Madison County could improve case management — but judges lack the will

Defending Madison County's "unusual way of apportioning (asbestos) trial slots" to local law firms, former Circuit Court Judge Daniel Stack says, "There is no (other) practical way" to manage the nation's largest asbestos caseload, for which the county has become infamous ("Asbestos judge's donor says contribution looks bad, but isn't," Dec. 16).

There is a way. Madison County judges lack only the will. By refusing to entertain cases that have no business being filed in the county to begin with, judges could immediately begin to shrink dramatically the county's absurdly outsized asbestos docket. As my organization's latest Judicial Hellholes report documents, only "about 1 in 10 of Madison County's asbestos cases (is) filed by people who actually live or work there, or have any other connection to the area...."

Madison County taxpayers are footing the bill for court resources exploited by out-of-county litigants. The unemployed and underemployed suffer because of the notorious anti-business reputation that runaway litigation earned for the county. Defense lawyer Russell K. Scott claimed to have no problem with the way the county handles asbestos cases. Would he actually criticize publicly the very judges before whom he must earn his living?

Darren McKinney • Washington, D.C.

Director of Communications, American Tort Reform Association

An achievement not worth celebrating

Madison and St. Clair Counties were last named "Judicial Hellholes" in 2006. But after four years of relative improvement in the fairness of the two counties' judicial systems, the counties have landed right back on the list of the nation's worst "Judicial Hellholes" in the latest annual rankings released recently by the American Tort Reform Foundation.

Being on the "Judicial Hellholes" list is not something worth celebrating — quite the opposite.

A good example of the unfairness and imbalance in Madison and St. Clair Counties was seen earlier this month. The asbestos trial docket for Madison County for 2013 was set on Dec. 1 by Judge Barbara Crowder, and she awarded a whopping 82 percent of future trial slots to three personal-injury firms that just happened to donate $30,000 to her campaign.

It's bad enough that this looks like quid pro quo, but it's just as bad that Ms. Crowder reserved all those 2013 trial slots for cases that haven't been filed. This questionable behavior encourages personal-injury lawyers to file lawsuits in Madison and St. Clair Counties — even lawsuits that have nothing to do with the Metro East.

Being ranked as one of the worst places in the country for legal fairness may encourage personal-injury lawyers to flock here, but it will just as likely keep new employers away.

Let's hope for the sake of the local economy that a "Judicial Hellholes" repeat is not in the cards.

Travis Akin • Marion, Ill.

Executive Director, Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch

Honoring their service

The Iraq War has ended. It was marked by two ceremonies. In the United States, the president visited Fort Bragg, N.C. In Iraq, the secretary of Defense led the Casing of the Colors ceremony in which the American flag is lowered, folded and put in a box to return to American soil.

This war follows only the war in Afghanistan as the longest in U.S. history. Compared to other wars, a very low percentage of the population was required and answered the call to arms, making it far removed from Americans' everyday lives. Nevertheless, the cost is precious. Almost 4,500 Americans never will pass through their doorway again, nor will more than 100,000 Iraqis.

I recently received an email that included an image of a Christmas wreath at Arlington Cemetery and short poem: "Rest easy, sleep well my brothers; Know the line has held, your job is done; Rest easy, sleep well; Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held; Peace, peace, and farewell...."

These are reminders that we are citizens of the wealthiest, strongest, most productive republic ever to exist on the face of the Earth — designed around and evolved from the principles of free will, free thought and free speech. The men and women of the armed forces, and those before them, preserve and protect those freedoms and we honor their service by exercising them — recognizing in that diversity that our republic is stronger.

Sherry Villines • Florissant

Demand an end

When is success not success? Since since World Wars I and II, the risks to our troops in war have diminished drastically. In the world wars, the strength of the forces were quite equal with most battles fought by the troops.

As a result, deaths of civilians were quite small, fewer than 10 percent of the total killed. Since Vietnam, we have been far more selective in picking resource-rich but weak countries and greatly increasing the killing power of our weapons.

A total military success to our Pentagon is seen by many or most of our fair-minded and caring troops as nothing short of massacre. And the part our troops play in this deadly ploy is a burden many cannot abandon and will carry to their grave. Far too many are seeing their only relief is suicide; troop suicide rates have reached all-time highs. One U.S. troop attempts suicide every 80 minutes. More than 1,800 attempted suicide in 2009 alone. From 2005 to 20009, more Afghan troops killed themselves than were killed in action.

Far too many of our loved ones are returning home to a disabled life of alcohol, drugs, depression, rage, suicide, homicide, joblessness, homelessness, divorce or jail.

Isn't it time more of us rise up and demand an end to this total waste of life and much-needed funds?

Bud Deraps • St. Louis

Experience matters

The editorial "Problem? What problem?" (Dec. 17) explained concerns about the lack of relevant experience of the new president of the University of Missouri. While I have no informed opinion on that matter, I couldn't help but draw a striking parallel with another president.

The editorial said, "How do you explain the selection of a former software executive with no significant academic credentials as the leader of a four-campus university system?"

I would counter "How does one explain the selection of a former community organizer/activist with no significant executive credentials as the president of the three-branch government of our great country?"

The answer is obvious: Our electorate made an uninformed, poor choice in 2008, and the entire country now is suffering, and will for many years, because of the inexperience and inability of one woefully unprepared individual.

The editorial ended with, "This would not be a good way to hire someone to, say, fix your car. Whatever happened to straight talk?" Would that the Post-Dispatch had applied the same scrutiny to the candidacy of Barack Obama. A transformational president? Not a chance.

Robert Specker • Wildwood

Good riddance

The crying and wailing in North Korea over the passing of Kim Jong Il is pathetic. The man was a pathological megalomaniac who murdered and abused his people and set himself up as god on earth. Anyone who refused to worship him died or was sent to concentration camp. The people are glad that he is dead and are hoping that his son, the new leader, is not as crazy as the father was.

Anyone who knows what North Korea is like and what hardships the "great leader" inflicted on his own people will not be fooled by the crocodile tears flowing over a madman's death. Good riddance to a tyrant.

Richard Trigg • Villa Ridge