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    Who are the NERD fund donors Mr Snyder?

    Raise the curtain.

    Dems Resurrect Trial Lawyer Enhancement Act to Pay-Off Ambulance Chasers


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Tue Oct 11, 2011 at 03:05:32 PM EST
    Tags: Michigan, Democrats, Ambulance Chasers, Drugs, Liability, FDA, Regulations, HB4440, HB4650 (all tags)

    Here we go again.

    Democrat Representatives Lisa Brown and Jim Ananich have each sponsored (with 27 Democratic co-sponsors) a portion and re-introduced the Michigan Trial Lawyer Enhancement Act (House Bills 4440 and 4650).

    Every legislative cycle about this time Michigan Democrats attempt to take advantage of a largely hibernating voting public, sponsoring and passing legislation designed to pay off debts to big-time campaign donors and special interest friends.

    It's the oldest trick in the book.  You campaign as a populist, you tell the people its all about them and then as soon as they aren't looking you start funneling as many perks, favors and giant paydays as possible to your cronies, no matter how many Michigan jobs it'll kill.

    We've talked about this issue before.  We sounded the alert when the Dems tried to do their trial lawyer pals a solid in 2007.  We sounded it again when they took another stab later that year.  They tried it again in 2008 and we were there again in 2009.  ( I Should note on this last, a technical  ahem .. 'complication' truncated some great discussion ... sigh.)

    ~ Continued below the fold ~

    They're back at it and as always, but just like the last four times--we won't let them get away with it.  By way of background...

    Drug companies create drugs.  They research them, they test them, they rework the formulas, they test them again and once they have something that will save lives or improve quality of life they send it along to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their own testing and approval.  

    The FDA tests these drugs.  Theoretically, they make sure they do what the drug companies say they do.  They make sure they're safe for use under a doctor's supervision and that all of the correct interaction and warning labels are properly applied and ready for marketing. Once the FDA approves a drug, its back on the drug companies to sell them and to comply with the standards the FDA has set for the sale and marketing.

    In Michigan, if someone takes a prescription drug and then bad things happen... they have a complication, get slammed by a particular side-effect they didn't see coming or they just plain didn't follow directions correctly there's a mechanism in place whereby those patients can sue.

    If you believe the warning labels misrepresented the risk, or you think the drug company foisted something on you fraudulently you go to the FDA, you tell them what happened (I hear they take these sorts of things seriously) and if the FDA figures out the company really did misrepresent their drugs or didn't tell the whole story about them then you get to sue!

    So then, what's the Democrats' legislation all about?  They want you to be able to sue for millions because you catch a sniffle.  They're encouraging frivolous lawsuits and looking out for their trial lawyer buddies.

    You know how governor Granholm used to always talk about life sciences and incubators and new economies?  So much for that.

    Not too long ago MichBio reported that more than 540 life science companies were up and running in Michigan with over 30,000 employees.  Guess what they do!  They create drugs.  They research drugs.  They test drugs.  They improve lives.  They save lives!  

    Now take those companies, already limping after nearly a decade of failed Democratic leadership, and take the leash off the trial lawyers.  Sure, some of the companies will survive.  Lots of them won't.

    Suppose that's the price Democrats are willing to pay to make the ambulance chasers happy.

    < Dewey, Cheatem & Howe | Not Exactly A Surprise >


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