For RR, Esq.

[rraley]

Thank you Larry about ND and let me reinerate that I do consider you very highly in terms of open-mindedness; I just used that term to add some political satire to my post.

[Lenny]

Originally Posted by rraley

Actually, they would enjoy that argument by my estimation (the faculty, especially political science professors, which I am majoring in, is overwhelmingly liberal).

On to more substantive points...

I am not sure about the numbers that Mr. Gude are providing them (there is no article by which to place them in context), but this is what I gather from them. First of all, the results look rather skewed or unreliable (I don't know how reliable the Bones Society is or how truthful doctors' offices are about how much their medical malpractice insurance costs). I also am not sure if it is a good idea to use only one type of doctors (orthopaedic physicians in this case) when discussing malpractice rates. But this is what immediately jumps out at me and it is using case-studies.

Maryland has rather lenient laws when it comes to torts and other lawsuits. A lawyer-hating Republican would say that Maryland is one of America's "trial lawyers' dreams." According to the numbers of the Bones Society, the malpractice costs for an orthopaedic physician in Maryland is $19,500. Ok, not the lowest (of course that physician is by no means in the poorhouse), but not the highest. Now let us compare this average cost to the average cost of an orthopaedic physician in Texas, where tort reform is at its toughest: $20,550. Hmmm, there seems to be no correlation between tough tort reform and lower rates...just some food for thought.

Son, you had impressed me earlier with sparks of intellectual maturity beyond that of the typical middle-aged liberal. But you then burst the bubble when you pulled out that traditional Democrat tactic of villanizing the victim.

But you failed to follow your party's platform. Had you paid attention to the Democratic platform, you'd have noticed that those with an annual income of $200,000 were the declared villans. You decided that $150,000 was a better threshold for villany. I hope your scholarship for a political science degree is non-refundable.

[Lenny]

Originally Posted by Lenny

Son, you had impressed me earlier with sparks of intellectual maturity beyond that of the typical middle-aged liberal. But you then burst the bubble when you pulled out that traditional Democrat tactic of villanizing the victim.

But you failed to follow your party's platform. Had you paid attention to the Democratic platform, you'd have noticed that those with an annual income of $200,000 were the declared villans. You decided that $150,000 was a better threshold for villany. I hope your scholarship for a political science degree is non-refundable.

Maybe this is an indication that you REALLY ARE the future leadership of the Democratic Party as Vrai said. You've already escalated the villany-threshold for no particular reason other than you want to win an argument.

[rraley]

Lenny I think that you take some things out of context and are not the nicest person in articulating disagreement...I said that $150,000 is a good salary to live off of; I didn't make those who make that amount the villians. What I am saying is that I won't allow doctors, who by most accounts like very comfortable lives compared to others, to be made the victims in the issue of tort reform.

[Lenny]

Originally Posted by rraley

Lenny I think that you take some things out of context and are not the nicest person in articulating disagreement...I said that $150,000 is a good salary to live off of; I didn't make those who make that amount the villians. What I am saying is that I won't allow doctors, who by most accounts like very comfortable lives compared to others, to be made the victims in the issue of tort reform.

Try living off $150,000 a year when you first pay $20-40,000 for malpractice insurance, then pay for office rent and equipment, the office help to keep the office open, the medical licenses and the continuing medical education necessary to keep the license.

When the malpractice insurance for that $150K a year doctor is there SOLELY to pay off the mega-million dollar a year lawyers, something is wrong!

Some of us live in reality, not theory!

[ylexot]

I just got this in my email and thought it was appropriate.
http://www.sickoflawsuits.org

Personal injury lawyers and uninjured plaintiffs are gaming our legal system in an attempt to get rich. Their never-ending lawsuit schemes are taking compensation away from those who are truly injured and destroying our healthcare system in the process.

No part of our healthcare system is safe from attack. Everyone from doctors, to hospitals to the makers of our medicines is being sued.

Why should you care? Because it's patients who ultimately are hurt by these abusive lawsuits. Injured patients are denied the justice they deserve and the compensation they need when uninjured plaintiffs sue just to get rich. And all patients pay the price in higher costs for healthcare, less access to care and slowed medical innovation. Abusive lawsuits and the fear of lawsuits are jeopardizing the healthcare we all depend upon.

Join us if you agree that justice for those who are truly injured and healthcare for the public good is more important than profits for personal injury lawyers.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

I won't allow doctors, who by most accounts like very comfortable lives compared to others, to be made the victims in the issue of tort reform.

They won't be. You support a party that has a bedrock longterm goal of socialized (free) medicine.

I personally know a doctor who moved out of state, Maryland, specifically because of the excess horse#### in Maryland. It's a business decision.

Doctors who stay will charge more, the anithesis of your party goal.

The end result will be public pressure to subsidize doctors, as Maryland just passed over the veto of the governor, to stay in state.

Doctors will never be the victims. The people are and will continue to be as lower quality doctors who are willing to put up with more and more government strings and edicts set up shop. Try making an appointment for a physical. We have a problem in Maryland.

And the legislature just moved us one step closer to socialized medicine rather than deal with the real issue; excessive insurance cost due to an out of control tort system.