THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, January 31, 1997              TAG: 9701310001
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                            LENGTH:   50 lines

BET YOU DON'T WANT TO DISAGREE ON MEDICARE SUIT AND COUNTERSUIT

In two newspaper ads on Dec. 12, then-Republican Party chief Haley Barbour promised $1 million to the first American who could prove Republicans were cutting Medicare.

Eighty respondents claimed they could prove just that, but Republicans informed them they were wrong. End of story? Not in America, land of the litigant.

One of the prize-seekers sued the Republican Party and Barbour in federal court in Washington, D.C. Then in a Mississippi federal court, the Republican National Committee sued all 80 respondents to keep them from suing for the prize. Court papers say the Republicans ``are subject to the potential of piecemeal litigation'' and seek one ``complete, consistent settlement of the matter.''

Surely this is not the kind of civic debate the founding fathers had in mind. Americans used to say things like, ``Your argument has some merit but fails to take into account several factors.'' Today Americans say, ``See you in court.''

The lawsuit could easily cause a jurisdictional battle between federal courts in Washington, D.C., and Mississippi. Thus it could go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, at a cost far greater than the $1 million prize.

So were Republicans cutting Medicare?

No, because they actually called for increasing the amount of money for Medicare.

Yes, because the increase Republicans proposed, though huge, would not have been enough to sustain the present level of Medicare benefits into the future.

Take your pick. More money spent. Reduced benefits. Was there a cut?

But it doesn't matter what you think. What matters, now, is what the courts say.

Republicans were fools to offer a prize. They should have foreseen that they'd be sued over it. Suing is our national pastime, and the contest was open to Democrats.

The prize-seeker who sued the Republicans and started this whole mess is Robert Shireman, former legislative director to Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., now retired. We can't read Shireman's mind, but surely he knows he'll never get the $1 million prize. A Democrat, he is using the courts in an attempt to embarrass Republicans.

But courts were not created to embarrass, inconvenience or bankrupt everyone we disagree with.

Everyone! Republicans! Democrats! You! Enough with the frivolous lawsuits.

We pity the 79 prize-seekers who are being sued merely for entering a contest.