9/11 settlement in jeopardy as plaintiffs refuse to sign, lawyers would get most of it.

I came across this article this morning and I couldn't help getting angry. Here are these heroes who worked day and night to search for survivors and clean 'the pile' who are now deathly ill because of their service. Then lawyers get involved who probably never contributed anything to society what-so-ever, save for maybe headaches, yet they stand to make millions off the heart-ache of our national heroes. This would literally only leave our heroes with a few thousands dollars each, not nearly enough to even pay for one day of the medical care they need. Does anyone else see the huge probel here? I know that this problem is not unique to this situation only, rather it is indicative of the "new American way" but we need to help our heroes who helped us in our most dire time of need. This is just one more disgusting consequence as a result of 9/11.

Source: www.nydailynews.com...

If you have a moment, I would reccommend that you read the [url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/01/2010-08-01_not_taken_care_of_911_settlement_in_jeopardy_as_plaintiffs_refuse_to_sign.html]article[ /url]... That is, if you can stomach it.

--airspoon

This is just shameful.The whole affair is sickening.If this is the" American Way" that people die for every day, then they are meaningless sacrifices. indeed.
When a society is ruled by law....it is a no brainer who gets the biggest slice....There is something wrong with this picture..........

reply to post by stirling


I agree. The law should never be so complicated that lawyers are needed. These lawyers should have their names known to the American people. We should make them household names, just like Bin Laden, as they too are attacking America.

--airspoon

Originally posted by airspoon
reply to post by stirling

 

I agree. The law should never be so complicated that lawyers are needed. These lawyers should have their names known to the American people. We should make them household names, just like Bin Laden, as they too are attacking America.

--airspoon

Which lawyers? The lawyers for the plaintiffs? Not that it matters, we need lawyers because the law is complex, the law is complex because our society is complex. You want a simpler society with simple rules? Thats fine, but then you must be willing to give up all the benefits of living in a complex society and they are many. It includes almost everything you take for granted. Medicine, engineering, civil infrastruce, educational systems, etc. These are all the direct result of very complicated arrangements made by and between citizens in a complex society.

reply to post by hooper


I';m fine with giving up the so-called "benefits" of this society. In fact, they are benefits are at all. I don't need anyone telling me how to live my life, making my choices for me. In fact, the only laws that should exist, are the so-called natural laws. If you initiate force against someone else, then you break the law. If you don't initiate force against someone else, then you don't break the law. Everything else is just oppression.

The people should not have to rely on government, telling them what to do and when to do or even telling them what is safe and what isn't because ultimately, it isn't the interest of the people that the government - or those who influence it - holds.

People would be much better off if they made their choices on their own or exercized their critical self thinking skills and those that w/couldn't, wouldn't fair well anyway.

For instance, if people didn't rely on the government to make their choices in the first place, then the first responders probably would have worn resporaters, instead, they listened to the government who said it was safe and entrusted that the government had their best interests at heart.

With that being said, it isn't only this situation but rather almost everything in life. Instead of making our choices, we are forced to rely on government to not only protect us, but also make our choices for us.

I don't know about anyone else, but I am responsable and capable of making my own choices. I know what's best for me better than anyone else and in fact, I am the only person that truly holds my best interests at heart.

When you delegate those powers, you are giving up on personal liberties and opening yourself up to those who would want to take advantage of you for their own ends, such is the case with our current system. We are exploited for the benefit of the "elite" or those who influence our current system.

You see, this country was founded on the corner stone of liberty, but through indoctrination from the last 100-150 years, the people have slowly lost control over their own lives. Do you realize that there are so many criminal laws that it would almost be impossible to know them all and even if you tried, it would consume the better part of your life? That's crazy. There should be no law against anyone doing anything that doesn't affect anyone but themselves.

In fact, you see people losing their livelihoods because lawyers take advantage of this very complicated system. These days, if you are accused of a crime or brought into court to be sued, even if it is a frivilous claim, you are going to lose whatever nest egg you have to lawyers who then navigate the unnecessary complicated law system.

So again, I would glady give up these so-called "benefits", in return for personal freedom, security and liberty, If it's safety your after, you might as well allow the government to lock you in a cell somewhere with absolutely no freedom. At least that way, you will be safe.

"Whoever shall trade a little liberty for a little security, deserves neither and will lose both" --Ben Franklin

--airspoon

reply to post by airspoon

The people should not have to rely on government, telling them what to do and when to do or even telling them what is safe and what isn't because ultimately, it isn't the interest of the people that the government - or those who influence it - holds.

Great thread I agree, to many high rollers (corporations) have a strangle hold on our lawmakers as it is.
I see where this country is heading and it not good. The giant corporations from around the world are running the United States. It is the powerful corporations whose money buys our politicians and helps them win elections, rigged or not.

The government does not want you to grow your own food.
The government does not want you to raise farm animals for food.
The government has most of the American people completely depending on them, you are correct.
Here is how it used to be with farming; farmers used to grow crops and sell to the local grocery stores the Farming communities help provide many of the foods in your local communities.

Then one day a corporation sprang up and offered the farmers more money for their crops, the corporations had no problem selling the farmer’s goods for more money over seas thanks to NAFTA. The corporations made so much money that they were able to pay millions of dollars to congress to pass laws to benefit them in controlling the farming industries.

We all know the FDA is a joke, today the FDA is in the pockets of these Food & Drug corporations. These corporations give away expensive gifts, and shovel wheel barrels of money to our politicians to do their bidding for them and that is how the system is now set up. It is about how much money do I get. Greed has taking control of our lawmakers, and many of our politicians do not care about the American people or what is good for them for that matter. It is what’s good for the corporations that really counts today.

This is why I say Congress has become so corrupt today. Congress uses every available method in our government to hide their corruption, I am sure both parties in Congress have enough dirt on one another to prevent any investigation, since they both serve the same interests. It’s become a cesspool of greed.

[edit on 2-8-2010 by impressme]

reply to post by airspoon

So again, I would glady give up these so-called "benefits", in return for personal freedom, security and liberty, If it's safety your after, you might as well allow the government to lock you in a cell somewhere with absolutely no freedom. At least that way, you will be safe.

I would love to respond to your entire writing, but lets just look at this for now.

What do you percieve as the difference between your "security" that you want to secure and the "safety" that you think I want to secure via an organized government? Why do you think you have a right to form your own security and limit my safety.

Also, the point of my writing was speaking to something much more fundamental than safety or security. I was talking about modernity and all of its accompanying benefits. The value of modernity is unquestionable and incalculable. It includes almost everything you know.

reply to post by airspoon


If you knew anything about the State's Rules of professional responsibility, you'd know that whenever a Defendant makes a settlement offer, an attorney is required to bring that offer to his client to see if he or she is willing to settle for that amount. Moreover, when a law office is operating for free based on a contingency arrangement, an attorney's fee of approximately 1/3 or in this case actually 1/4 is reasonable.

If you abolished contingency fees, then no one who was low-income could ever afford to sue someone else because they would not have any money to pay the lawyer's hourly rate and costs up front or in the middle of the litigation process. Doctors get paid to do their job almost immediately. Lawyers who operate on a contingency may have to wait over a year for the case to settle or go to trial in order to be compensated for their work.

If the proposed settlement amount were 50 cents, the lawyers would still be required to tell their clients about that offer and ask if it was acceptable. If you have complaints, go to the people making the offer, not the attorneys who have been working the case for years. I have personally benefited from past class action lawsuits, getting a new ipod without ever having to do anything - saved me a hundred bucks. I would never have filed a lawsuit over an amount that small but as a part of a greater class action, the final settlement would be great enough to finance litigation.

Everyone trashes lawyers until they are subjected to some injustice and need help. The first thing they do is call one of the people that everyone hates. It's hypocritical and pathetic. Most of the people in this forum espouse the virtues of the Constitution on a daily basis, but it's the attorneys who actually do something practical that make the Constitution more than simply a piece of paper.

[edit on 8-8-2010 by andrewh7]

reply to post by andrewh7


Trust me, I understand what your saying and also understand the situation at hand, which in my opinion shows something fundamentally wrong with the system. I am of the school that if laws are so complex that lawyers are needed, then those laws are oppressive to the people and furthermore, the people who interpret those laws have the ability to oppress the public.

I think most people who have had to deal with attorneys for one reason or another, have also been screwed over by these attorneys. Whether they have been cheated justice, money or even liberty, a lawyer's job often entails screwing someone else over. If you think about it, some lawyers are only professional liars and/or legal con-wo/men. Of course this doesn't mean that they all are, only that this is the nature of the game.

In sum, I don't fault the lawyers in this situation, so much as I fault the system. A system that rewards those who navigate the complex laws that ultimately oppress the people, rather than said people who are oppressed by said laws. We have so many laws on the books that lawyers are absolutely needed to navigate them and most liberty loving Americans would agree, that more laws equals less freedom and personal liberty. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually looks forward to working with a lawyer.

Laws should be simple and easily understood. If you initiate force against anyone for anything, then you are at fault. Instead, our system has turned into something that benefits only those who can hire the best liar to snake through the system and that my friend, is the hallmark of a system that is fundamentally flawed.

Now, some may argue that lawyers are only doing their job in a dog-eat-dog world, however the same could be said for the slaver who would whip chained humans into submission and the same could also be said for Gestapo agents who would root out Jewish families. When you make your living from the oppressive system in which you live, especially if your "job" adds on to that oppression, then you are part of the problem as opposed to either the solution or current. No matter the excuses used to ensure a good night's sleep, reality is reality.

--airspoon