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Stepping on the Little Guy: Hawaii, like Texas is moving towards socializing medicine

By Steve Lombardi

Hawaii has a new tourism slogan:

We Promise You A Vacation Unlike Any You Can Imagine!

Really? Isn't that nice? I sure hope not.

In a move that would make Karl Marx proud, a bill to put caps on damages in just medical malpractice cases is making its way through the Hawaii Legislature. Like Texas, the Hawaii medical community is no longer willing to pay for its medical mistakes. Instead it will force patients severely damaged by poor medical care to live on what the federal government gives them under the social security act. An amount approximating $1,000.00 per month. The bill would set up a communist cell like task force that will decide how high to set the quality of life damages for its poor citizens and those unfortunate tourists who seek medical care in Hawaii and receive substandard care. The task force will replace juries by deciding how high non-economic damages should be set, punishing the working poor and their families who are killed or maimed by substandard medical care.

It is highly recommended that if this bill passes you choose to vacation elsewhere. Any medical care performed in Hawaii will force patients to self-insure quality of life with a separate insurance plan.

This new America I don't recognize. It has me reading about Communism and Socialism because since The Wall came down in Berlin, to me we've looked more and more like a communist or socialist society. There is a new fabric that makes up the American conscious - greed. There is no proof the doctors and hospitals need economic relief or protection from non-economic damages a jury assesses for damages they created. The proof is lacking as is our social conscience it seems.

Where is the proof of economic need for this privilege to do harm and then shirk financial responsibility? Is this a serious claim or just one driven by corporate greed? Let the doctors and hospitals disclose gross incomes, show us their expense and how they spend that money and then their net incomes; and then allow us to compare it to net income of working Americans. We can all claim to need economic protections or we will take our ball and go home. But without proving it the claim is nothing more than whining. Are doctors and hospitals being greedy?

We shouldn't forget that the need to award damages was created by the doctor's and hospitals providing care far below the acceptable standard. These cases are difficult to prove so when you do the care had to be really bad.

We are back to the concept of communism and socialism. They want the high pay but not the responsibility for mistakes. The new America is capitalism on the way up but socialism on the way down. Like cars this is the new Hybrid-America. The stock market has tanked and now the medical profession will improve its cash position through economic protection from financial responsibility. How much does the medical profession pay to lobbyists and donate to political campaigns? Is shame an outdated concept? Do we no longer accept responsibility and the shame that goes with shirking it? The medical profession now joins the major brokerage houses and international banks as bail-out beggars wanting the high pay and bonuses and their hands in the public till but begging for bailouts if they make a mistake. Welcome to the new Communist-Socialist-America. It's capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down.

The medical profession now joins the major brokerage houses and international banks as bail-out beggars wanting the high pay and bonuses, their hands in the public till but bailouts if they make a mistake.

"Democracy," said Marx, "is the road to socialism."

Communism is conservative. Fewer and fewer people (preferably just the Party Secretary) have any say in how the economy works. Republicans are conservative. Fewer and fewer people (preferably just people controlling the Party figurehead) have any say in how the government works. The conservatives in the US are in the same position as the communists in the 30s, and for the same reason: Their revolutions failed spectacularly but they refuse to admit what went wrong.

A common mistake is to confuse Socialism, the economic system, with Communism, the political system. Communists are "socialist" in the same way that Republicans are "compassionate conservatives". That is, they give lip service to ideals they have no intention of practicing.

To see how Texas doesn't take responsibility for its medical mistakes read the posts below. Like Texas the message is clear, obtain serious medical care requiring hospitalization at a hospital outside of Hawaii. The new American motto is no longer 'In God We Trust'. America's heart of gold believes otherwise. Hawaii shows its lack of conscience by protecting incomes while no longer taking responsibility for its medical mistakes. Remember that new tourism slogan in Hawaii: We promise you a vacation unlike any you can imagine. If while on vacation in Hawaii you need medical care, and they make a mistake that slogan will take on a whole new meaning. And if you doubt it read about Mr. Fitzgerald and the statements by Malia Zimmerman below.

Stepping on the Little Guy: Dallas worker loses all four limbs, is awarded $17.7 million; well, almost, but not quite.

Texas Tort Reform Message – Go west young man; go east or north, but go.

Hawaii Reporter

New Hawaii Tourism Slogan: We Promise You A Vacation Unlike Any You Can Imagine
By Malia Zimmerman, 3/28/2006 1:13:31 PM

"The Hawaii Visitor Industry spends millions of taxpayer dollars promoting the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands all around the world, but any visitor who gives up a life savings to come to Hawaii, especially over these last few weeks, could definitely have a case against the state for false advertising.

A more honest, realistic visitor campaign would go something like this:

Aloha and welcome to Hawaii where we have the highest property crime in the nation, the highest overall taxes and one of the worst illegal drug problems.

Don't worry, our criminals rarely violently attack visitors -- they just steal your wallet, your video cameras and your suitcases any time you pull over to look at the view or go for a quick swim. No, it is not part of the visitor industry's plan to get visitors to spend more per trip -- it is the criminals who need your stuff more than you do so they can subsidize Hawaii's worst in the nation crystal meth habit. Don't worry -- the state will make sure when you buy replacements for your stolen goods that you are taxed -- and taxed really thoroughly. Hawaii has the highest overall tax burden in the nation and the tax is even higher if you are a visitor who stays in a hotel or rents a car."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on March 05, 2009 (boomark / email).