Great Takedown of Bush "Junk Lawsuit" Stories

[luisao]

And one of the few articles I think is capable of influencing genuinely undecided voters (though it's not partisan).

Spread this around! <http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1027-30.htm>

[MissMarple]

1. Good article. And it finds that Edwards is a good guy.

Scroll down closer to the end and you find:

"When asked during the debate if he thought Senator Edwards, a former trial lawyer, was part of the lawsuit problem, Cheney responded, "I'm not familiar with his cases." (As if Bush campaign staffers didn't scrutinize every lawsuit the man ever filed). But as The Washington Post noted, Edwards' previous political opponents seeking dirt "came away frustrated because Edwards' clients were almost universally sympathetic figures." Like most trial lawyers, he helped genuine victims get justified compensation and deter wrongdoers from harming others."

Welcome to DU!

Also from Public Citizen:

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1480

"The bill’s proponents claim that malpractice insurance rates are rising because of malpractice awards to patients, but all available data show that the legal system has no impact on insurance rates. Rather, insurance rates are tied to investment returns from the bond and stock markets and to the competitive economics of the insurance cycle.

"It’s clear from these numbers that the insurance premium increases over the past year are not tied to lawsuits," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen. "The only thing that correlates with the premium increases is the decline in malpractice insurers’ investment income."

and...

"According to Public Citizen’s analysis of NPDB data, a small percent of doctors are responsible for more than half of all malpractice payments, yet disciplinary actions (license suspension or revocation, or a limit on clinical privileges) for these doctors have been few and far between."

This is all good stuff, but how do we frame it so more people can actually understand it and realize they have been hoodwinked? They are jerking doctors around just as much as the general public.