Lawrence J. McQuillan

The Republicans held their convention in St. Paul this summer, but the real news from the Upper Midwest is the region’s renaissance in economic freedom, led by South Dakota. The Mount Rushmore State is number one among all 50 states in economic freedom, according to the recently released 2008 U.S. ...

AFTER EIGHT DECADES IN NEW JERSEY, drugmaker Hoffmann-La Roche recently announced plans to move its headquarters, transferring many high-paying jobs to another state. This is more evidence of a shrinking pharmaceutical industry in the Garden State—once known as“the nation’s medicine chest.”One reason for the exodus is the state’s poor tort ...

New Report Reveals Which States Have Most Economic Freedom South Dakota is most free, New York most economically oppressed San Francisco – The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released the U.S. Economic Freedom Index: 2008 Report, a ranking of economic freedom in the ...

It is mind-boggling that the Illinois Supreme Court might nix the successful medical malpractice reforms enacted in 2005 — just as the Metro East area begins recovering from the damage inflicted by years of crippling tort judgments (“Illinois’ med mal law on trial,” Aug. 18). Thanks to these reforms, Madison ...

The number of California homes in foreclosure surged 327 percent in the first quarter of this year, to an average of more than 500 foreclosures per day. The state unemployment rate is at a nearly five-year high of 6.9 percent. And the budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year is ...

State Sen. John Carey was right to praise the Ohio General Assembly for its efforts to improve Ohio’s business climate through initiatives like tort reform (“Excessive regulations stifles state’s growth,” Aug. 6). In fact, Ohio is setting an example that other states would be wise to follow. As Sen. Carey ...

State Sen. Larry Mumper was right to praise the Ohio General Assembly for its efforts to bolster economic growth through initiatives such as tort reform (“Legislature seeks to cut the cost of doing business in Ohio,” July 29). In fact, Ohio is setting an example that other states would be ...

Kudos to David Ridenour for highlighting many problems with West Virginia’s dysfunctional tort system in his July 15 column, “The state should pursue tort reform.” I’d like to add one more problem – the state’s partisan judicial elections. Litigation awards tend to be higher in states with an elected judiciary. ...

To the Editor: To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On (June 22, 2008) Re “To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On” (June 22): One area of particular concern, especially in this election year, is torts’ impact on health care. Fears of malpractice lawsuits prompt many doctors ...