The Next US President

[dubljay]

John Edwards made his money as a trial lawyer, suing corporations and doctors, and winning millions of dollars for his himself and his clients. Does that make him a great lawyer? I am sure it does.

Eat too much at McDonald's and now you're fat? Go ahead and sue.
Your kid didn't make the cheerleading squad? Go ahead and sue.
You smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years and now have lung cancer? Go ahead and sue.

Malpractice insurance rates are skyrocketing, and this has created a real crisis in many areas. Edwards blames the insurance companys. I blame the trial lawyers, who are preying on folks trying to hit the medical or corporate malpractice lottery/jackpot. Many companies or physicians settle "frivolous" lawsuits, just so they don't have to waste their time defending them.

There will be no real tort reform with John Edwards in office. After all, he has benefitted greatly from the current system. The American Trial Lawyers Association couldn't be happier that he is running for VP

I am not, repeat NOT, saying that they are not some people who have been seriously injured due to corporate or medical malfeasance.

Yes, this issue is serious enough to make me want to consider if John Edwards should be that close to the presidency.

well said

 

[KungFuWarrior]

Myself yup thats right im runnin and votin for me. LoL :ultracool

 

[Bammx2]

I don't like republicans or democrats.The present "party" system sucks. I think we need the Blue Collar Party....I would rather vote for the guy who collects money in my parking lot! We have way too many "proffesional" politicians.
As one man said "I can't read a pie chart or a bar graph,but I can tell you about the taxes on my farm doubling every year for the last 5 years.....and for what? nothing has changed except my accountants pay."

 

[michaeledward]

John Edwards made his money as a trial lawyer, suing corporations and doctors, and winning millions of dollars for his himself and his clients. Does that make him a great lawyer? I am sure it does.

Eat too much at McDonald's and now you're fat? Go ahead and sue.
Your kid didn't make the cheerleading squad? Go ahead and sue.
You smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years and now have lung cancer? Go ahead and sue.

Malpractice insurance rates are skyrocketing, and this has created a real crisis in many areas. Edwards blames the insurance companys. I blame the trial lawyers, who are preying on folks trying to hit the medical or corporate malpractice lottery/jackpot. Many companies or physicians settle "frivolous" lawsuits, just so they don't have to waste their time defending them.

There will be no real tort reform with John Edwards in office. After all, he has benefitted greatly from the current system. The American Trial Lawyers Association couldn't be happier that he is running for VP

I am not, repeat NOT, saying that they are not some people who have been seriously injured due to corporate or medical malfeasance.

Yes, this issue is serious enough to make me want to consider if John Edwards should be that close to the presidency.

Thank you.

While I have very little knowledge concerning Edwards litigation history, I am curious if you know of any specific lawsuits that Senator Edwards has fought that you would consider frivolous and which brought him and his clients millions?

Yesterday, I heard a commentary from David Brooks of the New York Times stating that the 'Trial Lawyers' issue, in general, did not affect the Edwards primary campaign negatively, because he so effectively tells the story of his clients; an individual who was subject to injustice due to corporate negligence, or a devious slob looking to cash in a litigious lottery ticket, depending on your point of view.

Should an individual, who feels he is the subject of injustice, have recourse against a corporation other than to boycott the products and services of that corporation? What avenues of recourse do you feel should be appropriate?

Thanks. Mike

P.S. Did Edwards litigate against McDonalds? Did he represent a student cut from a cheerleading squad? Did he file suit against tobacco companies for one of those companies' consumers? Or are these just hypothetical examples you cite?

 

[Melissa426]

Now this is not to get into a big debate or anything. I just want a name and perhaps a small reason why, but be careful, politics are touchy and I don't want any fighting.

So who do you want for next President

Bush :idunno:
Kerry
Other

I quoted the original thread to remind myself that I am not here to debate, just to offer an opinion.

With a minimal web search, you can find John Edwards tooting his own horn about the cases he has won over the years. I don't blame John Edwards; he is not the whole problem, just part of it. And I don't see that he would really be willing to find a solution, because he has benefitted greatly from the current system.

I don't believe the tort system needs to be abandoned. I believe it needs to be reformed.

 

[michaeledward]

As one man said "I can't read a pie chart or a bar graph,but I can tell you about the taxes on my farm doubling every year for the last 5 years.....and for what? nothing has changed except my accountants pay."

I'm curious .. what one man said this?

And what does he mean when he says the taxes on his farm doubled every year for the last 5 years? I would like to see those numbers.

Is he referring to Federal Taxes, State Taxes, Local Taxes.
Is he referring to the loss of Tax Breaks?
Is he referring to a 'Tax Shift' - Federal Taxes Down - Local Taxes Up.

I believe statements like this are dubious.

Thanks for contributing - Mike

 

[hardheadjarhead]

John Edwards made his money as a trial lawyer, suing corporations and doctors, and winning millions of dollars for his himself and his clients. Does that make him a great lawyer? I am sure it does.

Eat too much at McDonald's and now you're fat? Go ahead and sue.
Your kid didn't make the cheerleading squad? Go ahead and sue.
You smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years and now have lung cancer? Go ahead and sue.

Can you tell us the results of the litigation against McDonald's regarding charges of obesity? What was Edwards' role in it? How did he handle the cheerleading case? What was his role in the smoking litigation? How did that play in his being elected senator to a big tobacco state? Do you see where I'm going with this?

The notion of "frivolous lawsuits" has merit...there are indeed stupid suits filed. And there are just suits filed. But the topic here concerns the next President/Vice President. If you want to start a thread on the abuses of litigation, I'll jump in and play. Otherwise, unless you can specifically give an argument that Edwards abused his position as a trial lawyer, what you posted is irrelevant to the topic at hand and stereotypes Edwards without justification.


Regards,


Steve

 

[heretic888]

This might be a shock to everyone, but the "frivolous lawsuits" epidemic has less to do with our legal system being in need of reform --- and more to do with our culture being in need of reform.

The alleviation of personal responsibility and accountability, and the worship of the finite ego is not limited to these lawsuits.

"Victim-chic" cultural studies. Identity politics. Political correctness. "Reader-response" literary theory. UFO abductions (this super-advanced alien race wants nothing more than to look at ME!). Moral relativism (don't tell me what to do!). Alternative "spiritualities" that emphasize "liberating" "me" and/or "self-improvement" (as opposed to transcending the ego). Ecophilosophy emphasizing how we are going to "save the Goddess/Gaia" (where it's usually the other way around in most religions). Extremist social constructivism (in which the omnipotent "cultural self" creates all realities).

So on and so on.... is any of this really a surprise??

 

[Bammx2]

The quote came from...like him or not....jesse ventura. It was at the university of minnesota when he was there for a speaking engagment when he was just a council member.Not running for governor.

I did not catch the specification of which taxes. Didn't need too personally.
Its all a matter of "he who can BUY the most toys,wins"..or sling the most mud.

 

[michaeledward]

The quote came from...like him or not....jesse ventura. It was at the university of minnesota when he was there for a speaking engagment when he was just a council member.Not running for governor.

I did not catch the specification of which taxes. Didn't need too personally.
Its all a matter of "he who can BUY the most toys,wins"..or sling the most mud.

I wonder if Jesse Venture ever actually owned a farm?

Of course, Hyperbole is useful in political discuss, especially to enflame constituents. Of course, if my property taxes went from one thousand dollars a year to sixteen thousand dollars a year ... I'd be upset too ... but I might learn to read a pie chart, if it would help.

Mike

 

[hardheadjarhead]

This might be a shock to everyone, but the "frivolous lawsuits" epidemic has less to do with our legal system being in need of reform --- and more to do with our culture being in need of reform.


So on and so on.... is any of this really a surprise??

This seems to be of interest to people. I opened a thread on it. We don't need to discuss it on this thread....though if anyone wants to bring Edwards record in this case into the discussion, it seems reasonable to me.

Regards,


Steve

 

[Baytor]

ROSS PEROT!

 

[Melissa426]

Can you tell us the results of the litigation against McDonald's regarding charges of obesity? What was Edwards' role in it? How did he handle the cheerleading case? What was his role in the smoking litigation? How did that play in his being elected senator to a big tobacco state? Do you see where I'm going with this?

The notion of "frivolous lawsuits" has merit...there are indeed stupid suits filed. And there are just suits filed. But the topic here concerns the next President/Vice President. If you want to start a thread on the abuses of litigation, I'll jump in and play. Otherwise, unless you can specifically give an argument that Edwards abused his position as a trial lawyer, what you posted is irrelevant to the topic at hand and stereotypes Edwards without justification.


Regards,


Steve

The original question was who would you vote for and why. My answer was probably Kerry, but I wasn't so hip on Edwards.
I was responding to Michael Edward, who asked me why I wasn't sure I didn't want to vote for a Kerry/Edwards ticket.
I was trying to be polite by not ignoring Michael Edward.
I was not trying to start a debate about frivolous lawsuits.

Everything you said in your above post is true.

But, I stand by my opinion that I don't believe Edwards would pass anying meaningful tort reforms, an issue I consider critical for America's future.
I am not so sure I want another 4 years of Bush either ( but don't ask me why, I am not going to get into that :ultracool !)

Regards,
Melissa:asian:

 

[auxprix]

Ah, I can offer a little insight.

#1) Mcdonnald's lawsuits:

There were two lawsuits against the fast food industry. One was class action of a bunch of parents who had morbidly obese children (I think there were 12) who sued McD's. The other was an immagrant worker for arbys (or was it KFC?) who said that his heart trouble stemmed from eating various fast food for years. So it was him against a number of chains. Both legal actions were thown out of court for mainly 2 reasons. 1) it was the peoples choice to eat foods that had public documentation revealing it's nutritional value. 2) They couldn't prove that their problems were a direct result of eating fast food.

I just happen to have been doing a research project in the time that all this came to light.

#2) Yes, ventura ownes a good plot of land. I believe it's a ranch north of Minneapolis where he rides horseback and plays with his numerous assult weapons (I actually saw this on a news program, not making it up).

#3) I hear alot of ventura praise. In my experience as a Minnesotan, it seems like most of us have a very sour taste of the guy. His approval was very low when he left office. I can't speak for all the people in my state, but in my opinion he is an egotistical self promoter who took alot of creadit for things he had nothing to do with.

Oh, and to tie it into the subject. I'll vote Kerry, but I'm not crazy about Edwards (but he can't do much damage as a VP. However, I may have said the same thing about Cheney :erg: )

 

[Baytor]

#3) I hear alot of ventura praise. In my experience as a Minnesotan, it seems like most of us have a very sour taste of the guy. His approval was very low when he left office. I can't speak for all the people in my state, but in my opinion he is an egotistical self promoter who took alot of creadit for things he had nothing to do with.

I'm also from Minnesota, and this is right on, in my opinion.

 

[TonyM.]

Right now I'd vote for Barney Fife over the last seven presidents I've endured.

 

[Cruentus]

John Edwards made his money as a trial lawyer, suing corporations and doctors, and winning millions of dollars for his himself and his clients. Does that make him a great lawyer? I am sure it does.

Eat too much at McDonald's and now you're fat? Go ahead and sue.
Your kid didn't make the cheerleading squad? Go ahead and sue.
You smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years and now have lung cancer? Go ahead and sue.

Malpractice insurance rates are skyrocketing, and this has created a real crisis in many areas. Edwards blames the insurance companys. I blame the trial lawyers, who are preying on folks trying to hit the medical or corporate malpractice lottery/jackpot. Many companies or physicians settle "frivolous" lawsuits, just so they don't have to waste their time defending them.

There will be no real tort reform with John Edwards in office. After all, he has benefitted greatly from the current system. The American Trial Lawyers Association couldn't be happier that he is running for VP

I am not, repeat NOT, saying that they are not some people who have been seriously injured due to corporate or medical malfeasance.

Yes, this issue is serious enough to make me want to consider if John Edwards should be that close to the presidency.

These are sort of broad generalizations; some I can agree with, however, where is there record that Edwards made his money off of "frivilous" law suits?

No offense, but these are attacks more on our legal system rather then Edwards himself. I would take your points about Edwards with more validity if you had more evidence against him, rather then generalizations about his career, or the legal system. Not voting for someone because they are a trial lawyer is akin to not voting for someone because they are a stock broker, an insurance agent, or a cop, because you distrust "stock brokers," "insurance agents," or "cops." And, under that logic, you couldn't vote Bush either because him and all his buddies also made money under our current system, so how could we expect tort reform from them?

(this is not directed towards you Melissa, as I am not saying you are conservative) I think much of the conservative population under Bush has lost their ability to argue coherently and logically. An examples of an interesting (and illogical) habit I have seen...

Conservatives under Bush seem very good at making insults that aren't actually insults, thereby "labeling" people, and getting the unthinking public to rally around that. If conservative PR says anything sneeringly, like so-and-so is "liberal" or "french" or a "trial lawyer," then some people go out like robots and honestly argue "I can't vote for blah...because blah is a 'liberal' or blah is a 'french lover'" It's ridicules. Our public is so gordamm lazy that we buy these illogical falicies because someone "important said them," or someone put in on da...der... TV. And, if you don't think this bullcrap isn't working for them, then let me tell you a story. Wanna know how our Attorney General in MI., Mike Cox, got elected? He was down in the polls against Sen. Gary Peters until a special ad came out. The premises of the add was "Can you trust Gary Peters, when he was a STOCK BROKER!?"(add in creepy music along with that sentence). People are so frikin retarded, that this illogical attack worked, and he came up in the polls to win the election by a small margin.

I guess I'll just sit back and wait for american to start thinking critically.

 

[Cruentus]

I'm also from Minnesota, and this is right on, in my opinion.

heh...I find this hilarious. I frequently run into people who are not from Minnesota who talk about how great Ventura is. Then I ask them what he has done in office that they like, and they can't give me a coherent answer.

Fun fun fun... :supcool:

 

[TwistofFat]

The next president should be drafted..."as you open the non-descript yet formal looking Fed Government envelope thinking, I did'nt really cheat on my taxes Tooo badly. What the hell is this? I am the 42nd President! S*&^t, how did that happen? I wasn't even registered to vote!"...

 

[BlueDragon1981]

I appreciate the posts but keep on track. Just say who you want for President.

Kerry
Bush
Other (I think its Nader again)

I don't want a debate starting...just who you are voting for. (I would like a blue collar honest person to run but face it...anyone exposed to politics starts acting like well a "Politicians")