Fee Increase Proposal.

My reaction to the proposal that fees be increased by up to $100 to better fund legal aid is that this is a proposal by a legal elite that has determined that it knows what is best for the rest of us.

As stated in the July 1 News, backers of the petition include former Supreme Court justices, Bar presidents, and Foundation presidents. To the extent that lawyers have a representative body, it would be the Board of Governors, which opposes the fee increase. But the advocates of the increase, not being satisfied with that decision, have gone over the heads of board members and appealed directly to the Supreme Court.

The petition for the increase states that fees have not increased since 2001 and so have not kept pace with inflation. So what? Who determines that they must? The petition also states that our fees are among the lowest in the country. Again, so what? Is...