I have read with great dismay the article "Cancer Coalition Opposes Civil Liberties Bill." As a patient/consumer advocate in Nassau County I have seen the drop in politicians caring for the people and concerning themselves with the large corporations.

I am saddened that Senator Hannon would support the tort reform bill. What this means in terms we can all understand is that a cap will be put on lawsuits. Not everyone walks away with millions of dollars in a lawsuit. It's just the opposite, many walk away with pain and suffering only and are not awarded damages. We only hear about the unusual cases. It is a jury of our peers that award damages and when that is taken away we have put a limited price on human life. Other states that have the tort reform can count on a business knowing ahead of time what it will cost them a year in negligence payments when death or injury occur to certain age groups. (A senior citizen may not be valued financially as much as a 40-year-old male.)

When my son died 8 years ago from medical negligence I had trouble finding a lawyer to read the records just to tell me what happened. These people needed payment for their time. I was forced to "sue" to get payment for my lawyer. If the tort reform goes through you can bet that a doctor will walk away from a dead or injured child with less than a slap on the wrist because no lawyer will take the case and a child would have no financial value. The price of this person will be spelled out in this legislation ahead of time.

Isn't it time to stop catering to the corporations that pay the campaign funds for these legislators and support the needs of the people of the district. Why aren't our legislators more concerned on disclosing physicians backgrounds (bill A1401) so we can rid our system of poor doctors. Or focus in on the companies that cause the problems instead of taking away more of our rights as citizens. I urge everyone who is against this to call your local legislator and let him/her know.