The Express-Star (Chickasha, Okla.), Ed. 1 Friday, February 2, 2007 Page: 3 of 14
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Reform
on 1.
fA
ire • 55106. By way of example, 50 your name got on those credit-
pounds of books shipped from card applications. If forged.
Atlanta at (800) 251-2227, or
online
visit
www.cccsall.org. They
i
trusted her to take care
and
of ri ir hills. After her death. I
beg
i
correspondence
All
of their divorce, this should
thoughts and opinions of her
DEAR ABBY: I'm a 15-
DEAR ABBY: My grand-
her
be
57 >
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order by phone
Mary Hunt
Dear Abby
Abigail Van Buren
Memories to Burn
Love in the Hot Afternoon^
■I
S
Everyday
Cheapskate
nd it is taking almost
my retirement just to
minimum payments.
you may not be a legal co-
signer and therefore may not
be liable for the debts. You
need to speak with an attorney
who deals with consumer
issues and is familiar with
Indiana state law. If you are
legally responsible for these
debts, call Consumer Credit
at
can
lawyer. Enough is enough.
Dear Abby is written by
Abigail Van Buren, also
known as Jeanne Phillips,
and was founded by her
mother, Pauline Phillips.
[ EAR MARY: My wife
pas: rd away in March 2005,
year-old girl who is con-
fused. My family moved to
Montana six years ago, and a
couple of years after we
moved here my father had an
affair My parents split up for
ON SALE
SATURDAY
10:00 AM!
Africa is registered with the
IRS as a nonprofit chanty, you
may be able to take a tax
deduction for the fair-market
my office in California to St.
Paul, Minn., costs $19.09 at
the media-mail rate - the
large stack of college text-
books that are more than 10
years old and are considered
obsolete. What is the best
way to recycle these books?
I
I
see
ly
boo
I
I
dia.com or write to Everyday
Cheapskate. P.O. Box 2135
Paramount, CA 90723.
1
ui
f.
becomes the property of Debt-
Proof Living.
-
/
,.i
pi!
t nl
throughout his eight years in the Legis-
lature.
All of the tort reform bills have
stalled iii the Senate in past years, but
Coffee said the gain by the Republicans
in the Senate, making it an equal party
split, might help the tort reform cause
this time around.
Rep. Rob Johnson, R-Kingfisher.
own.
Every time I go to my
dad's, I have to act like a dif-
ferent person so he doesn't
do what he did last Christ-
mas. I do not have the guts to
do what my sister did. Is it
>
p
KaKag Many Morel wahum
okmusicshbwfcom
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IL
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Friday March 16 8:00pm
New Chickasha H.S. Auditorium
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restaurant. It lasted three
days -- you get the picture.
Tiffany has lived with
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ng ....
ve
lurt!
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243-7252 _____________
no service charges—personal checks welcome
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268
n't like her teachers, and "all
the Eids did drugs." She got a
job as a maid, then quit. She
on their child support money
unti the inevitable squabble
occurs and she's kicked out.
She has tried cigarettes, alco-
hol and various drugs - and
is currently “dating" a pris-
ont who is on work release
and, with whom she plans to
live; with when he’s released
from jail. She’s 19; he’s 32.
He ias been in prison or jail
twie, the last time for nine
yeas. He has two illegiti-
mat e children in New York.
ofi
in i
en
ro t here! Wi
Wz
weethearts <
o 4,15 & self-
Boaton, Alahel, & Rian
Ehiren o} Qa^iJde
aandchilven ol &
“enie Williama
JMapp Valentine’a Dau!
Zoue You!
various pregnant girlfriends
-' We w
thought, debt-free. Now I am
left owing thousands of dol-
Ya
u
to
an h,
1
I
Mf6a
■
"frivolous." under this bill. Tahlequah attorney Nate Young [
"This will discourage people from found the ruling to be gutsy and legally
filing claims when they don't have a sound. He also sees tort reform as
discussed with
in llo
in
eve
had
Country/ Legend
GenenWatsom
!}
ise *
: a
ial
its ’ ,
he
he
e-
a
la- W
nd
dauihter. "Tiffany," quit
schol at 16 because she did-
appears she has never out-
grown the rebellious stage.
Are you sure you can't ascer-
tain the identity of the new
boyfriend, because I am sure
the authorities would like to
know that he has been "dat-
ing" while on work release,
since it's not what the pro-
gram is intended for.
As for what to do about
your granddaughter: Some
people need to learn their life
lessons the hard way. and
Tiffany appears to fall into
that category. However,
rather than disinheriting her.
consult an attorney who spe-
cializes in w ills and trusts to
see how some money could
be put aside to be doled out
in the future, should she
mature sufficiently to want
to complete her education.
lars2l
alle
pay22r - -
The companies are charging
Couple considers giving up on rebelious granddaughter
* U r-r- Ar A nnL. I’— .. ! e -1.....1.+2 A.-. A-:n1Ane Af Har Af thoir Hiunrre rhic chosnlr
does I iftany appear to be
intellectually challenged, it
Sponsored by: A&E Grill ’ Chickasha Lumber • Mike Day State Farm
Carpet Market • Joe's Maytag " Liberty Drug * Ross Feed & Seed
Sherry's in Clinton • Coy o tee Music • First National Bank-Chickasha
Ray Fine Yamaha - Dunn's Food Center • Chickasha Realty
got 1 the job back and was
•. fired. She went to work in a
work with your creditors to get
those interest rates reduced
significantly and also set up a
payment schedule you can
handle. I wish you well and
hope your story serves as a
wake-up call to anyone read
ing this who is hiding debt
from his or her spouse.
Mary Hunt is the founder
and publisher of Debt-Proof
Living newsletter and Debt-
Proof Living Web site
addressed. Stamped enve lope, plus
fill in the form below! On February
14 th, the Express-Star will print a
special page ent itled "I it f le Sweet
hearts."
With textbooks,
obsolete is relative
DEAR MARY: I have a
Liability insurance rates range from will pass this year.
about $8,000 to $72,000 a year, based House and Senate committees will
on the risks involved in the practice, begin sorting through the numerous
Hook said. pieces of tort reform when they con-
“There’s been great limitations in vene on Monday.
what the high-risk specialty doctors Jaclyn Houghton is CNHI News
will do," Hook said. Service Oklahoma reporter.
Whether they are current-
accepting hardcover
s. Most do.
_u cheapest option. Provided an
> organization like Books for
R
‛t,
value of each item donated Counseling Services of
wonerful organization that most appreciated. Edward,
has shipped more than 15 mil- Indiana
lion primary, secondary, post- DEAR EDWARD: I am so
secondary and community- sorry to learn of your situation,
library books to 27 countries As a wife who hid credit-card
sinc 1988. Provided your bills from her husband (yes. I
textboks are not older than 20 do have a bit of a dark finan-
n years (see www.books- cial past), your letter sent chills
foraffica.org for more specific down my spine but also made
guidelines), you can drop them me grateful that those days are
off dr ship them to 715 E. Min- behind us now.
nehaha Ave., St. Paul, MN I am curious to know how
21"TOPFTENHITSI
88844 Farewell Party”
so we assume he's unmar-
ried.
Tiffany wants us to wel-
come him into the family
with open arms, even though
she won't tell us his name or
why he went to jail the first
or second time. She refuses
to listen to anyone. Should
we give up on her and disin-
herit her, or keep trying to
persuade her out of this
ridiculous relationship? --
LOVING GRANDPAR
ENTS IN IDAHO
DEAR LOVING
GRANDPARENTS: You
have my sympathy. Not only
- Katy P., Arkansas
DEAR KATY: I'd check
with your local library. Even
though your books are consid- about 21 percent to 24 per-
bn ered obsolete by the typical cent interest, leaving me
college bookstore, they may barely enough to live on. I
1 । be quite suitable and a wel- don’t want to file for bank-
come addition to the library, ruptcy and lose almost all of
But ‘don't just drop them off what • worked hard to own
withput first checking, and paid for once. I would
Another option is to donate like to he debt-free again one
them to Books for Africa, a day. Your opinion would be
also has House Bill 1620 on the table Specialties like neurosurgery and
this session, aimed partly at reducing obstetrics are high-risk, he said.
the number of frivolous lawsuits. Sen. Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, is a
"Frivolous" in this case, would mean general practice attorney who mostly
a reasonable person would find there is focuses on small business cases. He
no objective, reasonable basis for the said the Supreme Court’s ruling disap-
claim. The plaintiff would have to pay pointed him because the law seemed to
for the defendant’s attorney fees in be reducing the number of negligence
instances where the lawsuit is declared claims.
a while, then got back
together. Then Dad became
an alcoholic and tried to hurt
my sister. That's when Mom
kicked him out for good.
Not long after that, he
found a girlfriend. At Christ-
mas he got very drunk and
tried to hurt the girlfriend.
Thanks to my sister's amaz-
ingly brave actions, she man-
aged to save the girlfriend.
Dad and this woman are
still together, and he still
drinks. He is very hard-head-
ed. He thinks my sister is a
"rebel" who tries to make
him angry. Actually she's a
nice person who has
claim in the first place,” he said. "Republicans' move to placate their
Johnson said he does not have spe- constituencies."
cific case examples to provide. He questions how the proposed lim-
Lerblance said most lawyers are its fit in to the judicial process.
already deterred from taking cases they "We elect people by a Democratic
may find frivolous because of the process," Young said. "We choose 12
financial investment they have to front. people as jurors and say, 'by the way.
He said many lawyers might spend up your rights are limited in this way."'
to $ 100,000 of their own money getting Coffee and Johnson both said they
a case ready for trial. Having higher would like to see the issue readdressed
non-economic damages awarded would this session
increase the amount a lawyer makes on "1 think that’s a provision I would
the case, but they take a risk by paying like to find a way to restore," Coffee
for the case to get to court. said. “It would have to apply to all neg-
Most individuals could not pay for ligence cases, not just medical.”
lawsuitsthem selves, he said. Political priority or political plat-
Medical Reform p
In 2003, a law that is touted as one of mi. . . e ,. „
c t• i . _ r This issue (tort reform) is not about
the lew limited tort reform measures . ... .. . ,
. . AL. . good public policy, about the merits;
PaSsed in *' oma , it’s about raising money in campaigns,”
The new law required a patient 1
1 1 I aster ga1c1
claiming medical malpractice against a imn 11: j
• . . e . . He contends Republicans do not
physician to seek a certificate ol merit ... . P.E
from another physician (hat practiced actually wan serious tort reform mea-
the same type of medicine That person sures passed for fear that it would affect
could then be used as an expert witness their campaign contributions from big
in court, with a signed affidavit affirm- businesses and insurance companies in
ing the alleged medical malpractice. the future.
But about a month ago, the Okla- . Laster proposed a tort bill last ses-
homa Supreme Court overturned the sion that would have given judges more
law. claiming it limited a person’s power to kick out frivolous cases
access to the courts and also unconsti- early and to speed up either the settle-
tutionally only referred to the medical ments or the court processes for good
industry in the law instead of all negli- cases. The bill did not pass.
gence claims ™ found that because it was my idea
' Dr. Carl Hook, president and CEO of and I‛m a Democrat, Republicans don’t
Physicians Liability Insurance Compa- support it, Laster said.
ny. said after the 'law took effect, he Coffee wants tort reform measures
noticed the number of negligence cases passed because it will be increasingly
filed dropped by about 40 percent. The more difficult to recruit new doctors to
company insures about two-thirds of the state, health insurance rates will
Oklahoma’s physicians with liability keep increasing and the high liability
insurance. insurance will make it difficult to grow
The claims had been on a steady rise the state without the measures, he said,
since 2(H) 1 and even cost him his med- But unless he gets bipartisan support
ical career, he said. He was an ear. nose on his bill from the judiciary commit-
and throat surgeon and saw his insur- tee, he may not run it this session. He
ance rates rise by 365 percent between said new Senate rules will not allow a
2001 and 2005. The high rates caused bill to be proposed for two years if it is
him to retire in his 50s. killed. He said he is hopeful something
BEST AVAILABLE COPY
n receiving bills for a (www.debtproofliving.com).
bunh of credit cards I didn't To receive a sample of the
know we had. and they Debt-Proof Living newsletter
■ny name on all of them, or to send a question or lip. e
were retired and. I mail cheapskate unitedme-
Write Dear Abby at
www.DearAbby.com or P.O.
Box 69440, Los Angeles,
CA 90069.
Abby shares more than >
100 of her favorite recipes in :
two booklets: "Abby's :
Favorite Recipes” and :
"More Favorite Recipes by
Dear Abby.” Send a busi-
ness-size, self-addressed ;
envelope, plus check or ;
money order for $12 (U.S.
funds) to: Dear Abby -
Cookbooklet Set. P.O. Box ;
447, Mount Morris, IL ;
61054-0447. (Postage is 1
included in price.) :
wrong to agree with my
father to keep him happy?
Should I disagree if I think
he's wrong? — CONFUSED
IN MONTANA
DEAR CONFUSED:
Considering the fact that
your father can become vio-
lent. you should do whatever
is necessary to protect your-
self. What I cannot under-
stand is why your mother
would allow you to go to
your father's for unsuper-
vised visits, considering the
fact that he is so unstable. If
the reason has to do with
child custody and the terms
more info. All mo jor credit cards
accepted. Deadline 5 Friday, Febru
ary 9th. Happy Valentine’s Day!
g»
I Amy at 224 260( ’ for
Valentine s D
will be our "I
Send us yo
35
Continued from Page 1
‘‘Frivolous” lawsuits
"You can't go to a law dictionary and
find ‘frivolous lawsuit,’” said Sen.
Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne.
Lerblance is the co-chair of the Sen-
ate Judiciary Committee. As a lawyer
himself, he said he does not see a prob-
lem with “frivolous lawsuits," which
also can lead to runaw ay juries or jack-
pot juries where a large sum of money
is awarded to a case with little or no
merit.
Coffee does not agree.
He is proposing Senate Bill 805 this
session, which would, among other
measures, put a cap of $300,000 on
non-economic damages a plaintiff can
receive in negligence lawsuits, exclud-
ing wrongful death. Non-economic
damages are for intangibles, such as
pain and suffering
"The reason is not because we don’t
think someone is worth more than
$300,000. They've been compensated
and made whole already (with econom-
ic damages)," Coffee said. "People try
to force people into litigation, doctors
specifically, over the threat of the
unknown amount so it forces settle-
ments at a higher rate."
David Bernstein, a plaintiff's attor-
ney in Norman, said he does not know
of any instances where juries awarded
“outlandish" verdicts.
"We trust juries to put people to
death," he said. "But not to make wise
verdicts regarding money issues?"
Bernstein remembers a case of a
teenager driving a vehicle at 30 mph in
a 65 mph zone, his car rolled and the
boy sustained serious mental disabili-
ties. The boy's family sued the car com-
pany. Since the individual did not have
a job, he could not receive loss of work
damages Had the cap been in place on
pain and suffering, the boy would have
had to spend the next 50 or 60 years liv-
ing on $300,000, Bernstein said.
Some entities already have caps on
damages in place, like county govern-
ments and hospitals owned by a city or
county, for example.
Yasser said there is a rule within the
civil procedure laws that allows judges
to penalize lawyers who bring frivolous
lawsuits to trial.
"Nobody is say ing they shouldn't be
rewarded f or the medical costs, the eco-
nomic value,” said Coffee, who has
been an advocate for tort reform
(see www.irs.gov/pub/irs-
pdf/p561 pdf tor specifics).
Typically, fair-market value
is determined as a percentage
of the new price, based on
condition.
If neither of these options
works for you, call a recy-
cline center in your area to
Friday, February 2, 2007 "EiXpreSs•tar
Speak Softly (You're
Talk in to my Heart)
Fourteen Carat Mind -
Paper Rosie we
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Bush, Kent. The Express-Star (Chickasha, Okla.), Ed. 1 Friday, February 2, 2007, newspaper, February 2, 2007; Chickasha, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1887642/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.