Wilkes Barre Times Leader (PA), June 7, 2006

Again Pennsylvania finds itself in the news by ranking at the bottom in the 2006 U.S. Tort Liability Index reported by the Pacific Research Institute.

PRI is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization described as "one of the most innovative and effective think tanks in the world" by Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman. This index analyzed 39 objective factors in the civil-justice systems of the 50 states.

Only New York, Rhode Island and Vermont fared worse than Pennsylvania. The report also describes Pennsylvania as one of the states that is poised to fall in future rankings or stay at the bottom thanks to Gov. Rendell. A healthy, fair state legal system is a vital indicator of a state's economic vitality and growth.

A healthy, fair state legal system is also vital for Pennsylvanians' health care. No wonder why Pennsylvania remains on the medical crisis list by the AMA with malpractice rates increasing 250 percent since 2000 and why 92 percent of doctors that are trained in Pennsylvania leave as compared to less than 50 percent leaving just 10 years ago.

Why would a young obstetrician finishing her training in Pennsylvania decide to stay and pay $170,000 a year for malpractice insurance when she could go to a state like Minnesota, Wisconsin or Idaho and pay $20,000 a year? Or let me state it another way, would you want to fill up your tank at a gas station that charges $2.80 per gallon or $23.80 per gallon?

Gov. Rendell is responsible for Pennsylvania's continued health care crisis, continual stagnant job and business growth, the brain drain to other states seen in his recent veto of the Fair Share Act in March, and his continued support of the flawed tort system in Pennsylvania.

Millions of dollars flow into his campaign coffers from special-interest groups like personal injury lawyers and the "consumer groups" they fund who continue to prosper in Pennsylvania's flawed tort system environment at the expense of health care for all Pennsylvanians.

We Pennsylvanians demonstrated our power in the recent primary elections in response to the midnight pay raise fiasco supported by Gov. Rendell. During a recent speech, Gov. Rendell was asked why he supported this blunder. He was quoted as saying "to kiss a little butt," referring to the state Legislature.

What Pennsylvanians need from their governor is more "butt kicking" and less "butt kissing" of the status quo state Legislature and the dismally ranked Pennsylvania tort system.

Michael J. O'Donnell M.D.
Clarks Summit