Paul's letter to his mentee, Timothy, has been quoted a lot. We've all heard it.
I always thought that quote was directed at rich people who sit in their corner offices smoking those big cigars and counting their money... like Mr. Scrooge in his "counting house".
What I've learned is that people who don't have two nickels to rub together are committing that sin every day. It's disheartening and sad.
Oft times these people think their way to riches is a lawsuit. They make a decision to take somebody to court and sue them, not because someone has wronged them, but just because they can. They select their target and fire. They find a dirtbag attorney who works on a contingent fee arrangement and boom...payday.
I think that their creativity in conjuring up an injury, physical or financial, is astounding. And if they put that creative energy to work in a legitimate enterprise they would be wealthy. The sad truth is that even if they win a lawsuit, the gains are squandered quickly.
I can only imagine the damage and economic effect of this cottage industry of people who believe that they are just "one lawsuit away from retirement."
The Institute for Legal Reform states that "America has the costliest legal system in the world." It is "three times higher than France and five times higher than Japan." As an American, I'm embarrassed and ashamed of that statistic.
Again quoting the Institute for Legal Reform: "New York City had to spend $550 million on lawsuit costs – which comes to approximately $70 for every resident of the city."
Crazy!
Do you have any personal experiences you can share?
Sources:
http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/issues/lawsuit-abuse-impact
