Articles
Why Does President Bush Hate Me?Trial News Online Steven Toole After a month off at Christmas, my son finally returned to college. I forgot just how expensive a teenage son is. Boy! Do they eat a lot. They also have the oddest sleep patterns. I never did get used to the fact that in the morning as I was leaving for work, my son was just heading to bed. I sure hope he has night classes this semester. My daughter has started the dance competition season. With all her dancing, I am amazed she is able to find time for school, let alone homework, but amazingly, she manages to handle it all. I could never keep up with her pace. Well, I am stalling here. I know there have been WSTLA presidents who have salivated at the thought of being able to write a column, published every month for a year. They probably have their outlines written before their term even begins. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I am not one of those. I need to be inspired and I am a last-minute kind of guy. For example, this column was due a week ago and as I woke up this morning, I still had no clue as to what to write. Then it hit me. As I read a press release about the speech President Bush had just given at the University of Scranton, I saw that once again our President was bashing plaintiffs' trial attorneys in front of the entire nation and the world. He was advocating for caps on non-economic damages and other draconian measures designed to dismantle our civil justice system. This caused me to think. What did I ever do to invoke the wrath of the President of the United States? Why does President Bush have it in for me, my clients and my practice? Why does he hate me? Am I so different from people that he likes? After all, when I get dressed in the morning, I tie one shoe at a time. I pay my taxes. I contribute to the economy by buying consumer goods. I dutifully use credit cards and always seem to have more debt to pay off than I have cash on hand. I am a loving father and husband. My kids go to public school. I participate in my children's activities. I am a card- carrying member of the PTA. I vote. I am a law-abiding citizen. I am even a small businessman. So, why does President Bush hate me? What did I do wrong? Then I realized that it probably wasn't me that President Bush was upset with. Rather, he was probably upset with the other plaintiff trial attorneys-that is the rest of you WSTLA members. It caused me to pause and give some thought to this new conclusion. The problem is that I know the members of WSTLA. Many of you are my friends and you are just like me. You, too, are law-abiding citizens, have children in school, belong to the PTA, contribute to the economy by buying consumer goods, pay taxes, own your own business, and so on. So that doesn't explain why it is that President Bush has a vendetta against plaintiffs' trial lawyers. Then a light bulb went on. I realized that what must really be going on here is that he has no problem with the plaintiffs' trial lawyers in Washington State. It must be the trial lawyers in other states that he is so upset with. Of course, this also caused me to pause to think. In doing so, I realized that I know a good many attorneys who are plaintiffs' trial attorneys in other states and belong to state trial lawyers' associations across the country and belong to ATLA. Again, most of those people are just like us. They are good, caring people who pay their taxes and abide by the laws. They have children in schools and are involved in the activities of those children. They are members of the PTA. They contribute to civic groups and volunteer their time on various boards. So, this couldn't be the answer. So, what is the answer? Why do President Bush and his administration and supporters believe that I, Steven G. Toole, other members of WSTLA and plaintiff's trial attorneys throughout the country are such scoundrels? Why does he hate all of us? Why is it that President Bush apparently believes that we are solely responsible for the economic woes of the United States of America and are almost single handedly accountable for physicians having to leave the profession? Then it hit me. We are not bad people. The problem is that President Bush is afraid of us. When people are afraid of something, they either submit themselves to that which they are afraid or they attack. We all know that President Bush does not submit himself to anything. He is relentless in pursuit of his goals. In my opinion, those goals include protecting the interests of his wealthy corporate friends and the insurance industry that helped get him elected to office. Therefore, President Bush has resorted to going on the attack. The bigger question is why is President Bush afraid of us? After all, we dedicate our practices and professional lives, and much of our personal lives, to protecting individuals and preserving our civil justice system. We are energetic, hard working and creative people, who believe with great passion in the rights of all individuals and the concept of access to equal justice. We fervently believe in everyone's constitutional right to a trial by jury. These should be considered good characteristics, not bad. Point in fact: I believe these characteristics make us special. We care and we care with passion. We don't take no for an answer. We eagerly look forward to representing the underdog. We believe in the concepts of truth and fairness. We are willing to take on the establishment when justice demands it. We are also willing to put our money where our mouths are. We not only talk the talk, but we walk the talk. If on short notice we need a member to drive to Olympia to testify on a particular bill or lobby a particular issue, we have no trouble getting members to set aside their practice for the day and do what needs to be done. When plaintiffs' counsel in a class action against State Farm were being flooded with deposition notices and needed help, dozens of our members (actually, 75) generously agreed to assist in attending those depositions, with absolutely no expectation of being compensated. When Farmers sued two individuals who were scheduled to speak at a WSTLA seminar in an effort to intimidate them and keep them from speaking, the seminar chair volunteered to represent them at no charge. Over 20 WSTLA members immediately agreed to assist in the litigation, again, with no expectation of compensation. Caring with a passion is what makes the members of WSTLA, other state trial lawyer associations, and ATLA special. It is what makes us different. It is what makes WSTLA a powerful organization and a worthy organization. It is why President Bush is so afraid of us, even though we are relatively small in numbers and can only raise a fraction of the funds that are raised by the insurance industry and big business when they are supporting President Bush. This is why President Bush hates us. WSTLA members are righteous, opinionated, stubborn, energetic and creative and I love every one of you. These traits serve us and our clients well, and they serve society well. It is how we make a difference in this world and put meaning into our lives. It is why I am proud to be a trial lawyer and a member of WSTLA. Steven G. Toole, WSTLA EAGLE member, is with the Law Office of Steven G. Toole, P.S. in Bellevue, Washington. Mr. Toole is President of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Trial News Online, © 2003 Washington State Trial Lawyers Association |
