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October 7, 2005
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Moonbattery does not make life easy for landlords. From the Wall Street Journal:
Did you know that in California, child molesters and rapists are a protected class? It's true. Not only are California landlords banned from using the state's Megan's Law database to decline renting their properties to sex offenders, they're not even allowed to warn other tenants that these paroled criminals are now their neighbors. If they do the first, they can be fined $25,000 for housing discrimination. But if they don't do the second, they can be sued for failing to protect tenants against a known danger.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't. It can't be pleasant, being a landlord in California. But who cares? Everyone knows landlords are capitalist exploiters!
A similar approach might be taken toward doctors, some of whom have tried to avoid being looted into bankruptcy by avaricious John Edwards types by ordering every test that might conceivably result in a lawsuit by not being ordered. This of course drives up healthcare costs. Let's have a law against ordering too many tests. Get sued or get fined, the choice is yours. That ought to wipe the smug looks off doctors' faces!
Motorists are another potential application of the principle. Why don't we set the minimum speed above the maximum speed? That way we can give everyone a ticket. It will raise revenues as well as teach drivers a lesson for polluting the environment.
I'm so full of ideas, I think I'll move to California and run for the legislature.
Posted by Van Helsing at October 7, 2005 6:46 AM
Comments
The minimum speed analogy is the best one I've heard to describe this problem.
The Republicans should talk about this problem every single day, highlighting not only the effect of the legal landmines, but also how we got here:
The billion of dollars that go to trial lawyers can fund an awful lot of influence.
For an example, look back to the Tobacco Embezzlement. Trial lawyers paid millions of dollars to ONE political party, who created the environment needed to extract $billions from corporations. A small percentage of that money found it's way back into the pockets of Democrats. Republicans go along because their too stupid to realize the stakes.
It's not "runaway juries" who created this problem, but the government who created the situation BY DESIGN. By the way, do you think we'll see an expose on 60 Minutes?
The problem is not going to be solved until the Democrats pay a political price that exceeds the value of the cash they receive.
Posted by: Steve O at October 7, 2005 9:59 AM
Steve O: hear hear!
Van H: If you run, I'll move to California to vote for you.
Posted by: Oyster at October 7, 2005 1:16 PM
