Bill:

I must admit to some confusion about this whole thing and your remarks. It would seem to me that TJC sues over TennCare in court and wins. That would seem to me to point clearly to the conclusion that there is something fundamentally flawed about TennCare, not TJC. Why do we blame TJC for requiring the state to do what its own laws require? Likewise it seems to me that the whole Bredesen/Bonnyman thing is a major smokescreen. Either the state and the gov need to be prepared to uphold TennCare as written or they need to scrap it. They are foolish to think that they can proceed with the legal flaws and rely on Bonnyman not to sue. Someone else will just sue. Bonnyman has no authority to prevent other suits against the state over TennCare. Obviously, Bredesen is just wanting to scrap TennCare and find someone else--the evil Gordon Bonnyman--to blame it on when anyone criticizes.

The TJC doesn't "win" its lawsuits so much as it managed to scare the Sundquist administration into signing "consent decrees" written by the TJC in order to end the very costly litigation. But then the TJC just sues again about something else. The TJC isn't trying to get the state to follow its laws. It is challenging some of those laws as being too restrictive and because they don't give away enough tax-funded healthcare. The state followed its own laws and closed enrollment a few years ago, and TJC sued and the Sundquistadors backed down and re-opened enrollment on TJC's terms. Basically, Bonnyman is running TennCare via lawsuits.

The question nobody has asked is, "Why Bonnyman?" Who appointed him to be the lawyer who sues TennCare? Th simple answer is, Bonnyman appointed himself, but I have long believed the creation of the TJC was a long-planned method by which the Left would seek to get by judicial decree what it could not get legislatively - a massive tax increase to fund universal healthcare.

Bredesen is the first politician to ever stand up to Bonnyman, and he deserves our support and encouragement. I wish he would tell Bonnyman to "shove it," and pull the plug, and institute a replacement program designed by Bredesen, a healthcare businessman who knows how to make it work. He could do so by executive order (unfortunately - but that's the system). Gov. McWherter created TennCare by executive order. That's one reason it has been fairly resistant to legislative oversight and reform - it is not a legislatively-created beast. I would suggest Bredesen replace TennCare with a temporary replacement program via exec order, and ask the next legislature to pass an identical permanent replacement legislatively - and to pass a law requiring legal disputes be handled via arbitration by a special panel apoiinted by the legislature and the governor's office, rather than TJC lawsuits filed in courts run by friendly liberal judges.

The Tennessee Justice Center is nothing more than a left-wing law firm with a two-fold agenda: rake in millions of dollars of taxpayer's money by suing the state

Bill, you are being silly. TCJ, by your own figures from this previous post has been paid 3.56 million since 1996, over 8 years.

Let's do some math.

3.56 million divided by 8 years = 445,000.0/year.

Judging from their staff website, they have 11 employees.

The Nashville City Paper article you link to says:

Johnson, as managing attorney makes roughly $48,500 per year, she said. Bonnyman as executive director receives $68,000.

So that leaves 328500.0 a year for 9 other employees, leaving around $36k/year per employee.

Wow, what a bunch of fat cats! I bet they can afford to buy brand-name ramen instead of Kroger generic!

Naturally these legal fees are probably not their only source of revenue, but your claim that they are "raking in million dollars" rings a little hollow given these numbers. Tenncare is, what, a $2.3 billion/year program? I hardly think the $445k/year in legal fees is what's breaking their bank, sorry.

I didn't say the legal fees were bankrupting TennCare - you did. I merely said the TJC was raking in millions of dollars from the state in the form of legal fees. That's true. $3.5 million or so is plural, "millions."

The TJC is just a law firm created by Bonnyman to sue the state of Tennessee over TennCare. It's target - TennCare - has become its perpetual source of cashflow.

Purpose #1 of the TJC is the same purpose of all small businesses - to bring in enough revenue to survive and grow in order to work on its larger business goals. And what is the TJC's larger goal? Forcing the state toward taxpayer-funded universal healthcare.

Purpose #1 funds the larger goal.

In the City Paper story, the TJC admits the revenue goes right back into the business - the business of suing the state.

The lawsuits also have a policy goal, not just a monetary goal, and that goal long-term is tax-funded universal healthcare.
My point is valid and accurate.

By the way, they also get donations and foundation grants.

"The simple answer is, Bonnyman appointed himself, but I have long believed the creation of the TJC was a long-planned method by which the Left would seek to get by judicial decree what it could not get legislatively - a massive tax increase to fund universal healthcare."

BINGO. You get it. Good job. Spread the word.

Is it possible that there is funding and contributions from outside the TJC? Hmmm. If there is, then why sould that be? Hmmm again.

The is about power more so than money and it has little to do with helping people have health care.

What "power" exactly does it have to do with? You guys are big on vague left-wing conspiracies but low on details.

Bonnyman and TJC are not suing for tax increases -- they are suing to bring Tennessee in line with federal law.

I have to admit I find it particularly ironic to read, on a relatively pro-free-market-capitalist pro-small-government blog such as this, criticisms of an organization receiving money (god forbid) to challenge the authority of the government through the court system, which is precisely what it's there for.

It's not a conspiracy theory, Chris. The TJC ideologically favors taxpayer-funded universal healthcare. The lawsuits are all designed to expand TennCare benefits and TennCare eligibility and enrollment, incremental steps toward taxpayer-funded universal healthcare.

No, the TJC is not directly suing for tax increases. But their lawsuits have the effect of driving up TennCare costs, which increases pressure for tax increases.

And once they get a court ruling mandating the state provide a certain level of service, it is not a far leap to have the court order an increase in taxes, or to impose a new tax, to pay for it. That very thing happened in another state on a different issue - education. A judge ordered a tax increase to pay for a certain level of service.

So much for representative government.

What bothers me most about the TJC is that they seem to think TennCare is a "right," when what it really is is a gift from the taxpayers of Tennessee to 1.4 million of their fellow citizens. It irks me to no end to pay taxes to give healthcare to 1.4 million people and then to have those people, via the TJC, sue me (in essence) because they are unhappy with the gift.

The taxpayers do not have to provide TennCare at all, so please, Mr. Bonnyman, please stop whining about how much TennCare we are or are not willing to pay for.

Chris,

Do you not see the incremental strategy that Bonnyman is using? This is one of the oldest tricks in the books and you pretend it is not so.

What is the difference between what Bonnyman is doing and legislation from the bench? Should judges be able to create legislation from the bench? Of course not.

You seem fond of statistics. Here are a few; the 1.4 million people on TennCare comprise 24 percent of the state population. TennCare comprises 33 percent of the entire State budget. Do you think this is a good thing?

You say Bonnyman is just bringing TennCare in line with Federal regulations. Which ones? Seriously, which Federal Laws are you referring to? The Hillary Clinton health care and socialist income redistribution plan was not signed into law. It was laughed at and ridiculed.

Were you Robin Hood in an earlier life?

Bill, TennCare is not going anywhere.

The Speaker of the House's wife has drug giants Abbott Laboratories and Glaxco-Smith-Kline on her client list. Add in a few other companies with multi-million dollar TennCare contracts. Tennessee is the only state that does not require lobbyists to disclose compenstation. Do you really think Bredesen will expend the political capital with the Speaker that would result he if stopped Naifeh's gravy train? (Just for the record, Naifeh is not the only powerful Democrat with a lobbyists wife.)

It is all a negotiating technique. I'd like for you to be right, but I hate seeing you get your hopes up...

Ive heard both sides of the arguement, and now I have a question thats not policical. Who would you be for if your parents told you that if they cut out tenn care that they would have to chose between mediction that keeps them alive or food? That has happen to me and they atre to proud to take my money (would bypass them and send direct to pharmacy)You have a system that is not working but is needed. My suggestion. Base tenn care on 3-4% of persons income that is on it. Would still have service and lot cheaper that meds would cost.