Yikes fellas, I feel as though I have been unjustly drawn and quartered! Before you lop off my head, if I may have a few words......
In addition to investing our youth in higher education, we also had to borrow 350K for our educations in addition to what we could raise by working along the way. Upon acquiring our licenses and passing our boards, we further leveraged ourselves by 2 million dollars buying our practices and buildings. Talk about starting in the hole! Leverage is powerful, dangerous, scary, and at times, absolutely necessary. A big part of my projection stems from being able to recoup that 2 million dollar investment, which very well may not materialize due to the practices being in an underserved and less desireable area.
Oh, by the way, we provide great jobs with very nice benefits for 19 people. We pay a full 50% in taxes thanks to double helpings of FICA and Medicare and the great state of wisconsin generously helping itself to it's 7%. Perhaps you've heard of the AMT. Kinda neat losing all your deductions. I don't even get to write off my health insurance....but my employees do! You might also be interested to know before burning me at the stake that we donate about 100k annually in care to those less fortunate, as well as fund health care missions to the mountains of Mexico. I hope to be able to begin participating in these trips soon. I believe I rank among the most contributory members of society, by any metric. I spend my days doing whatever I can to make peoples lives better, as well as my nights and weekends when necessary. Over the 4th of July I came back from a short family vacation 150 miles away to treat a patient in need.
Further, were it not for my being so fortunate as to make a 300% return on my stock market investments in the last 2 years, I wouldn't be doing so well either. Oh, and you guessed it, more leverage here! Luck....sure some of it, but I also spend countless hours reading and researching potential investments.
If this is the first you've heard of outrageous verdicts and damage awards, then welcome to Earth! Of course justified damages should be paid. Too frequently however, said damages are not deserved, or are grossly inflated. And don't forget Mr. Esquire has got his hand out for his 30-50%.
Forgive me for being a little tired, a lot stressed, sick of worrying about lawyers, and maybe wanting to dream a little. I am not a me/I person. I decided to post to try to give a few thoughts on the importance of starting early. I also thought it rude to not quickly introduce myself considering I have never before posted. I belive I have offered a couple valid points to the thread.
I go through life basically keeping my head down, trying to keep a low profile, always cautious of the jealous prick who decides they need to find a reason to sue me. Forgive me for making the faulty assumption that I could seek refuge on an anonymous internet message board composed of those with similar interests. Forgive me for dreaming a little. I guess I made two mistakes; firstly forgetting about the 'Dream Police' and secondly not knowing I wasn't allowed to participate.
Please allow me the indulgence of a third forgivness for being somewhat long winded, but I fear this may be my final post, so I'd like to try to set the record straight. I am most certainly not a Me First type of person. I have made some big investments in myself and my community and I have been fortunate for them to give the early appearance of paying off. I have found that the more I do for others, the more it comes back to me in dividends....a Karma, if you will. Any person of very high motivation and reasonable intelligence could do what I have done. I hold no hostility towards any of you. I would trust that you no longer hold me in such a high state of disregard either, after hearing my story. If you do, you're either an imbittered jealous fool, or worse yet, a communist. Oh well, never was out for the Leninist Vote.
If after reading thus far, you still wish me ill, well......Bite me! If you've changed your mind....hey take your Mulligan. Chalk it up as a bad day. I've been there too. To those of you who have manged to ER, I wish you much continued success. To those of us who hope to join you....Keep the Faith!