Posted on 02/19/2005 2:15:04 AM PST by Liz
The benefits of expanded GOP control in both chambers of Congress were evident this week with the passage of a major tort-reform measure.
Yesterday, President Bush signed that measure into law. As a result, lawyers seeking to cash in on class-action suits will find it harder to "shop" for favorable local judges. Instead, they'll have to take those cases to federal courts, in a much more fair process.
Bear in mind that this bill lost by a single vote in the Senate last time. This time, it passed 72-26. Their party's losses in the last election plainly inspired several Democrats to vote on common sense, rather than their leaders' wishes.
As for the bill's merits, Bush has rightly noted that the tort system is in bad need of repair. The mess is a drain on the economy, allowing plaintiffs to unfairly target deep-pocketed businesses, which pass on their legal costs to consumers. Frivolous or unfair medical-malpractice suits threaten to drive many doctors and specialists out of business.
The new law targets one of the worst legal abuses: "forum shopping" — taking the case to, say, an obscure town in Mississippi or Texas to greatly boost the odds of getting a too-friendly judge and jury.
Now lawyers can only take a class-action suit to a state court if the main defendant and more than a third of the plaintiffs are from that same state. If not, they must go to the federal courts.
But federal courts would only hear class-action suits involving a minimum of $5 million. And plaintiff lawyers will face some restrictions on their fees.
New York's junior senator, Hillary Clinton (a lawyer herself), sought to do New York — and the nation — a big disservice (and her fellow lawyers a favor) by voting against this sensible measure.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
By contrast, the state's senior senator, Chuck Schumer, not only voted for the bill, but co-sponsored it.
That`s because he`s from New York and TRULY knows the damage leech lawsuits are doing to this state, unlike a well known bonafide sociopath who barged in and bribed her way into the Senate.
That's because the actual victims get next to nothing, especially in class action lawsuits, but the lawyers get PAID plenty.
She's a captive of special interests....always has, always will be. It's how she and BillyBob made it to Washington. She then was elected to the Senate by selling presidential pardons to FALN terrorists, and to the Hasidc thieves who looted Pell grants of millions.
You should see it here in New York, you wouldn`t beleieve how out of control it is. You turn on the TV in the daytime, literally every 5 minutes if you flip through the stations is a commercial that says "Have you been hurt in an accident? Are you the vitim of malpractice?" These leeches CONSTANTLY advertise, you open the Yellow pages and look under lawyers, every single page is an advertisement for accident lawsuits. The ads are EVERYWHERE..In the street, in the newspaper, on taxis, on buses, in the subways, everywhere. It is completely completely out of control, and then they wonder why New Yorkers don`t want to get involved when they see a car accident or someone who is hurt. My brother was telling me a few months ago, he saw this guy on a bicycle get hit by a car, and he said the guy was completely knocked out, and NOBODY would help him. I asked him, why didn`t he help? He said "Are you kidding? I ain`t getting sued!" It`s true. The driver who hit the guy on the bicycle stopped, but usually they don`t. They just keep on going. Why? Because of the lawsuits. This is not New York city, this is Sue city!
Yeah, in that one neighborhood she got something like 96% of the votes. Notice how it is being "investigated"..NOT. Like I was telling another feeper, I don`t know ANYBODY who voted for her! All my co-workers voted for Lazio, my family, friends, I`ve yet to meet anyone who voted for that thing. And they call this a democracy. Fair election my azz. Man, I would love to see Hitlery run for President against Condi, or see Guliani run against her for Senate just to see her get her azz handed to her in a debate. Or even better have Ann Coulter run against Hitlery! Oh yeah!! That`s the one thing that ticked me off about Lazio, he was terrible in the debates. He wasn`t as experienced as the sociopath and he let her get away with murder. I mean why didn`t he bring up all those pardons? It drove me nuts.
Plus she is a Marxist through and through.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE NEWS REPORT
(Smiling picture of HRC flashes on screen over SNL newscaster's shoulder)
SNL NEWSCASTER:
"New political polls say most Democrats prefer Hillary Clinton as their presidential candidate, because Democrats are looking for fresh new ways to get their *sses handed to them."
Doubly disgusting is that these so-called devoutly pro-life anti-gay religious people proceeded to vote radical pro-abortion, pro-homo Hillary into the Senate.
The old Liberal school will not change, so over time, we must move them out to pasture. Their effective time of service has long passed by. Many are so compromised to a given mind-set, that their responses defy logic. They vote against good, wise and effective legislation because their emotions are so set against doing the Right thing in office.
"What are the Constitutional grounds for the Federal government to get involved in this issue, particularly in light of the Tenth Amendment?"
Mind you I hope there are some really substantive ones, because I think that reining in the trial bar is a wonderful idea.
But unfortunately conservatives fall prey as often as liberals to the delusion that every wonderful idea is best brought to fruition in the legislature.
Interesting that Jumpin-Jim and Obama both voted YEA. I might have expected otherwise... anyways, good for them.
Probably because he didn't run for re-election to the Senate.
TORT REFORM (No votes)
Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Nay
Biden (D-DE), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Byrd (D-WV), Nay
Clinton (D-NY), Nay
Corzine (D-NJ), Nay
Dayton (D-MN), Nay
Dorgan (D-ND), Nay
Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Nay
Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Kennedy (D-MA), Nay
Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay
Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Nay
Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Murray (D-WA), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Nay
Pryor (D-AR), Nay
Reid (D-NV), Nay
Sarbanes (D-MD), Nay
Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Nay
If NPR is not happy with this bill, then, it must be a very good bill indeed.
So much for the new improved, centrist Hillary Rodam Blythe Klintoon.
"..... he let her get away with murder........."
So did everyone else. Does the name Vince Foster ring a bell? And there are many more deaths that should have been investigated. Anyone remember Ron Brown? Make no mistake...Hitlery is going to run in 08 unless she loses her seat in the senate. Will the media give her a pass again? It will be OUR turn to emulate the Swiftboat Vets and unearth all the scandals of the klintons. It's time we became activists for the sake of our country. We cannot let the klintons rule this nation again. We won't survive it a second time.
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