with many things, we are not on the same wave length. I see goods and bads in trial lawyers. One of the goods is that some of them, and Edwards was certainly one, make it possible for patients, damaged by the system, to recover some of those damages. That's a good John - it certainly is a good thing that people done harm are compensated. The compensation should be just and deserved. Trail lawyers have used junk science and out and out extortion to get rich. The abuse of the asbestos issue is a prime example. The fact that the public rejected Edwards is one good thing to come out of the primary system this cycle. The cost of trial lawyers is something that must also be figured into the equation.