Bush vows to make reform of legal system priority issue

[JohnLocke]

Bush vows to make reform of legal system priority issue
By Marilyn Geewax/Cox News Service
Thursday, December 16, 2004
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WASHINGTON — At a two-day conference called to promote his second-term economic agenda, President Bush said Wednesday he is committed to freeing business owners from the threat of "frivolous" lawsuits.
The rising cost of litigation can "make it prohibitively expensive for a small business to stay in business or for a doctor to practice medicine," Bush said. "If we can achieve legal reform in America, it'll make it a better place for people either to start a business and/or find work."
(...)
On the conference's first day, Bush attended only the session on legal reform, saying he is "passionate on the subject" and promising to "make this a priority issue" when Congress convenes in January.
One panelist, Bob Nardelli, chairman and CEO of Home Depot, said the legal system is abusing businesses by providing "excessive and unreasonable" rewards for lawyers while doing relatively little for claimants.*
Vice President Dick Cheney kicked off the event by praising the impact of tax cuts championed by Bush in his first term. "Economic growth remains strong, businesses are investing, and families are taking home more of what they earn," he said.
(...)
The White House has yet to reveal details of Bush's initiatives, but already, a number of powerful opponents are lining up to block them. For example, labor unions and AARP, which represents older people, are preparing to fight partial privatization of Social Security, and some business groups, such as the National Retail Association, will be opposing any shift from income taxes toward sales taxes.
(...)
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Read the rest here
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"Bush vows to strengthen corporate stranglehold over legal system" would make a better headline. Y'know, everytime I hear a Republican use the word "reform," I know that what they're saying is a lie. "Reform" is one of the right-wing codewords, meaning "dismantling." In this case it means "not trusting juries to make civic decisions."

[Straight Shooter]

1. How about eliminating corporate welfare, georgie?

Go ahead, piss off all the attorneys, the guardians of the public. Tell everybody in the legal system that you know better, because heaven knows you sure are a crackerjack at getting things done and getting them done right. Take a big whopping bite, georgie, and see how much you can chew :eyes:

[w4rma]

2. juries = peers. They do not want to be judged by their peers.

They want power.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. Making the U.S. Manufacturers safe from RESPONSIBILITY

And punishing the VICTIMS of Corporate malfeasance.

[uppityperson]

4. Asa small business owner

I certainly don't want to be held responsible for my mistakes and my insurance company shouldn't either. I mean, really. tsk tsk tsk (this is sarcasm, by the way)

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. The legal system is the only organization which can challenge them.

Trial lawyers are just a Trojan Horse. The right-wingers have done so many things wrong that they know they're vulnerable in the courts. Close that door, make it unprofitable for lawyer to pick up suits against them and the right-wingers can continue trampling over the rights of the little guy. Developers vs. homeowners. Guess who loses?

[Demeter]

6. Is He Going To Turn Himself In?

That would be reform of the legal system, top-flight reform!

[Laelth]

7. Tort law is almost the only weapon the people have ...

... to fight corporate greed there days. The corporations have bought the legislative and executive branches of the federal government and most state governments. Tort law, though, still keeps them in check. The fear of a big lawsuit is all that keeps Ford, for example, from building cheap cars that blow up in collisions. Tort reform is an idea that, if further implemented, will have disastrous consequences.

-Laelth

[baldguy]

8. Next, they'll "reform" that pesky Bill of Rights.

Gettin' in the way of the Glorious War on Terra, ya know.

[JohnLocke]

9. For the late night crowds

[barb162]

10. this is the death of civil rights of the average American , it's the

only way we have to "right" civil wrongs in our society

[lovuian]

11. Who needs Lawyers and Judges Not a dictator!!!

GoodBye Justice and another nail in the coffin for freedom in America!!!

[Just Me]

12. As a former practitioner,...reform is in order,...but not Bush's order.

What makes the justice system "unjust" is the corrupting influence of money/greed/influence (and, yeah,...lawyers, judges and clients are included in that fabric of undesirables).

However, what Bush seeks is to further disempower a common citizen's right to justice. Instead of removing the barriers of money/greed/influence (held by the insurance companies, large corporations and profiteering lawyers and "clients"), he simply exacerbates the problem and expands the core disease.

Not that this is any surprise, mind you, since money/greed/influence is EVERYTHING to the fascist-oriented predators strangling every great ideal upon which democracy is built.

I am never ceased to be amazed at how,...well, never mind.

[Maat]

14. Couldn't agree more, Just Me.

n/t

[The Judged]

13. Solutions offered are extreme and irresponsible reactions to problems.

Typical problem solving:

PROBLEM: 9/11
SOLUTION: Take away civil rights from the American people.

HEY, IT WORKS! No more 9/11's!


PROBLEM: The American people say that the election 2004 was stolen!
SOLUTION: fingerprint all Americans, issue them a required national ID card, take a DNA sample for the crime lab, and check their homes for illegal contraband!

GREAT IDEA!


FINAL PROBLEM: Americans are not guaranteed the right to vote in local, state, and national elections and they have no recourse to supreme authority over their governments.
FINAL SOLUTION: Keep this a secret for more than 200 years, and when any groups complain loud enough, just make it illegal to deny anyone a right to vote on the basis of their membership in that specific group, such as of a race, gender, or age group.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

15. Everyone knows that the corporation has the public's interest as its

first priority. Bhopol was just a fluke. It made Union Carbide change its name.

See: Twenty Years Without Justice:
The Bhopal Chemical Disaster

http://bhopal.strategicvideo.net/ (Quicktime video)


http://www.bhopal.net/index.php

[mulethree]

16. Sent Bush a letter about this

Along the lines of :

I saw your economic forum on CSPAN and I'm concerned about the input you're getting from your advisers.

One guy said that government regulations cost $7,000 per employee to comply with. I do books for small businesses and I can tell you the number is more like $300 and is mostly local and state licensing.

Lawsuits? Well when we have customers with grievances we try very hard to satisfy them. I find it makes for extremely loyal customers, lots of word of mouth referrals, and no lawsuits. I do have problems with landlords and insurance companies who have very much a 'so sue me' attitude and push every dispute to the brink of requiring a lawyer before they will fulfill their obligations.

The farmer at your forum explained how much difficulty he was having in evading the estate taxes so he can inherit the farm from his father. I'm glad he is having trouble with his tax evasion, but surprised he would talk to the president about it on national television.

I'd very much like to see the law shrunk down to a single book so that everyone can be expected to read it. We would get rid of a lot of loopholes and lawyers that way, but it would require trusting judges to be fair and wise.

Well, perhaps I worry to much about you sir, you are smart and you're a rancher so I'm sure you know what bullshit smells like.

Merry Christmas to you and your family

Sincerely

[Just Me]

17. Great letter *LOL*!!! Should be sent continent-wide!!!

Seriously. Seriously.

This man does NOT NOT NOT advantage small business or entrepreneurship, AT ALL!!

He is the mask of corporatism which, according to the FATHER of fascists, Mussolini,...IS FASCISM.

This man, George Walker Bush,...has no identity beyond the heritage he succumbed to,...and that heritage IS WAR PROFITEERING. His father was restrained by an experience or two with humility. This man,...GWB,...is dangerous. He doesn't even WANT to get a clue,...being the lazy, spoiled and way over-protected wimp that he is.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

18. It's about starving the Democratic Party of funds

Trial lawyers are big contributors, and if you decimate their income (which "tort reform" does) then you nearly eliminate that source of income for Democrats.

If they were serious about tort reform they'd include the b.s. lawsuits businesses bring against one another. But business tends to contribute to the Republican Party.

It's just another step on Rove's "one-party rule" agenda.

[Buns_of_Fire]

19. bu**sh** is "passionate on the subject" of tort reform

He's also passionate about tax cuts for the wealthy. And he's passionate about stripping Social Security. And he's passionate about starting wars he can't finish.

Wow. So much passion. So little compassion. Can the U.S. survive the Passion of the Bush?

[JohnLocke]

20. Kick (nt).

[Mike Niendorff]

21. so, to put this in perspective:

Just remember that Ken Lay's still free as a bird.


MDN

[demgrrrll]

22. I think that I read that Home Depot has numerous previous and pending

lawsuits for employee related injury claims. What about the lawsuits that are currently pending or may be filed against the Catholic church in the United States. Does anyone know if they are planning "reform" for those actions? Might explain a thing or two.
There are some slip and slide nuisance lawsuits and some folks who look for reasons to file because they want the money. I don't have a problem with weeding out those kinds of actions.

[napi21]

23. I agree there are far too many frivilous suits, but

there is no fair way to fairly legislate a change to that. There needs to be a change in the mindset of americans that they stop running to court for things that happen because of their own stupidity! Juries need to stop awarding judgements of millions in cases that maybe deserve $50,000 at the most. But you can't legislate a mind change, and the tort reform I've heard about would severly damage ligitimate injury cases where people were permanently harmed. Last I heard, Shrub suggested a maximum settlement of $250,000 in any case. Tell that to the guy who's Dr. cut off the wrong leg, or the little girl in NC who was given the wrong blood type in a transfusion during a heart transplant!

I agree completely that there is a problem, and many settlements are much higher than they should be. I simply don't know how to fix it.

[Disturbed]

24. John Edwards has a plan.

Of course, it will never be considered.

[demgrrrll]

25. I thought he mentioned that during the debates? Something about

a peer review I think. That would help and probably not hinder genuine grievances.

[Skittles]

26. bush doesn't want his thieving corporate bastard friends prosecuted

he wants them to be able to steal, injure, kill without accountability....means more money for the Greedy Old Pig party

[Darranar]

27. Corporate accountability is just so STUPID!

Why should rich people treat other people well, anyway?

[JohnLocke]

28. Kick