Sam R. Hall

Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, opined Saturday about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He asked a question many of us have been asking for years:

A whole lot of money was spent (and much political blood was spilt) over tort reform in Mississippi. But, has it really mattered? Four years later, where does Mississippi’s civil justice system rank among those of sister states?

It seems the U.S. Chamber’s answer to that question astonishes the Mississippi legislator and tort reform supporter.

Disappointingly, the U. S. Chamber’s 2008 ranking lists Mississippi as 48 out of 50, beating out only Louisiana and West Virginia on their subjective corporate counsel “fairness” meter. Outrageous? I think so. For example, even though our state’s 2004 tort reforms imposed some of the most stringent venue requirements found anywhere, virtually eliminated mass tort consolidation suits, and placed rigorous caps on punitive damages, the corporate counsel polled by the Chamber’s research firm in 2008 collectively rank Mississippi 48th in all three categories (venue, mass torts, and punitive damages). Geeze, we realize you folks whipped us at Gettysburg, but aren’t we ever going to earn your respect? What more can we do to convince the world that our state’s tort system is fair to all litigants, even to Yankee corporations?

Poor Rep. Snowden. It seems that he just now may be getting the picture that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce cares nothing about the State of Mississippi and our court system. They are a political machine whose only concern is to dry up Democratic financial supporters and make the legal system an arm of corporate America.

Snowden goes on to say that a completely different study, one done by the Pacific Research Group, has Mississippi ranked much higher. Given this “astonishing” fact, Snowden believes the U.S. Chamber should change their method of ranking.

…We should encourage the U. S. Chamber to revisit their own subjective model, which certainly seems in need of an overhaul.

Fat chance, Rep. Snowden. The U.S. Chamber exists to do the bidding of your party. And so long as trial lawyers are the top financial backers of Democrats in this state, we will remain at the bottom of the Chamber ranking.

You and other well meaning Republicans (and other people, myself included…) got hosed on that one. They used doctors, small business owners and members of the press (of which I was at the time) to carry their water.

And the result? You just about have to be maimed in Mississippi before you can get any justice when corporate America is negligent. Even then, the odds are pretty good that the Supreme Court will overturn it.

Tort reform was a farce, nothing more than a political power grab. I’m man enough to admit I was wrong about it. How about you?