Dr. Jim Controversy <--------------Check This Out!

[DavidF]

I believe the truth of the matter is that 9.9 out of 10 of his patients will never hear or know of this incident. Therefore, his practice will probably survive unscathed. I for sure would find a new dentist.

[ag4ever]

I wonder if he will have WaterSki Magazine out in the waiting room now.

[gotwake]

Came across this:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/aug05/345935.asp

Skiing dentist's claims are a bit fishy
Posted: Aug. 3, 2005
Laurel Walker

First he cheated. Then he hired a PR expert.

Man, the spin around Jim Michaels, the dentist from the Town of Ottawa in Waukesha County, has left a virtual whirlpool on the private, 16-acre Lake Lynn Louise he built for water skiing.

Or, for fish-farming, if you buy the use he convinced the tax assessor of, resulting in a lower assessment and taxes. But let's not jump ahead.

Michaels was caught in a real buoy bind June 24, when a professional water ski tournament was under way on his lake. Observers noticed the buoys widened after Michaels skied. He held amateur national records for his age group and had said in a recent interview he wanted to break a record in the professional ranks that very weekend.

Now we know how. He had a secret cable system that narrowed the buoy course for him.
The American Water Ski Association took five weeks before disciplining him Monday. Its board banned him from competition for six years and stripped him of his national amateur slalom records - achieved on his own lake. Michaels' spin master, Evan Zeppos, said he cheated then, too. The association also recommended that his membership in USA Water Ski, the national governing body of organized water skiing, also be suspended for six years.
Michaels' excuse?
"My competitive zeal got the better of me and clouded my judgment."
Oh, puleeeease.
His cheating, of course, raises deeper questions.

Like how Michaels had time for skiing.

According to a stipulation he reached in February with the Department of Regulation and Licensing, which required he pay costs, a small fine and take a refresher class to settle a complaint for leaving a broken file in a patient's tooth during a root canal, Michaels is a busy, busy man.

As part of the stipulation, Michaels and his attorney insisted on this "finding of fact" - that Michaels "currently performs approximately 750 root canal therapies annually with only minimal incidents of complications."

Seven hundred and fifty? A check with the Wisconsin Dental Association's Carol Weber, director of public relations, said statistics aren't kept, but "physically, it could be done." (That's two or three a day, every workday of the year with no time off for vacations - or waterskiing.)

While possible, Weber added, a dentist she asked said "it seems highly unusual from a general dentistry perspective."

Then there's that fish farm.

Michaels got his property assessment changed in 2001 when the 16-acre lake was moved from a residential class to agriculture use as a fish farm. Today, his 13.4 acres of residential land is assessed at $16,776 an acre. The 16-acre lake: $256 an acre.

Jim Murphy, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's supervisor of assessments, said water farming "is a pretty gray area," frankly, and Michaels' use of the lake for ski tournaments and waterskiing "raises a red flag."

Had the Town of Ottawa Board of Review not just wrapped up its assessment roll review July 27, Murphy would recommend that the assessor take a close look at it, he said.

Assessor Judson R. Schultz said the assessment was based on Michaels' information and input from the state. Next year, he said, Michaels will be asked to document the income he makes from fish farming.

If you ask me, fish would have a heck of a time thriving under the daily harassment of water skiers.

Then again, now that Michaels' wake has been clipped, maybe what fish there are will get some peace and quiet.

[darrel409]

Not to protect the good doctor in anyway, but it is very common practice at many of the private lakes in the Bakersfield/Arvin areas in Calif. to be fish farms. Meets the county requirement of "agricultural land use", and is an actual source of income for the lake owners. No fish no lake permits. Fish dont seem to mind the skiers/boats.

[Hollywood]

I'd take advantage of every opportunity to lower my property taxes, and I'm pretty sure you all would too.

[82tique]

This enforces the theory of 'Karma'

[Rick]

Yeah but when you smack a 1lb catfish with your fin going around 3 ball it's no fun... or so I'm told

[Adrian]

1 lb catfish? Too difficult to hit, but what about a 200 lb catfish?
2 months ago they fished this one at our lake I guess if you smack this "whale" you can have serious problems.

Sorry off topic

[Laptom]

I think there is a real catfish plaque in Europe... At our cable ski lake they found 5 catfish all larger then 2metres (over 6ft)... I heard they really like skiiers and boarders Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[Brewski*]

I once pulled a catfish spline out of a friends foot. He hit it one foot at 42 mph. I had to use needle nose pliers. He was in some real pain for a few days~!