By FITSNews || We’ve had our issues in the past with S.C. Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor, but when it comes to his support for tort reform and workers’ compensation reform, he’s been a rock solid, pro-free market conservative. We’ve obviously also had our disputes in the past with S.C. Sen. Larry Martin (RINO – Pickens), although on these vital pro-business issues he has taken a positive leadership role (surprisingly) – as have several other RINOs.
What can we say … even blind hogs find acorns every once in awhile, right?
“Business fundamentals such as tort reform and workers’ comp costs are long-term items companies consider when making investments in our state, be it first time investments or expansions,” Taylor told FITS recently. “Continuing work on tort reform and workers’ comp reform is critical to successful industry recruitment in the future and even more important to the health and competitiveness of our own in-state businesses.”
This week, in an effort to revive our state’s moribund economy, Taylor is showing some urgency on behalf of those reforms.
In a pair of letters sent to lawmakers, Taylor is urging the S.C. General Assembly to pass legislation this session that would improve the state’s business climate.
Citing the success of the deal to land Boeing, Taylor wrote that “we can attract other, major economic development investment from companies such as Boeing by creating a more predictable and stable litigation environment with low and fair workers’ compensation rates, by protecting businesses from frivolous lawsuits and by bringing common sense back to our courtrooms.”
“Taking these steps will equate to more business for South Carolina and more jobs for our citizens,” Taylor added.
Obviously, it’s nice to see Taylor stepping up his support for these critical reforms – particularly as the state’s anti-competitive ambulance chaser lobby steps up its efforts to derail the legislation.
WEB EXTRAS
Taylor Letter to S.C. House
Taylor Letter to S.C. Senate
By Weighing In February 3, 2010 at 11:40 am
what’s sort of funny is when asked the real problem, Taylor said, “Well, we need to fix the venue issue”. Good job Joe, way to stay on top. That was done in 2005 you moron.
By Inpo February 3, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Taylor also favors no bid contracts to family, as I hear it.
By Old Bike Dude February 3, 2010 at 12:31 pm
As one who has lost a family member to medical malpractice I will simply say that while frivolous lawsuits are a problem, shielding incompetent, derelict, pos physicians is much worse. I will support tort reform when we are allowed to prosecute doctors for 1st degree murder. Seems like a fair exchange.
By Joe Taylor Is Right February 3, 2010 at 12:39 pm
In my experience with economic development, companies are interested in the following areas: right to work laws, taxes, tort laws, work force, workers’ compensation costs and incentives.
To become more competitive, the legislature should pass tort reform and workers’ compensation reform and address (or protect) the other issues above.
By SC Needs More Jobs!!! February 3, 2010 at 12:46 pm
South Carolina needs more jobs. Unemployment is near an all-time high. The General Assembly should stop talking about jobs and get to work enacting laws such as tort reform that will assist our state’s leaders in recruiting industry to South Carolina.
By LAWSUITS ARE JOB KILLERS February 3, 2010 at 12:55 pm
We all agree that SC needs a fair legal system but it has gotten out of balance with the constant advertisement by personal injury lawyers. They are everywhere phone books, billboards, TV ads, Internet ads …..
Lawsuits do not create jobs, in fact, lawsuits are job killers.
It is time for our elected officials to stand up to the special interests such as the personal injury lawyers and pass needed legal reforms.
By fitsnews February 3, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Inpo-
Send us the documentation of that claim and we’ll run a story on it.
w@fitsnews.com
-FITS
By Weighing In is the TV Lawyers' Waterboy February 3, 2010 at 1:19 pm
After reading the stupid comment of “Weighing In” I can only assume he is the waterboy for the personal injury lawyers.
Who else would attack Joe Taylor on this issue? Secretary Taylor showed a lot leadership in the recruitment of Boeing and he deserves our praise not immature comments as posted by “Weighing In”.
By Tired of Ambulance Chasers February 3, 2010 at 1:41 pm
FITS News,
I admire how you expose the ambulance chasers’ efforts to derail needed reforms in our state.
I can only speak for myself but I am tired of them. Its all about their pocketbook. They could care less about creating jobs for our citizens.
By HHR February 3, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Yawn … tort reform. Contrary to popular opinion, suits without merit don’t make it very far. The law already makes it difficult for plaintiffs to recover when it’s justified, much less when it’s frivolous. Trial lawyers, for the most part, do yeoman’s work. Are there bad apples? Sure, but that goes for all professions.
It’s all about checks and balances. Some businesses/industries, if not for the threat of litigation, would make cheap products with absurd margins that cut your child’s finger off, engage in false advertising to exploit customers, collect outrageous premiums and deny customers the very services those premiums supposedly cover, and generally fuck anybody and everybody to increase profits.
Who do you think makes Toyota fix defective gas pedals that cause your dear tort reform screaming mother to run into the back of a dump truck at 65 miles per hour? I’ll give you one guess … and it’s not the conservative holier than thou defense lawyer perched up in the 40th floor churning out paperwork at $300 an hour.
By Weighing In February 3, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Weighing In is the TV Lawyers’ Waterboy,
As someone who cannot even come up with a clever name, I almost chose not to respond to your asinine comment. I simply stated that Joe Taylor doesn’t even realize the issues that are being debated. He was specifically asked what needed to be addressed and he said Venue Shopping. That law was overhauled in 2005. It’s easy to send a letter and tout reforms when someone else writes it for you, which was clear in this case. I don’t practice this type of law, so it doesn’t really effect me, but I do get updates from the bar and the chamber of commerce and at least read the legislation.
Now that you’ve been corrected, I will remove my foot from your as*.
By Weighing In Is A JOKE! February 3, 2010 at 3:47 pm
You are a joke!
No where in the FITS News article or the letters from Secretary Taylor is “venue shopping” mentioned.
To come back now and claim that you read it somewhere else is dishonested at best.
You are a fraud. Now, go get your TV Lawyer Bosses some water ….
By poster February 3, 2010 at 3:47 pm
So when Boeing comes to SC it is because we have the best work environment in the country, but not really, we need tort reform because we cant lure jobs to SC, so just ignore Boeing because Im sure this top notch employer did not look at the tort laws or comp laws, or did they and did they conclude, no big deal…
Enough of tort reform as a catch all to save the world. Medical cost are up, that is why Workers Compensation is up.
Wait, did we not do Comp reform in ’07 and Med Mal Reform in ’05???
Maybe the chamber should try and help other areas like, i dont know,education.
By SC Southpaw February 3, 2010 at 5:09 pm
While we are at it, lets get rid of the minimum wage, child labor, and environmental laws and all taxes.
South Carolina can never win a race to the bottom. Our underlying cost of labor and land will always be more expensive than India and China. Tort reform is just an effort to keep most people from suing when they were wronged in some way by making it unaffordable to sue. Joe Taylor and Wal-Mart can continue to sue all they want but the average person will be out of luck unless they have buckets of cash.
By 5 reasons Boeing came to SC February 3, 2010 at 5:29 pm
5 reasons Boeing came to South Carolina:
1) Right to Work state
2) Incentives
3) Workers’ comp reform
4) Tort reform
5) Work force training
Washington state has unions and higher workers’ comp costs.
Most Sunbelt states are not unionized, so lower workers’ comp costs and better tort laws are needed to gain a competitive advantage.
By Weighing In February 3, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Weighing In Is A JOKE!,
Wait is this Joe Taylor commenting? Must have hit a nerve. Nowhere did I say it was in the letter or in this article. I said, when he was asked that question, that is what he said.
Now I will remove my other foot out of your as*.
Regards,
By Weighing In Puts Foot In Mouth February 3, 2010 at 8:17 pm
No sir, no foot in my rear, you just put your foot in your own mouth.
You made a statement that you cannot back up. Typical trial lawyer … facts don’t matter… just attack, attack, attack… winning an argument is more important than the truth.
Every person who read your comments knows that you tried to imply something that is not true.
By Sicster February 3, 2010 at 10:18 pm
To Fitsnews:
Since when do you need documentation to run any story? I would LOVE to see some of your other documentation on phony stories.
By Oh, the Irony February 4, 2010 at 10:07 am
The following advertisement was on this page at 10:06 today:
Top Rated Injury Attorney
wrongful death, personal injury, nursing home & medical malpractice
http://www.joegriffith.com
Maybe Fitsnews should screen its advertisers more closely. Way to not feed the sharks. I think I’ll call Joe and see if he wants a refund.
By justsayin' February 4, 2010 at 10:27 am
your story was picked up by a leading publication in the Workers’ Compensation field, Workers’ Comp Executive
By Weighing In February 4, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Weighing In Puts Foot In Mouth,
Well I agree with you here. Facts obviously don’t matter, as no one has ever been able to prove in any state that certain reforms work. Texas passed a med mal cap and rates went up. California has had them since 1979 and rates went up. All this talk of legal reform in SC is nonsense to begin with. We have good laws and prudent judges. And sure, some could use some tweaking, but when the voters (conservative) of this state serve as the jury pool, you’re not gonna get crazy verdicts just won’t happen. To your surprise, approximately 80% of the courts time is spent with criminal or business litigation, not personal injury.
But the facts are simple. Joe Taylor and commerce have been a failure the past few years and they need to cover their asses, so why not blame the legal climate, b/c that is an easy horse to ride. And for starters, get with the program Joe, you know you’re still concerned about “venue” (although we’re not sure why) so have your little computer hack friend here keep commenting.