By Staff
August 18, 2002
State Sen. Terry Burton expressed the same frustrations felt by many people in the business community over the inability  or unwillingness of a legislative study panel to agree on how to reform the state's civil justice system. In fact, incredibly, some members of the panel don't yet see the need for reform.
Burton, a Democrat from Newton, is a member of the study committee and his comments the other day were along the lines of how  after hours and hours and days and days of hearing testimony  can there be any question of the need for reform. And, it's not just that medical malpractice insurance rates are skyrocketing; many, many businesses face similar threats from a civil justice system that is clearly out of control.
The time has come for legislators to put up on tort reform. The need for Mississippi to move toward meaningful, constructive changes in our civil justice system is real. Their desire should be real, too.