Posted on 07/21/2006 1:06:28 PM PDT by NonValueAdded
Join in the discussion about who is best to follow in the big footsteps of Governor Jeb Bush.
Candidates who have qualified (those simply "announced" omitted):
Excerpts From: "Gallagher Positioning Himself As Champion Of Tort Reform "
By William March
The Tampa Tribune
January 31, 2006
"Continuing his pitch for conservative votes in the Republican primary for governor, Tom Gallagher has proposed a series of limits on malpractice and personal injury lawsuits in Florida."
"Gallagher, the state's chief financial officer, has been using the lawsuits and lawyers as a campaign theme. He hopes to carve out an area of difference between himself and his leading Republican opponent, Attorney General Charlie Crist, who favors some new lawsuit restrictions but not as many as Gallagher."
"The Florida Legislature has passed some limitations - called 'tort reform' by advocates - but rejected others. Gallagher's proposals include previously rejected measures and some that go beyond previous proposals."
"In his stump speeches, he routinely characterizes some lawsuits as blackmail that hurt the economy."
"The race for governor, he says in nearly every speech, is a contest among 'three lawyers and one businessman.'"
"The 'three lawyers' are Crist and the two Democrats, Tampa U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, who practiced law, and state Sen. Rod Smith, of Gainesville, a former labor lawyer and state prosecutor."
"Gallagher has been involved in several businesses in his career but has been a full-time government official for most of the past two decades and was a state legislator for 13 years before that."
"'I do love at least one lawyer,' he tells crowds, introducing his wife, Laura, a lawyer. He sometimes adds that she's 'one of the good ones.'"
"Gallagher supporters have criticized Crist for receiving substantial campaign contributions from trial lawyers, who normally support Democrats."
"Reform Agenda Gallagher proposes:
•Creating licensing requirements for expert witnesses in malpractice lawsuits, which could make it harder for patients to obtain witnesses.
•Repealing laws that sometimes allow an injured person to collect all medical bills and lost wages, up to a $2 million cap, from a single defendant, even if others also were responsible for the injury. The legal doctrine, called "joint and several liability," is a major concern of large businesses, who sometimes end up paying the damages.
•Allowing only Florida residents to participate in class-action lawsuits filed in Florida.
•Requiring that people injured on the premises of a business prove the business knew or should have known about the dangerous conditions. That can apply to so-called slip-and-fall cases or cases in which people are attacked by criminals while on the property of a business such as a hotel.
•Speeding the handling of business lawsuits by creating courts devoted solely to complex business litigation.
Crist supports ending joint and several liability but has not proposed further restrictions.
Gallagher acknowledges he expects the Legislature to repeal joint and several liability in this session, before he or any of his opponents become governor."
Tracking Contributions
"How much money a candidate gets from one industry can be difficult to determine, depending on what occupations donors identify and what occupations are considered part of that industry."
"A Tribune analysis indicates Crist received $800,947 from law firms and people in related occupations; Gallagher, $451,561; Smith, $337,000; and Davis, $326,320."
"Some Crist donors, such as Steve Yerrid, of Tampa, are prominent trial lawyers known for supporting Democrats."
"He called Gallagher's position on lawsuit restrictions 'anticonsumer, anti-individual' and an attack on Floridians' rights to legal redress by 'a negative attack dog and mouthpiece of big business.'"
"Gallagher, however, says tort reform is necessary for the health of the state's economy."
"'Even the threat of a lawsuit affects how you run your business,' he told a meeting of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce last week. 'When you have tort reform, prices go down and people buy more."
"He said many personal injury lawsuits are 'blackmail, ... not a true resolution of an injustice.'"
"In a news release, Gallagher said 'unnecessary lawsuits" cost every Floridians 'almost $1,000' each year, 'and if we don't make serious changes soon, our state will face crisis.'"
Unlevel Playing Field
"Debra Henley, of the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers, said such proposals are 'not reform but changing the legal system to create an unlevel playing field so big business has an easier time and individuals have a harder time.'"
"'This is not an attempt to regulate the integrity of witnesses, it's an attempt to shut down malpractice cases,' she said."
To read full article visit: http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBXK7MQ3JE.html
FV recommends that you read all the posts before jumping to conclusions. Stop hectoring floriduh voter, counselor.
Charlie Crist is subject to blackmail. That's very dangerous to the state where Central Command is located.
ON OR OFF GALLAGHER PING LIST, contact "floriduhvoter".
http://www.apfn.net/Messageboard/03-01-05/discussion.cgi.53.html
Crist is fibbing when he says he's for a culture of life. He is LYING.
If you look at his page at www.myflorida.com, Crist's links are to the euthanasists who have infiltrated the State of Florida. Euthanasia is ILLEGAL (supposed to be)
Culture of life my butt. Will Crist protect you or will he stay the course and continue to protect GEORGE SOROS' AND HIS AGENDA?????
George Soros is moveon.org. You now have the linkage you begged for, Cristi-critters.
cristi-critters, before you say "prove it" again, the Florida media is silent on the truth so go ahead and follow Crist over the cliff and you will hit bottom someday.
GEORGE SOROS' 200 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT ON DEATH
27 February 2005, 3:23 p.m.
THE END GAME - Why Terri Schiavo Has To Die
The time-line for the Terri Schiavo case begins in February 1990 and continues up to May 2004. For 14 long years, the Schindler family have fought an agonizing battle for the life of their child, who unexplainably collapsed after a mysterious incident at her home.
For every one of those years estranged husband Michael has fought just as hard to have his wife put to death by a court ordered starvation/dehydration. Terri has no living will, does not have a terminal illness. One has to wonder why? Is there money involved? The husband claims the judicial award of $700,000 is gone.
What is the motive behind the restaurateur turned physical therapist turned nurse who passionately pursues his wife's death? Many wonder. Could Michael Schiavo be a pawn, a pawn in a much larger game being played for much higher stakes? Enter one George Felos, a kind of weird, yoga practicing guru lawyer who is fixated on helping people die. Felos, a board member of the Hospice, has U. S. Dollar visions, ideation that figures on book signings and movie rights once Terri is dead. Not to mention all the fame and fortune that will accrue to the man who finally overturns the law that protects the handicapped, the elderly, and the terminally ill's opportunity to live until they die - by natural means.
When the gavel finally sounds that makes legal the whim of the courts to adjudge that a human person may be eliminated, by active or passive euthanasia, it will do so with the same language unearthed in the Constitution that has legally murdered 46,000,000 innocent unborn, the right to privacy.
Few people realize that every single Florida institution, (Governor Bush excluded), every legal, judicial, medical, societal, journalistic and even religious, from the OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL CHARLIE CRIST on down through the ranks to the local police department, is arrayed against this woman. This is a big case. Whatever happens to Terri has the potential to affect the entire U. S. population, a fact few people realize.
Death in America
In 1994, emigree [someone who leaves one country to settle in another] billionaire Geroge Soros wrote a check for $15 million to finance the Project on Death in America (PDIA). Its goal was to "transform the culture of death in the United States." By 2003 when the PDIA ended its grant making and closed the program, it had distributed $45 million to organization and individuals working on end-of-life issues. Altho, the project is closed the work goes on. Is a large part of that work to make doctor-assisted suicide legal? It would seem so.
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/pdia/about In 1991, Dereck Humphrey wrote euthanasia's most famous textbook, Final Exit and embarked on a career to further the cause of "death with dignity." (Allegedly, Felos and Michael attempted to use some of the protocol found in Final Exit on Terri). Soros and Humphrey were on the same wave link and in 1997, Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide.
On the May 18th Fox News O'Reilly show, investigative reporter and best selling author Richard Poe gave an expose on Soros. Poe claims Soros is a maniacal figure who fancies himself as a New Age Messiah and that his philanthropy funds abortion, atheism, drug legalization, sex education, gay marriage, and globalization. He is out to destroy America as we know it, says Poe. In a Newmax cover story, Poe writes of the dark purpose behind Soros' $200- million "Project on Death" program. Soros, who authored The Bubble of American Supremacy, is bankrolling the Democratic party's attempt to unseat President Bush. Militantly anti-religious, Soros writes that "devout believers of any sort are idiots who shouldn't hold public office."
The sophisticated scene of international intrigue and politics, of Dereck Humpfrey, Newsmax and George Soros, is a far cry from the town of Clearwater, Florida formerly filled with shuffleboard courts and known as a favored retirement destination for "snow- birds." But just as Clearwater has changed, the prospects for longevity for the elderly and handicapped may be changing also. In what can only be regarded as a strange turn of events, the hitherto unknown case of a Florida woman, Terri Schiavo, leapt off the pages of the hometown newspaper onto the spotlight of the national news.
The facts are tailor made for sensationalism: the husband is suspected of abuse; the parents tenaciously cling to Terri's chance to live. After six days of court ordered starvation, the governor of the state ordered a previously removed feeding tube re-inserted, the legislature was called into emergency session to enact "Terri's Law," and the story went nationwide.
The media consistently reports on the case, mostly inaccurately. However the situation is so fraught with insanely unending moves by husband Michael that CNN's Kate O' Beirne named Michael Schiavo's 55 day ban on visitation rights for Terri's parents, the "Outrage of the Week" on CNN's Capital Gang, May 22, 2004. (Michael lifted the ban on May 25th).
With all the notoriety the Terri Schiavo case has attained, it would be foolish to suggest that the anti-life forces are not passionately interested in its outcome. The nearly unbroken line of public figures trying to kill Terri make it a certainty.
ATTORNEY GENERAL CHARLIE CRIST: Rubbing his hands together, Crist, who has his eye on the governor's seat, says, "I can do nothing."
Senator Jim King: Remarking on the passage of Terri's Law, which he originally upheld, Sen. King said, it was "probably one of the worst votes that I've ever done." King opined he wouldn't want his "legacy" (of passing death-enhancing laws), to be ruined by the Schiavo case. The Hemlock Society applauded Hospice board member King.
Campaign Finance: Sen. King's campaign contributors include Richard M Jerger Jr., the same name and address as listed on Jerger & Centonze Insurance. Jodi Centonze is Michael's girlfriend. Why were they contributing to King when they live in another district?
Judge Douglas Baird: On May 6, Pinellas Circuit County judge W. Douglas Baird ruled Terri's Law unconstitutional. Baird's ruling was based what he said was the unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to the governor because it unjustifiably authorizes the governor to summarily deprive Florida citizens of their constitutional right to privacy."
Campaign Finance: The law firm employed by both the St. Petersburg and Venice Diocese is DiVito and Higham. Allegedly, Joseph DiVito is a personal friend of Bishop Lynch and has contributed to the re- election campaign of Judge Greer.
Judge Greer: Judge Greer's rulings include: imposing visitation restrictions, refusing to allow swallowing tests, refusing to look at evidence, disregarding Michael's guardianship omissions and failures and repeatedly ordering Terri's feeding tube removed. Greer appears totally locked in to supporting Michael Schiavo.
Cheryl Ford, RN, is not affiliated with any other group and works as an independent volunteer promoting the protection of Florida's disabled community
FV says: Crist's friends in Pinellas County who are in law enforcement, legal community or on the bench conspired and succeeded in starving an innocent woman to death. It was murder and his friend Judge Greer should be impeached and then indicted for fraud and murder. Judge Greer's campaign mgr for cty commission is Sembler the senior. Crist's campaign mgr for governor is Sembler the son, Brent.
Are you comfortable with felons running free while their friend goes to the gov's mansion?
This thread was created for the purpose of opening the debate. Let's hear it. Defend the worst, judicial activist in the country who is Crist's friend. Crist called Greer a hero for killing Terri Schiavo. Is that where you want us to go post-Jeb?
http://www.judgegeorgegreer.com/
(If you're not from Pinellas County, you don't know about the culture of corruption here).
George Soros ping.
bttt
If you sign up for an emailed Tom Gallagher newsletter, be advised that Yahoo! moves the confirming email to the spam folder. You can prevent that by adding info@tg2006.com to your address book. It will probably be a good idea to add the address used to distribute the newsletter, too, if it is different from the above.
I suggest you do your own research on Crist do it yourself.
By the way, Crist was about to release an ad with grieving dad Mark Lunsford. Mark Lunsford admitted in court today that he hit his ex-girlfriend. Crist is going to run an ad about a guy who hit a girl. Sweet.
http://www.flcr.org/
(voting through July 26th.)
I think DCF sent a car over here earlier.
...I will not vote for Crist!....
samantha, those of us who are not pro-Crist have every right to be on this thread!....
...I'm a longtime Florida voter....over 30 years.
..but you sure wanted Floriduh Voter off the Thread for his comments.
He seems to have a good idea of what he's talking about ....
.. just because you don't want to hear the message, doesn't give you the right to censor the messenger.
FloriduhVoter is not some troll recently arrived to FR....
..He obviously cares about the outcome of this election as much as you say you do.
That is simply not feasible.
His sister is an administrator at St. Pete College. She filed his paperwork in Tallahassee. She is campaigning with him.
Crist said $100,000 salaries for teachers and now an ad that promises 65% of the budget for education. This is not make believe. I'm sure all of his ads are on his web site. http://www.charliecrist.com/ He's wearing a red shirt in the ad making promises about education. Not everyone in Florida, many people in fact do not have children.
That leaves 35% in the budget to deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness, terrorism & port security, adult and aging, well, all branches of Florida govt listed at www.myflorida.com.
Sixty-five percent of the budget for education is outrageous. He has no clue re: budgets. His handlers don't either. It looks as if they are just going to hand the state over to the education lobby.
I hope swing voters are paying attention. Crist supporters should not be in denial about my posts. They should do their own research and as much as it hurts, face the facts about him including that he has no concept of a budget. CFO Tom Gallagher does. http://www.tg2006.com
Fregards, floriduh voter
Defend that promise of Crist's. That leaves little money to work on developing tourism as well!
This ridiculous promise "as seen" in Crist's red golf shirt tv spot.
"Spend at least 65 percent in the classroom and pay our teachers more." exact quote from his ad Charlie Crist
(reading between the lines AT LEAST 65 percent in the classroom AND pay our teachers more)
Other necessary parts of govt get what is left over.
Crist knows nothing about finances except if it's "by the plate payable to his campaign".
Major red flag in his red shirt tv spot. Listen and watch carefully the next time it airs.
Tom Gallagher is already Chief Financial Officer. Gallagher wouldn't make such ridiculous, pie in the sky comments on a tv spot.
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