Parting Thoughts for June 24, 2001

This partial transcript of Fox News Sunday, June 24, 2001 was provided by the Federal Document Clearing House. Click here to order the complete transcript.

TONY SNOW, HOST:  Right now the health care debate in Washington has almost nothing to do with health care.  The sticking point is whether we need to make it easier to haul HMOs and insurance companies to court and take their money. 

Some politicians consider this vital for securing our dignity, but I'm not so sure.  Yes, HMOs are large and impersonal, but nearly 90 percent of all Americans say they're satisfied with their health care coverage.  And for those who want to go to court, there's certainly no shortage of big-money lawsuits. 

As a society, we've come to regard lawsuits as kind of a cosmic shortcut, a way to smite people and institutions we don't like.  But the process too often is a racket, and the only people who wind up happier and wealthier are the attorneys involved. 

Sure, sometimes people have to sue to get justice, but the more we rely on judges and juries to solve our problems, the more we surrender two things vital to any society:  our common sense and our manners, neither of which seem in terribly great supply during the health care debate.

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