"The first thing we do, let's kill all the..."

In Shakespeare's "Henry VI," several shady characters opine upon the state of the world and one, Jack Cade, waxes eloquently, to the increasing appreciation of his gang, on the timeless set-up "if I were king,":

JACK CADE: Be brave, then; for your captain is brave, and vows reformation. There shall be in England seven half-penny loaves sold for a penny: the three-hoop'd pot shall have ten hoops; and I will make it felony to drink small beer: all the realm shall be in common; and in Cheapside shall my palfrey go to grass: and when I am king,- as king I will be,-

ALL: God save your majesty!

JACK CADE: I thank you, good people:- there shall be no money; all shall eat and drink on my score; and I will apparel them all in one livery, that they may agree like brothers, and worship me their lord.

At this point one of his felonious fellows, Dick, leaps on the bandwagon and interjects with, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

Little did he know, Shakespeare, via the mouth of one of his characters, had provided us one of the three key actions required to heal our health care "crisis" in particular and many of our societal ills in general. A proliferation of litigation, spurred by greedy, unethical, advertising ambulance-chasers, has contributed to the skyrocketing cost of our health care system. But, lawyers would have little to profit from were it not for an even more unethical gang of ne'er-do-wells--Insurance salesmen.

Insurance companies are the cash cows to which injury lawyers run bleating like hungry calves. The cash cows are grazing our best fields, yet providing the best milk only to the more unscrupulous milk maids. Were William penning poetically today, he would most certainly aim skewering lines at insurance salesmen as well as litigators.

And while we're at this litigicide, let's slip in a little journalicide to clear the air, shall we.