Aami Car Insurance
The substance of car insurance must not befall underestimated. The concord of mind with the intention of car insurance want buy you is beyond price. Above and beyond the concord of mind with the intention of you want get as of owning car insurance, here is the satisfaction of knowing with the intention of you be inflicted with adhered to a mandatory law. Generally countries currently be inflicted with mandatory laws with the intention of require with the intention of the title-holder and driver of a car involve car insurance.
Here has been approximately research conducted with the intention of indicate with the intention of one of the challenges of raising children now, is the parents having to chauffer the children around to a variety of activities. This has caused stresses with the intention of spill ended to the driver's behavior in a unenthusiastic method. If, equally a mother you decide you want consent to the children drive themselves to their activities an actions with the intention of you must be acquainted with with the intention of young driver accidents are greatly cut-rate (almost by a third) if the young drivers participate in training with the intention of goes further than solely what is looked-for to get their license.
AAMI is an insurance company with the intention of is based in Australia and offers wide-ranging car insurance with the intention of covers you for not single damage to your car other than covers one damage with the intention of may befall cause to the property of others. At AAMI they understand what it is to befall without you car due to an accident. In order to relieve a stressful circumstances they try to get you back and driving equally quickly equally doable.
AAMI offer a lot of benefits by means of their wide-ranging car insurance at a extremely competitive cost. At AAMI you can get on to a scale of how a great deal you aspire to shell out and how a great deal you aspire to save solely by unreliable your surplus. If you point out a higher surplus your insurance premium want befall decrease.
AAMI car insurance company is a believer in rewarding secure drivers and decision secure drivers by means of bonus benefits. The rewards are awarded on the basis of the number of consecutive years you be inflicted with been in the program and you want wait in the program equally lengthy equally you do not get on to an accident claim. The awards include: Discounts on your premium; cut-rate surplus; and the benefit of a car rental.
Showing posts with label car insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car insurance. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Moneysupermarket Car Insurance
Moneysupermarket Car Insurance
Knowing how to discover car insurance can decrease together your law and your blood pressure. Get your time and read up on the process previous to you create. A not enough time currently want get on to your decision in the prospect easier.
One of the best ways to discover the best deals on car insurance is to get equally a lot of quotes equally doable. You'll require to be inflicted with your information equipped, counting your driver's license number, car information, VIN number, and your bank information if the vehicle is financed.
You'll require to be acquainted with what equipment your car has. Do you be inflicted with anti-lock breaks, an alarm system, otherwise airbags? These diplomacy can mean discounts, so get on to guaranteed you be acquainted with what alternative your car has. The easiest method to decrease your car insurance price is to get a car alarm otherwise other anti-theft device. It want befall worth the investment.
Some time ago you be inflicted with your lists and background research, you can create shopping for on-line quotes. The internet is a blessing for bargain shoppers. As a replacement for of having to call all agency, you can get multiple quotes on-line for comparison. You can straightforwardly tidy made known the generally expensive quotes and focus in on three otherwise four.
Some time ago you be inflicted with your catalog of quotes, it's time to verify the authenticity of the agencies. Simply look for for your agency on one of the a lot of sites dyed-in-the-wool to ferreting made known scams. If they are not legitimate, get them off of your catalog. If they are legitimate, fit the quote aside for additional analysis.
Amazing to stay in mind as shopping for insurance is with the intention of if a deal seems too good to befall real, with the intention of probably earnings it is. By no means bound on the initially offer you think it over since it seems too good to pass up. This is one of the initially notification signs with the intention of the offer is a scam.
If you stay on this guide, you must discover a hardly any good offers to compare. Look at the existing coverage and think it over which one suits your wants the best. Approximately companies offer discounts otherwise special programs with you've been by means of them for a particular amount of time. Get on to guaranteed you think these prospect benefits previous to you get on to your decision.
Knowing how to discover car insurance can decrease together your law and your blood pressure. Get your time and read up on the process previous to you create. A not enough time currently want get on to your decision in the prospect easier.
One of the best ways to discover the best deals on car insurance is to get equally a lot of quotes equally doable. You'll require to be inflicted with your information equipped, counting your driver's license number, car information, VIN number, and your bank information if the vehicle is financed.
You'll require to be acquainted with what equipment your car has. Do you be inflicted with anti-lock breaks, an alarm system, otherwise airbags? These diplomacy can mean discounts, so get on to guaranteed you be acquainted with what alternative your car has. The easiest method to decrease your car insurance price is to get a car alarm otherwise other anti-theft device. It want befall worth the investment.
Some time ago you be inflicted with your lists and background research, you can create shopping for on-line quotes. The internet is a blessing for bargain shoppers. As a replacement for of having to call all agency, you can get multiple quotes on-line for comparison. You can straightforwardly tidy made known the generally expensive quotes and focus in on three otherwise four.
Some time ago you be inflicted with your catalog of quotes, it's time to verify the authenticity of the agencies. Simply look for for your agency on one of the a lot of sites dyed-in-the-wool to ferreting made known scams. If they are not legitimate, get them off of your catalog. If they are legitimate, fit the quote aside for additional analysis.
Amazing to stay in mind as shopping for insurance is with the intention of if a deal seems too good to befall real, with the intention of probably earnings it is. By no means bound on the initially offer you think it over since it seems too good to pass up. This is one of the initially notification signs with the intention of the offer is a scam.
If you stay on this guide, you must discover a hardly any good offers to compare. Look at the existing coverage and think it over which one suits your wants the best. Approximately companies offer discounts otherwise special programs with you've been by means of them for a particular amount of time. Get on to guaranteed you think these prospect benefits previous to you get on to your decision.
Axa Car Insurance
Axa car insurance site offers 90% no-claims discount
Insurer launches preside over web sales in the wish of attracting the safest drivers
Axa has become the newest insurance company to launch a website selling preside over to customers. And it is in suspense to beguile the safest drivers by means of the look good of a most 90% no-claims discount which, it claims, is the highest in the market.
It has traditionally sold from side to side brokers alongside its Swiftcover brand, and is shamelessly targeting middle-aged drivers of low-performance cars who are generally likely to be inflicted with a claims-free earlier period. Policyholders furthermore get a courtesy car "whenever they are without a car following one convincing claim for accident, fire and theft", not solely while their own is being repaired.
Claims can befall tracked, and amendments made to the policy, at one time via the website. Its target market is persons around 45 and upwards. It has a most age for new customers of 80. The company says motorists by means of a reduced amount of than eight years driving experience are three times other likely to be inflicted with together been trapped driving under the influence of drugs otherwise alcohol, otherwise convicted of treacherous driving in the continue time. Veteran drivers, it says, are furthermore a reduced amount of likely to be inflicted with been trapped by a movable phone while driving, and five times a reduced amount of likely to be inflicted with been fined for driving without a seatbelt.
Tina Shortle, marketing director for Axa Insurance says with the intention of at a time as prices are rising sharply in this market, "we felt drivers by means of a proven track confirmation deserved more". The authoritative launch on Monday want befall backed by a £10m marketing campaign.
This week, custodian Money road-tested the website and found with the intention of, while it wasn't the cheapest, it was competitive. The website is certainly well-designed, and we got a quote in a hardly any minutes a great deal faster than a lot of of its rivals.
However, while the Brignalls and their old Toyota estate looked, on paper, to befall in its target market, Axa's quote disastrous to undercut our existing insurer the Co-op.
We shell out £218 a time, while Axa wanted almost £270, although it may be inflicted with been deposit off by my job. Insurers don't commonly similar to journalists. Furthermore, equally we crash on this leaf, premiums are marching upwards.
Here are a hardly any things we didn't similar to. The policy involuntarily includes legal expenses cover at £24 a time, which was tricky other than, eventually, doable to untick. European cover higher than three days expenditure other it's free by means of the Co-op. The breakdown cover is cheaper if bought elsewhere.
New insurers look after to offer low premiums as they initially create trading to pull towards you a generous customer corrupt. Axa want befall featuring on the aggregator websites such equally Confused.Com, which are permanently worth read-through at renewal time. Other insurers to furthermore get quotes as of include the Co-op and NFU Mutual.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Endsleigh Car Insurance
Endsleigh Car Insurance
Endsleigh Car Insurance - lone amongst the extremely best and Acknowledged Car Insurances You must Discover
With so a lot of cars on the thoroughfare currently you must possess noteworthy car insurance. Car Insurance is a form of protection regarding your household inside the event of a fender splurge otherwise perhaps one sort of accident. Here was the calculate when you veteran bring about from side to side tower of strength to create to discover the sort of insurance a person wanted inside a price you were maybe willing to shell out otherwise come across the expense of to shell out pro. Currently there's thumbs down a ration other running otherwise still costs hours on-line tiresome to discover an ideal refer to with regard to car insurance. Currently we be inflicted with public with the intention of run quotation system businesses with the intention of may discover a person the level of car insurance you aspire. These public in fact produce estimates regarding low-cost car insurance.
Endsleigh is lone such organization as of which you want make regarding forty car insurance schemes. These are excited to supply pro you the kind of car insurance you want need. These are amongst the estimate systems businesses with the intention of can discover inexpensive however dependable car insurance and so they check their own companies to the car insurance with the intention of want fit an party.
This cannot get on to lofty difference inside justification you are a new car title-holder, veteran car title-holder, otherwise still if you are simply an important person with the intention of wants low-cost car insurance, Endsleigh can discover this pro you personally. The total quotation system takes just a second other than the final results are ordinarily dependable.
Along with Endsleigh services you want make car insurance which includes an upgraded car which is a standard stipulations inside the insurance plan. Furthermore with an Endsleigh source you want make a price reduction pro one time you may not get on to a condition with the intention of want boost around 60 6 %. Protection is in fact significant and provides vital products pro all form of scenario and guarantees vehicle repairs regarding 5 years.
Endsleigh strives to sort out the extremely best since of its customers and pro with the intention of wits Endsleigh want discover the extremely best car insurance refer to it actually is your car insurance and study the car insurance online supplies pro from side to side theUk companies. Here isn't one lengthier foundation to shell out extended hours looking pro apposite car insurance since here is Endsleigh to sort out it inside your justification inside a hardly any minutes.
Endsleigh is lone such organization as of which you want make regarding forty car insurance schemes. These are excited to supply pro you the kind of car insurance you want need. These are amongst the estimate systems businesses with the intention of can discover inexpensive however dependable car insurance and so they check their own companies to the car insurance with the intention of want fit an party.
This cannot get on to lofty difference inside justification you are a new car title-holder, veteran car title-holder, otherwise still if you are simply an important person with the intention of wants low-cost car insurance, Endsleigh can discover this pro you personally. The total quotation system takes just a second other than the final results are ordinarily dependable.
Along with Endsleigh services you want make car insurance which includes an upgraded car which is a standard stipulations inside the insurance plan. Furthermore with an Endsleigh source you want make a price reduction pro one time you may not get on to a condition with the intention of want boost around 60 6 %. Protection is in fact significant and provides vital products pro all form of scenario and guarantees vehicle repairs regarding 5 years.
Endsleigh strives to sort out the extremely best since of its customers and pro with the intention of wits Endsleigh want discover the extremely best car insurance refer to it actually is your car insurance and study the car insurance online supplies pro from side to side theUk companies. Here isn't one lengthier foundation to shell out extended hours looking pro apposite car insurance since here is Endsleigh to sort out it inside your justification inside a hardly any minutes.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Local WA Parents Turn Out For Child Restraint Checks
car insurance
Twisted straps, seatbelts and tether straps were some of the main faults identified at this year’s annual Kidsafe WA Child Car Restraint Checking Day in Karrinyup.
Perth, WA (Advertiser Talk) 16-Nov-2009 — Kidsafe WA, in partnership with car insurance provider SGIO, checked more than 90 child car restraints as local parents turned out in numbers on Monday, 25th of May at Karrinyup Shopping Centre.
Kidsafe WA CEO Sue Wicks said nearly 70 per cent of child car restraints were found to be incorrectly fitted on the day.
Car crashes are a leading cause of child deaths in Australia and 68 per cent of child restraints we checked were either incorrectly fitted or incorrectly in use, reducing their effectivenessParents can reduce the risk of death or serious injury in a car crash by as much as 70 per cent by using a correctly installed child car restraint. When the restraint is not secured by the seatbelt, or the harnessing is not correctly adjusted, it puts the child at far greater risk ofserious injury should an accident occur SGIO Car Insurance is committed to helping develop safer, stronger communities and we encourageparents to contact Kidsafe for information on how to ensure their child restraints are fitted correctly “Car crashes are a leading cause of child deaths in Australia and 68 per cent ofchild restraints we checked were either incorrectly fitted or incorrectly in use, reducing their effectiveness,” she said.
“Parents can reduce the risk of death or serious injury in a car crash by as much as 70 per cent by using a correctly installed child car restraint.”
“When the restraint is not secured by the seatbelt, or the harnessing is not correctly adjusted, it puts the child at far greater risk ofserious injury should an accident occur,” she said.
The trained Kidsafe WA staff who checked the installation of the child restraints on the day also showed parents how to use the seats so that their children were better protected, as well as providing parents with a written summary of the assessments.
Other faults encountered on the day included restraints over 10 years of age, loose harnesses over children and restraints not attached to anchorage points.
SGIO State Manager Colin Tierney urged parents to take steps to ensure the safety of children when travelling in cars.
“SGIO Car Insurance is committed to helping develop safer, stronger communities and we encourage parents to contact Kidsafe for information on how to ensure their child restraints are fitted correctly,” he said.
For more information on Kidsafe WA’s regular child restraint fitting, checking and hire service at their Subiaco centre, contact Kidsafe on (08) 9340 8509 or visit www.kidsafewa.com.au.
About SGIO: SGIO is a leading insurance provider in WA, offering car insurance quotes, motor insurance and more online.
Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 trading as SGIO For many insurance products a Product Disclosure Statement is available from SGIO which you should consider before making decisions about those products.
Insurance issued by Insurance Australia Limited trading as SGIO 46 Colin St, West Perth, Western Australia 6005 .sgio.com.au
Twisted straps, seatbelts and tether straps were some of the main faults identified at this year’s annual Kidsafe WA Child Car Restraint Checking Day in Karrinyup.
Perth, WA (Advertiser Talk) 16-Nov-2009 — Kidsafe WA, in partnership with car insurance provider SGIO, checked more than 90 child car restraints as local parents turned out in numbers on Monday, 25th of May at Karrinyup Shopping Centre.
Kidsafe WA CEO Sue Wicks said nearly 70 per cent of child car restraints were found to be incorrectly fitted on the day.
Car crashes are a leading cause of child deaths in Australia and 68 per cent of child restraints we checked were either incorrectly fitted or incorrectly in use, reducing their effectivenessParents can reduce the risk of death or serious injury in a car crash by as much as 70 per cent by using a correctly installed child car restraint. When the restraint is not secured by the seatbelt, or the harnessing is not correctly adjusted, it puts the child at far greater risk ofserious injury should an accident occur SGIO Car Insurance is committed to helping develop safer, stronger communities and we encourageparents to contact Kidsafe for information on how to ensure their child restraints are fitted correctly “Car crashes are a leading cause of child deaths in Australia and 68 per cent ofchild restraints we checked were either incorrectly fitted or incorrectly in use, reducing their effectiveness,” she said.
“Parents can reduce the risk of death or serious injury in a car crash by as much as 70 per cent by using a correctly installed child car restraint.”
“When the restraint is not secured by the seatbelt, or the harnessing is not correctly adjusted, it puts the child at far greater risk ofserious injury should an accident occur,” she said.
The trained Kidsafe WA staff who checked the installation of the child restraints on the day also showed parents how to use the seats so that their children were better protected, as well as providing parents with a written summary of the assessments.
Other faults encountered on the day included restraints over 10 years of age, loose harnesses over children and restraints not attached to anchorage points.
SGIO State Manager Colin Tierney urged parents to take steps to ensure the safety of children when travelling in cars.
“SGIO Car Insurance is committed to helping develop safer, stronger communities and we encourage parents to contact Kidsafe for information on how to ensure their child restraints are fitted correctly,” he said.
For more information on Kidsafe WA’s regular child restraint fitting, checking and hire service at their Subiaco centre, contact Kidsafe on (08) 9340 8509 or visit www.kidsafewa.com.au.
About SGIO: SGIO is a leading insurance provider in WA, offering car insurance quotes, motor insurance and more online.
Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 trading as SGIO For many insurance products a Product Disclosure Statement is available from SGIO which you should consider before making decisions about those products.
Insurance issued by Insurance Australia Limited trading as SGIO 46 Colin St, West Perth, Western Australia 6005 .sgio.com.au
How to Wreck the Economy
car insurance
"The higher jobless rate could be the new normal" reads the headline of a recent AP report. Further down we read:
"Even with an economic revival, many U.S. jobs lost during the recession may be gone forever and a weak employment market could linger for years."
The report's message is clear. It will be a long time before we recover our former prosperity. Things, in fact, may never be as good as they used to be, at least not in our lifetimes.
the-great-depressionBut how can this be? After all, it is Barack Obama who is in charge. Less than twelve months ago, the Associated Press and the whole of the mainstream media were selling Obama as the one who would speedily solve this nation's economic ills. Obama was presented as nothing less than a national savior who had all the right answers.
Writing at CBS, Bonnie Erbe posted a piece in January titled "The Economy Could Actually Turn Around Under Barack Obama." The piece quoted Jerome Idaszak, associate editor of the Kiplinger Letter, who said: "There's also a new sense of public confidence in Washington. About 70% of Americans say they are optimistic that the Obama administration will be able to spur growth." Michael Hirsh of Newswek showed childlike confidence in Obama's abilities even before he assumed office:
"The new president may think his only task is to rescue the economy. But like FDR, he may have to save capitalism itself."
How do we, then, explain AP's present lack of hope in a better tomorrow? It would seem that they are coming to realize that the Messiah of yesterday is making a mess of things today.
To be fair, Barack Obama has been dealt a difficult hand. He has repeatedly said that this crisis was years in the making and in that he is correct. But it should be noted that it has been brought on by the very policies he subscribes to. This crisis, as almost all other economic crises, has been caused by government. The housing bubble - the bursting of which set things off - was a government creation. Inflated by a combination of unsupportably low interest rates - set by the Federal Reserve - and Congress' misguided desire to increase home ownership among low income people, it was a governmentally-induced phenomenon from beginning to end.
Even though Obama was not a major player when those policies were enacted, they were precisely the kind of measures he has always stood for. After all, he worked for ACORN, an organization which threatened to shut down banks that did not meet mortgage quotas for low income earners. So while it is true that Obama did not personally bring about the crisis, the policies he espouses most certainly did.
political-pictures-hindenburg-blimp-us-economyIn any case, now that Barack Obama is in power he is doing everything he can to drive the economy off the cliff and into the ground. David Horowitz recently made a strong case on Glenn Beck that Obama is a far-left radical who poses a great danger to this country. Nowhere is this more obvious than on the economic front. So ruinous have Obama's actions been that if a Hugo Chavez or some other America hater were given an opportunity to call the shots, he could hardly outdo the president in the destructiveness of his policies. Working relentlessly to impose government control over the American economy and to annihilate the remaining vestiges of the free market, Obama has already wrought untold damage. Nationalizing banks and car companies, debasing the dollar, passing odious business regulations and running up debts that we will never be able to repay are only some of the highlights of Obama's performance so far.
But all this is just the beginning, because still in the works are two monumentally deleterious schemes - Cap and Trade and Healthcare Reform.
The purported aim of Cap and Trade is to eliminate the nonexistent phenomenon of man-made global warming, but its real goal is to put a stranglehold on the American economy. This will be done under the guise of penalizing those who use energy deriving from fossil fuels. It is rightly said that energy is the lifeblood of the American economy. Significantly, Americans obtain 85 percent of it by burning C02-emitting substances, mainly oil and coal, which is why Cap and Trade would have devastating consequences.
According to analysis by The Heritage Foundation, Cap and Trade "promises serious perils for the American economy for the years and decades ahead." It would result in the loss of millions of jobs and it would cut trillions of dollars from America's economic output. Under Cap and Trade the price of gasoline would go up 58 percent and the average household electric rate would increase by 90 percent. Paradoxically, all these immense costs would yield virtually no discernible benefits. More from Heritage:
Climatologists estimate that Waxman-Markey's impact on world temperature will be too small to even measure in the first several decades. The theoretical moderation of world temperature would be 0.05 degree centigrade by 2050.
All this for less than one tenth of one degree, and even this infinitesimal gain only shows up on models that run on most optimistic assumptions. Looking at all the facts, one cannot but conclude that Cap and Trade is nothing other than a stealth move for the economy's jugular.
As far as healthcare is concerned, the president's works are no less destructive. The bill that was passed last Saturday by the House and hailed as a "victory" for Obama contains a provision that would prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage based on pre-existing health conditions. This is the equivalent of allowing people to buy car insurance after their crash their car or buy fire insurance after their house burns down. Highly controversial, this provision was kept on the urging of President Obama who insisted that it be included in the bill.
If you do not believe that an American president would ever force such an onerous requirement on private businesses, you should refer to an e-mail sent to supporters on August 8 by Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod. The first bullet point under the heading "8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage" reads:
Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
smile-big-brother-is-watching-you-obama-209x300Clearly no insurance company can operate under such a regime and continue as a viable commercial entity. Obama's healthcare "reform" would thus end up driving all insurers out of business and eventually leave the government as the sole provider of healthcare in America.
It should be obvious that the American economy cannot survive the implementation of these odious programs as they would vitiate America's capitalist foundation. This is why the president wants to make their passage his signature achievements.
David Horowitz is all too correct when he writes that Obama's goal is "the systematic transformation of our nation from an open, capitalist society, to a Big Brother-type socialist nation." Obama actions prove Horowitz right almost every day as he takes this country down the sewage tubes of socialism. Despite all his flowery promises, the American people have nothing good to look forward to. The president's media spokesmen know it, and they are dutifully preparing us for the hardships to come.
"The higher jobless rate could be the new normal" reads the headline of a recent AP report. Further down we read:
"Even with an economic revival, many U.S. jobs lost during the recession may be gone forever and a weak employment market could linger for years."
The report's message is clear. It will be a long time before we recover our former prosperity. Things, in fact, may never be as good as they used to be, at least not in our lifetimes.
the-great-depressionBut how can this be? After all, it is Barack Obama who is in charge. Less than twelve months ago, the Associated Press and the whole of the mainstream media were selling Obama as the one who would speedily solve this nation's economic ills. Obama was presented as nothing less than a national savior who had all the right answers.
Writing at CBS, Bonnie Erbe posted a piece in January titled "The Economy Could Actually Turn Around Under Barack Obama." The piece quoted Jerome Idaszak, associate editor of the Kiplinger Letter, who said: "There's also a new sense of public confidence in Washington. About 70% of Americans say they are optimistic that the Obama administration will be able to spur growth." Michael Hirsh of Newswek showed childlike confidence in Obama's abilities even before he assumed office:
"The new president may think his only task is to rescue the economy. But like FDR, he may have to save capitalism itself."
How do we, then, explain AP's present lack of hope in a better tomorrow? It would seem that they are coming to realize that the Messiah of yesterday is making a mess of things today.
To be fair, Barack Obama has been dealt a difficult hand. He has repeatedly said that this crisis was years in the making and in that he is correct. But it should be noted that it has been brought on by the very policies he subscribes to. This crisis, as almost all other economic crises, has been caused by government. The housing bubble - the bursting of which set things off - was a government creation. Inflated by a combination of unsupportably low interest rates - set by the Federal Reserve - and Congress' misguided desire to increase home ownership among low income people, it was a governmentally-induced phenomenon from beginning to end.
Even though Obama was not a major player when those policies were enacted, they were precisely the kind of measures he has always stood for. After all, he worked for ACORN, an organization which threatened to shut down banks that did not meet mortgage quotas for low income earners. So while it is true that Obama did not personally bring about the crisis, the policies he espouses most certainly did.
political-pictures-hindenburg-blimp-us-economyIn any case, now that Barack Obama is in power he is doing everything he can to drive the economy off the cliff and into the ground. David Horowitz recently made a strong case on Glenn Beck that Obama is a far-left radical who poses a great danger to this country. Nowhere is this more obvious than on the economic front. So ruinous have Obama's actions been that if a Hugo Chavez or some other America hater were given an opportunity to call the shots, he could hardly outdo the president in the destructiveness of his policies. Working relentlessly to impose government control over the American economy and to annihilate the remaining vestiges of the free market, Obama has already wrought untold damage. Nationalizing banks and car companies, debasing the dollar, passing odious business regulations and running up debts that we will never be able to repay are only some of the highlights of Obama's performance so far.
But all this is just the beginning, because still in the works are two monumentally deleterious schemes - Cap and Trade and Healthcare Reform.
The purported aim of Cap and Trade is to eliminate the nonexistent phenomenon of man-made global warming, but its real goal is to put a stranglehold on the American economy. This will be done under the guise of penalizing those who use energy deriving from fossil fuels. It is rightly said that energy is the lifeblood of the American economy. Significantly, Americans obtain 85 percent of it by burning C02-emitting substances, mainly oil and coal, which is why Cap and Trade would have devastating consequences.
According to analysis by The Heritage Foundation, Cap and Trade "promises serious perils for the American economy for the years and decades ahead." It would result in the loss of millions of jobs and it would cut trillions of dollars from America's economic output. Under Cap and Trade the price of gasoline would go up 58 percent and the average household electric rate would increase by 90 percent. Paradoxically, all these immense costs would yield virtually no discernible benefits. More from Heritage:
Climatologists estimate that Waxman-Markey's impact on world temperature will be too small to even measure in the first several decades. The theoretical moderation of world temperature would be 0.05 degree centigrade by 2050.
All this for less than one tenth of one degree, and even this infinitesimal gain only shows up on models that run on most optimistic assumptions. Looking at all the facts, one cannot but conclude that Cap and Trade is nothing other than a stealth move for the economy's jugular.
As far as healthcare is concerned, the president's works are no less destructive. The bill that was passed last Saturday by the House and hailed as a "victory" for Obama contains a provision that would prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage based on pre-existing health conditions. This is the equivalent of allowing people to buy car insurance after their crash their car or buy fire insurance after their house burns down. Highly controversial, this provision was kept on the urging of President Obama who insisted that it be included in the bill.
If you do not believe that an American president would ever force such an onerous requirement on private businesses, you should refer to an e-mail sent to supporters on August 8 by Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod. The first bullet point under the heading "8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage" reads:
Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
smile-big-brother-is-watching-you-obama-209x300Clearly no insurance company can operate under such a regime and continue as a viable commercial entity. Obama's healthcare "reform" would thus end up driving all insurers out of business and eventually leave the government as the sole provider of healthcare in America.
It should be obvious that the American economy cannot survive the implementation of these odious programs as they would vitiate America's capitalist foundation. This is why the president wants to make their passage his signature achievements.
David Horowitz is all too correct when he writes that Obama's goal is "the systematic transformation of our nation from an open, capitalist society, to a Big Brother-type socialist nation." Obama actions prove Horowitz right almost every day as he takes this country down the sewage tubes of socialism. Despite all his flowery promises, the American people have nothing good to look forward to. The president's media spokesmen know it, and they are dutifully preparing us for the hardships to come.
Buffett’s Berkshire Discloses Exxon, Nestle Stakes
car insurance
Warren Buffett’sBerkshire Hathaway Inc. disclosed stakes in oil producer Exxon Mobil Corp., candy maker Nestle SA, trash hauler Republic Services Inc. and insurer Travelers Cos.
Buffett’s company had about 1.28 million shares of Exxon, the world’s largest oil company, as of Sept. 30, Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire said today in a regulatory filing disclosing U.S. equity investments. Berkshire held 3.4 million American depositary deceipts of Nestle, the world’s largest food producer, 3.63 million shares of Republic and about 27,000 shares of New York-based Travelers.
Stock picks by Buffett, the second-richest American, are watched by mutual funds and individuals looking for clues about his investment strategy. Berkshire bought about $2.23 billion of stocks in the third quarter, according to a separate filing, the most in a year, and agreed this month to pay $26 billion for the 77.4 percent of railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. his firm doesn’t already own.
“A terrible market or a terrible economy is your friend,” Buffett said at a forum in New York last week, when asked whether the stock market rally was unwarranted, given the recession. “It’s a terrible mistake to look at what’s going on in the economy today and decide whether to buy or sell stocks.” The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to a 26-year high in October.
Soda, Credit Cards
Berkshire’s largest holdings, including Coca-Cola Co. and American Express Co., advanced in the biggest back-to-back quarterly rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index in 34 years. The value of stocks held by Berkshire insurance units jumped 20 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30 to about $55 billion. Berkshire’s own shares rose 12 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30, the best quarterly performance since 2007.
Investors mimic Berkshire’s stock picks to duplicate Buffett’s investing success, and an academic study in 2007 found that using the strategy for 31 years would have delivered annualized returns of about 25 percent, double the S&P’s return.
Buffett, 79, makes most of the investment decisions at Berkshire, while Lou Simpson, 72, manages the portfolio for car insurance unit Geico Corp. Buffett has cautioned investors against assuming all changes in the equity portfolio are his.
The U.S. economy returned to growth after its worst performance in seven decades, expanding at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, according to Commerce Department figures released last month. Government incentives spurred consumers to spend more on homes and cars.
Berkshire is making what Buffett called an “all-in wager” on the U.S. economy with the deal to purchase Fort Worth, Texas- based Burlington. It is Buffett’s biggest acquisition in more than four decades as Berkshire’s chairman.
Warren Buffett’sBerkshire Hathaway Inc. disclosed stakes in oil producer Exxon Mobil Corp., candy maker Nestle SA, trash hauler Republic Services Inc. and insurer Travelers Cos.
Buffett’s company had about 1.28 million shares of Exxon, the world’s largest oil company, as of Sept. 30, Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire said today in a regulatory filing disclosing U.S. equity investments. Berkshire held 3.4 million American depositary deceipts of Nestle, the world’s largest food producer, 3.63 million shares of Republic and about 27,000 shares of New York-based Travelers.
Stock picks by Buffett, the second-richest American, are watched by mutual funds and individuals looking for clues about his investment strategy. Berkshire bought about $2.23 billion of stocks in the third quarter, according to a separate filing, the most in a year, and agreed this month to pay $26 billion for the 77.4 percent of railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. his firm doesn’t already own.
“A terrible market or a terrible economy is your friend,” Buffett said at a forum in New York last week, when asked whether the stock market rally was unwarranted, given the recession. “It’s a terrible mistake to look at what’s going on in the economy today and decide whether to buy or sell stocks.” The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to a 26-year high in October.
Soda, Credit Cards
Berkshire’s largest holdings, including Coca-Cola Co. and American Express Co., advanced in the biggest back-to-back quarterly rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index in 34 years. The value of stocks held by Berkshire insurance units jumped 20 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30 to about $55 billion. Berkshire’s own shares rose 12 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30, the best quarterly performance since 2007.
Investors mimic Berkshire’s stock picks to duplicate Buffett’s investing success, and an academic study in 2007 found that using the strategy for 31 years would have delivered annualized returns of about 25 percent, double the S&P’s return.
Buffett, 79, makes most of the investment decisions at Berkshire, while Lou Simpson, 72, manages the portfolio for car insurance unit Geico Corp. Buffett has cautioned investors against assuming all changes in the equity portfolio are his.
The U.S. economy returned to growth after its worst performance in seven decades, expanding at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, according to Commerce Department figures released last month. Government incentives spurred consumers to spend more on homes and cars.
Berkshire is making what Buffett called an “all-in wager” on the U.S. economy with the deal to purchase Fort Worth, Texas- based Burlington. It is Buffett’s biggest acquisition in more than four decades as Berkshire’s chairman.
A Double Mandate For Health Works For Europe
car insurance
How do most European countries achieve universal coverage?
Most people believe that European countries use the Canadian single payer model to achieve universal coverage.
Most people are wrong.
Only Canada uses that model. Canada actually makes private insurance illegal. Most countries in Europe successfully achieve universal insurance coverage using a mixed model based on a combination of private insurance companies and government programs. Some European countries, in fact, use only private insurance companies, and a couple of European countries who have achieved full universal coverage don't have any government-run insurance program at all.
There are actually hundreds of private health plans of one kind or another in various European countries. Each of those countries has both competing health plans and universal coverage.
So how do all of those countries who use private health plans actually achieve universal coverage?
They basically use a "double mandate." Most European countries mandate that every citizen must buy insurance coverage. They also mandate that every local insurance company who wants to do business in the country must sell coverage to any citizen who applies for that coverage. Health screens are not allowed.
It's a very clear double mandate. Everyone must buy. Everyone must sell.
Each of those countries with a double mandate -- Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, etc. -- collects a portion of each worker's paycheck to pay for the coverage. Payroll deductions are the most common method of funding health coverage in Europe, and employers are definitely part of the health care financing picture in almost all countries.
Most European countries continue to maintain a relationship between jobs and people's health coverage for two main reasons: The number one reason is that jobs are where the money is. Jobs create paychecks, and paychecks are the most common source of revenue used by other countries to pay for people's health coverage.
The second reason countries link jobs and health coverage is that employers often function as "wise" or skilled volume purchasers, and employers in some countries make various decisions and negotiate deals with insurers to help workers get either better coverage or better services from the private insurance plans.
Premium Costs Are Shared With Employers
In most countries, premium cost is shared between employers and employees -- a portion of each worker's paycheck is dedicated to pay for health coverage, and then the employer usually matches some or all of the worker contribution.
As one example, Germany has an 8 percent payroll deduction from each worker. That deduction from each worker's paycheck is matched by an 8 percent contribution from each employer. So, in essence, 16 percent of every German paycheck is spent to buy universal health care coverage.
Germany doesn't have a Canadian-like single payer system. German health insurance is provided by a fairly large number of private health funds. So each German picks a health plan -- or "sickness fund" -- to actually be their personal insurer. Many of the sickness funds are co-op-like entities. Some are for-profit insurers. All are privately run and operated. The whole approach does not look anything like the Canadian single payer system.
Germany has used that model for over 100 years. Bismarck invented it.
Low-income Germans without jobs, of course, have their premiums subsidized by the government.
Because everyone is in the insurance "risk pool" all of the time, Germany doesn't have the problem of people waiting until they are sick and then joining a sickness fund to "use other people's money" to pay for their care.
How well would that model work in the U.S.?
An interesting economic fact is that all "group" insurance in the U.S. already basically uses an approach that operates very much like that European double mandate model. Employers in America buy coverage for an entire group of employees. Every eligible employee in each group is automatically covered as a member of the group. The result is a lot like Europe, one group at a time. There are some exceptions, but everyone employed full time in each employer group is usually in the insurance group, and every group member must be covered by the insurer. Health screens and medical underwriting do not happen within employer groups in America now. More than 90 percent of the people in the United States with health insurance receive their coverage through "groups."
We would be very well advised to take the double mandate risk-sharing business model that works well for Switzerland and the Netherlands, and works equally well today for our group purchasers in the U.S., and use it for all of our people.
Covering everyone is important in both Europe and America because we need to have a broad cross section of people enrolled in order to keep the average cost of care at a level that makes the average premium affordable.
The underlying concept of getting everyone in the risk pool is pretty simple. Automobile insurance would fail as an economic system if car insurers were required to sell instantly to every applicant but people could wait until after their car had crashed before actually buying insurance coverage. People would not pay premiums for car insurance every month if they could simply wait to pay one month's car insurance premium when the accident actually happened and then have the insurance company buy them a new car. Fire insurance would also obviously fail as a business model if the insurance companies only insured burning homes. Everyone who understands fire insurance understands that there needs to be premium paid from quite a few houses that are not burning to put enough money into a pool to pay the expenses of repairing or rebuilding the houses that do burn.
We need to use a European-like double mandate for health insurance in America to get everyone insured and to get everyone in the risk pool.
The double mandate already works fairly well in America for the 90 plus percent of insured people who get coverage through employers.
Let's just finish the job. Let's use a double mandate to enroll everyone in America. No one should ever lose their home in America or be financially ruined because of health care expenses. We need to cover everyone. A double mandate can help make that happen.
Health insurance reform bills from the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will soon be going to a conference committee process. That process should create a blended final bill that will focus some key energy on keeping the average costs of care down by getting as many people in the American risk pool as possible.
If we can't do a pure European style double mandate in America, we should get as close to it as we can.
We should not be too arrogant or too insulated to learn from what works well in other settings and other countries. The double mandate can work well here.
How do most European countries achieve universal coverage?
Most people believe that European countries use the Canadian single payer model to achieve universal coverage.
Most people are wrong.
Only Canada uses that model. Canada actually makes private insurance illegal. Most countries in Europe successfully achieve universal insurance coverage using a mixed model based on a combination of private insurance companies and government programs. Some European countries, in fact, use only private insurance companies, and a couple of European countries who have achieved full universal coverage don't have any government-run insurance program at all.
There are actually hundreds of private health plans of one kind or another in various European countries. Each of those countries has both competing health plans and universal coverage.
So how do all of those countries who use private health plans actually achieve universal coverage?
They basically use a "double mandate." Most European countries mandate that every citizen must buy insurance coverage. They also mandate that every local insurance company who wants to do business in the country must sell coverage to any citizen who applies for that coverage. Health screens are not allowed.
It's a very clear double mandate. Everyone must buy. Everyone must sell.
Each of those countries with a double mandate -- Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, etc. -- collects a portion of each worker's paycheck to pay for the coverage. Payroll deductions are the most common method of funding health coverage in Europe, and employers are definitely part of the health care financing picture in almost all countries.
Most European countries continue to maintain a relationship between jobs and people's health coverage for two main reasons: The number one reason is that jobs are where the money is. Jobs create paychecks, and paychecks are the most common source of revenue used by other countries to pay for people's health coverage.
The second reason countries link jobs and health coverage is that employers often function as "wise" or skilled volume purchasers, and employers in some countries make various decisions and negotiate deals with insurers to help workers get either better coverage or better services from the private insurance plans.
Premium Costs Are Shared With Employers
In most countries, premium cost is shared between employers and employees -- a portion of each worker's paycheck is dedicated to pay for health coverage, and then the employer usually matches some or all of the worker contribution.
As one example, Germany has an 8 percent payroll deduction from each worker. That deduction from each worker's paycheck is matched by an 8 percent contribution from each employer. So, in essence, 16 percent of every German paycheck is spent to buy universal health care coverage.
Germany doesn't have a Canadian-like single payer system. German health insurance is provided by a fairly large number of private health funds. So each German picks a health plan -- or "sickness fund" -- to actually be their personal insurer. Many of the sickness funds are co-op-like entities. Some are for-profit insurers. All are privately run and operated. The whole approach does not look anything like the Canadian single payer system.
Germany has used that model for over 100 years. Bismarck invented it.
Low-income Germans without jobs, of course, have their premiums subsidized by the government.
Because everyone is in the insurance "risk pool" all of the time, Germany doesn't have the problem of people waiting until they are sick and then joining a sickness fund to "use other people's money" to pay for their care.
How well would that model work in the U.S.?
An interesting economic fact is that all "group" insurance in the U.S. already basically uses an approach that operates very much like that European double mandate model. Employers in America buy coverage for an entire group of employees. Every eligible employee in each group is automatically covered as a member of the group. The result is a lot like Europe, one group at a time. There are some exceptions, but everyone employed full time in each employer group is usually in the insurance group, and every group member must be covered by the insurer. Health screens and medical underwriting do not happen within employer groups in America now. More than 90 percent of the people in the United States with health insurance receive their coverage through "groups."
We would be very well advised to take the double mandate risk-sharing business model that works well for Switzerland and the Netherlands, and works equally well today for our group purchasers in the U.S., and use it for all of our people.
Covering everyone is important in both Europe and America because we need to have a broad cross section of people enrolled in order to keep the average cost of care at a level that makes the average premium affordable.
The underlying concept of getting everyone in the risk pool is pretty simple. Automobile insurance would fail as an economic system if car insurers were required to sell instantly to every applicant but people could wait until after their car had crashed before actually buying insurance coverage. People would not pay premiums for car insurance every month if they could simply wait to pay one month's car insurance premium when the accident actually happened and then have the insurance company buy them a new car. Fire insurance would also obviously fail as a business model if the insurance companies only insured burning homes. Everyone who understands fire insurance understands that there needs to be premium paid from quite a few houses that are not burning to put enough money into a pool to pay the expenses of repairing or rebuilding the houses that do burn.
We need to use a European-like double mandate for health insurance in America to get everyone insured and to get everyone in the risk pool.
The double mandate already works fairly well in America for the 90 plus percent of insured people who get coverage through employers.
Let's just finish the job. Let's use a double mandate to enroll everyone in America. No one should ever lose their home in America or be financially ruined because of health care expenses. We need to cover everyone. A double mandate can help make that happen.
Health insurance reform bills from the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will soon be going to a conference committee process. That process should create a blended final bill that will focus some key energy on keeping the average costs of care down by getting as many people in the American risk pool as possible.
If we can't do a pure European style double mandate in America, we should get as close to it as we can.
We should not be too arrogant or too insulated to learn from what works well in other settings and other countries. The double mandate can work well here.
Car insurance cost up 13% on last year, says Sainsbury's
car insurance
The price of car insurance has risen by almost 13 per cent in the last 12 months, according to Sainsbury's Finance.
The price of running a car has gone up, with car cover now costing an average of £551.74. Tax and MOT costs have seen an increase of 8.45 per cent and 1.69 per cent respectively.
However, while prices have risen for some areas of driving, others have seen a reduction compared to 2008. Fuel and servicing charges have dropped, with petrol prices now 1.22 per cent less than they were a year ago.
Overall, Sainsbury's Finance estimates the average annual cost of motoring to now be £2,338, a figure which excludes the cost of paying for the actual vehicle.
Earlier research by the financial service provider found that reluctance to haggle over the price of a new car could cost consumers a combined total of £229 million in the next six months.
Ben Tyte, car insurance manager for the finance firm, advised drivers that the way to beat the price increases was by shopping around for the best value deal.
The price of car insurance has risen by almost 13 per cent in the last 12 months, according to Sainsbury's Finance.
The price of running a car has gone up, with car cover now costing an average of £551.74. Tax and MOT costs have seen an increase of 8.45 per cent and 1.69 per cent respectively.
However, while prices have risen for some areas of driving, others have seen a reduction compared to 2008. Fuel and servicing charges have dropped, with petrol prices now 1.22 per cent less than they were a year ago.
Overall, Sainsbury's Finance estimates the average annual cost of motoring to now be £2,338, a figure which excludes the cost of paying for the actual vehicle.
Earlier research by the financial service provider found that reluctance to haggle over the price of a new car could cost consumers a combined total of £229 million in the next six months.
Ben Tyte, car insurance manager for the finance firm, advised drivers that the way to beat the price increases was by shopping around for the best value deal.
Is Permit Insurance Available For Teenage Drivers?
car insurance
One of the greatest days for a teenager is getting their learner’s permit. It is the beginning of a whole new world of independence and freedom. Unfortunately for parents, it is the beginning of a nightmare; your little baby behind the wheel of a car. Luckily, the law allows for ample practice time on the road before your teen driver is unleashed and free to wreak havoc on unsuspecting drivers. For this critical instruction time, insurance companies offer a special policy for those learning to drive.
What Kind Of Insurance Is There
Car insurance for a learning driver can be expensive to purchase independently but by adding your learning driver onto your existing policy, you could save a substantial amount on premiums. The learning driver will be able to have the same type of insurance policy that you have. By adding them to your existing policy they will be covered in the same capacity that you are. It might even be a good idea to upgrade their coverage to comprehensive and uninsured driver coverage if you only carry liability.
What Can Cause A Policy To Be Voided
Allowing your learning driver to drive without an adult, or the age of 21 in the car can most certainly void the conditions of the car insurance policy. If they were in an accident without an adult present not only could they lose their permit and not get their license until they turn 18, the insurance company could refuse to pay out any money on the policy because the conditions weren’t met. Not only is it dangerous for the learning driver and whomever they are in an accident with, it can also cause your insurance company to drop you from their policy. Leaving you without car insurance. It is important to teach your young driver how to be a responsible and respectful driver.
One of the greatest days for a teenager is getting their learner’s permit. It is the beginning of a whole new world of independence and freedom. Unfortunately for parents, it is the beginning of a nightmare; your little baby behind the wheel of a car. Luckily, the law allows for ample practice time on the road before your teen driver is unleashed and free to wreak havoc on unsuspecting drivers. For this critical instruction time, insurance companies offer a special policy for those learning to drive.
What Kind Of Insurance Is There
Car insurance for a learning driver can be expensive to purchase independently but by adding your learning driver onto your existing policy, you could save a substantial amount on premiums. The learning driver will be able to have the same type of insurance policy that you have. By adding them to your existing policy they will be covered in the same capacity that you are. It might even be a good idea to upgrade their coverage to comprehensive and uninsured driver coverage if you only carry liability.
What Can Cause A Policy To Be Voided
Allowing your learning driver to drive without an adult, or the age of 21 in the car can most certainly void the conditions of the car insurance policy. If they were in an accident without an adult present not only could they lose their permit and not get their license until they turn 18, the insurance company could refuse to pay out any money on the policy because the conditions weren’t met. Not only is it dangerous for the learning driver and whomever they are in an accident with, it can also cause your insurance company to drop you from their policy. Leaving you without car insurance. It is important to teach your young driver how to be a responsible and respectful driver.
How a driving conviction hits car insurance
car insurance
Insurers are turning their backs on drink-drivers with many simply refusing to cover those convicted of driving under the influence.
As we enter the festive period when incidents of drink driving can increase, latest analysis of insurance quotations has shown that those convicted of the offence could be blacklisted by insurers, or else could face swingeing hikes in their insurance premiums.
Comparison website Moneysupermarket.com said that drivers could see their premiums increase from an average of £300 per year to £578 per year – a difference of £278.
However, other insurers will not return a quote at all to drivers if they admit to receiving a DR10 penalty for drink driving.
And some will not insure drivers if they have been handed a driving ban in the last five years.
Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: 'On top of a massive hike in insurance premium costs, any convicted motorist is likely to find themselves with the difficult task of trying to find a provider who is prepared to insure someone with a drink driving conviction.'
According to a recent survey carried out by the Home Office, a staggering one in eight drivers - or 12% - admitted to having driven after drinking what they believed was an 'over the limit' amount of alcohol in the previous year.
Steve Sweeney added: 'A conviction could lead to a £1,000 fine, a 12-month driving ban on their licence, and even a possible prison sentence.
'It is simply not worth taking the risk – the results of doing so can be costly and very damaging.'
Insurers are turning their backs on drink-drivers with many simply refusing to cover those convicted of driving under the influence.
As we enter the festive period when incidents of drink driving can increase, latest analysis of insurance quotations has shown that those convicted of the offence could be blacklisted by insurers, or else could face swingeing hikes in their insurance premiums.
Comparison website Moneysupermarket.com said that drivers could see their premiums increase from an average of £300 per year to £578 per year – a difference of £278.
However, other insurers will not return a quote at all to drivers if they admit to receiving a DR10 penalty for drink driving.
And some will not insure drivers if they have been handed a driving ban in the last five years.
Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: 'On top of a massive hike in insurance premium costs, any convicted motorist is likely to find themselves with the difficult task of trying to find a provider who is prepared to insure someone with a drink driving conviction.'
According to a recent survey carried out by the Home Office, a staggering one in eight drivers - or 12% - admitted to having driven after drinking what they believed was an 'over the limit' amount of alcohol in the previous year.
Steve Sweeney added: 'A conviction could lead to a £1,000 fine, a 12-month driving ban on their licence, and even a possible prison sentence.
'It is simply not worth taking the risk – the results of doing so can be costly and very damaging.'
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The middle class loses
car insurance
As a political conservative, it is difficult for me to support many of the changes the Democratic-run house and President Barack Obama have brought to the table.
The United States’ health care system has been a debacle since before I was born. I am not a supporter of a national health care system but I am in favor of the government hammering the health insurance system.
I hope the government is not hiding information from us. Health insurance is almost impossible to obtain at a fair cost. I also notice this plan will punish people who do not have health care insurance. There is an interesting bond between insurance companies and the government in this country, whether they want to admit it or not.
I can’t rent an apartment without renter’s insurance, I can’t drive a car without car insurance and now I will be punished if I choose not to obtain health coverage. When does the insurance nightmare end?
I wouldn’t be as upset if insurance rates were lower. I was told by my insurance company that my car insurance rates would go down when I turned 25. My insurance rates have gone up because of the poor economy. My health insurance rates have gone up every year since I began purchasing insurance out of pocket.
Something tells me my taxes will begin to be affected if this bill is enacted. Half of my income goes toward insurance and taxes.
The middle class loses again.
As a political conservative, it is difficult for me to support many of the changes the Democratic-run house and President Barack Obama have brought to the table.
The United States’ health care system has been a debacle since before I was born. I am not a supporter of a national health care system but I am in favor of the government hammering the health insurance system.
I hope the government is not hiding information from us. Health insurance is almost impossible to obtain at a fair cost. I also notice this plan will punish people who do not have health care insurance. There is an interesting bond between insurance companies and the government in this country, whether they want to admit it or not.
I can’t rent an apartment without renter’s insurance, I can’t drive a car without car insurance and now I will be punished if I choose not to obtain health coverage. When does the insurance nightmare end?
I wouldn’t be as upset if insurance rates were lower. I was told by my insurance company that my car insurance rates would go down when I turned 25. My insurance rates have gone up because of the poor economy. My health insurance rates have gone up every year since I began purchasing insurance out of pocket.
Something tells me my taxes will begin to be affected if this bill is enacted. Half of my income goes toward insurance and taxes.
The middle class loses again.
What if government weren't in health care?
car insurance
After reading the letters to the editor on Oct. 27, I am compelled to write.
One letter writer is talking out of his or her mind here, not wanting the government in health care.
What do these people think Medicare, Medicaid, and TennCare are?
Yes, you still have to pay for it the rest of your life.
Yes, you paid for it all the time you were working and paying taxes.
Should the government not be in the health care business, you and yours would be a burden on society. You cannot have it both ways; wake up; smell the coffee. The "Party of No" is not out for you. It is out for big business and bigger bucks for themselves.
Should Social Security go broke, you can thank the Republicans. They have been trying for years to do away with Social Security.
Thank President Reagan for having to wait past age 65 for full retirement. I have to wait until I am 66 for full retirement benefits or take reduced benefits at age 65.
One more thing, it is not unconstitutional for the government to be in the health care business. It would be a tragic thing for the government not to care about the citizens of this great country.
Harvey D. Boles
Knoxville
Employer mandates
a concern for business
The Nov. 1 guest column, "Economists have it all wrong," accurately notes some of the concerns that businesses have with the increasing number of employer mandates.
Policymakers who favor a requirement that employers provide health care for employees should also recognize the traditional definitions of "small business" versus "large company" aren't always appropriate.
Many small employers have a very high profit per employee. For example, investment firms generate tens of thousands of dollars in pure profit for a single hire.
On the other hand, some large companies employ thousands of workers in entry-wage positions. They operate on low levels of profit per each employee.
A play-or-pay mandate based on the number of employees disproportionately impacts these businesses. A $400 per year per employee health care premium would be less than 2 percent of the profit of a small investment firm but a devastating 20 percent of profits for a casual-dining restaurant.
Kristen Lopez Eastlick
Senior Economic Analyst
Employment Policies
Institute
Washington, D.C.
Republican proposal
backs insurance firms
On Nov. 4, I read in the newspaper that finally the GOP in the House came out with a proposal of health care reform.
It was overdue: Simply dumping on any Democratic proposal was not really helping, and it was suggesting that Republicans liked the health care system the way it is.
Now finally we can compare ideas and proposals, and we can see what side each congressman is on. For example, the Republican proposal allows insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, one of the most evil characteristics of the present system, responsible for death or bankruptcy of thousands of Americans.
There is no doubt in my mind that, on this specific issue, Democrats are on our side - the side of 90 percent of the American people - and the Republicans are on their side, the side of the insurance companies' CEOs.
On health care reform this time, the Democrats got it right. Regardless of our own political affiliation, today we should all support the Democratic bills, and call our representative to do so.
We can go back to our own political affiliations when this health care debate storm has passed, and we get our long-waited-for, decent and affordable health care.
Maurizio Conti
Knoxville
Rasmussen better pol
on public health option
I have to wonder why the News Sentinel still bothers with Froma Harrop's columns.
She states Americans favor a public option by nearly two-thirds but uses only a poll by The New York Times/CBS as her source.
Now that is just laugh out loud funny!
The Rasmussen poll has 55 percent against to 42 percent for the public option. Now the Rasmussen poll consistently is the most accurate and was the only poll to call the defeat on Nov. 3 of Jon Corzine in blue state New Jersey correctly.
I think the problem with The New York Times/CBS poll is they may only poll their own declining readership or viewers.
Perhaps the Times poll actually only indicates that even for hard-core liberals, not even two-thirds still support the public option.
Harrop and other liberals must be having a true anxiety attack that this ill-disguised attempt of our rapidly expanding federal government to rip yet another industry from the private sector may actually not come to pass.
John Woodward
Loudon
Bail out Afghanistan
or pay for health care?
So you think the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon was a national disaster?
Want to see something worse? Open your eyes and look around you.
Do you know any of the 10-15 million Americans who are currently unemployed? Do you know any of the 43 million American adults and children who have no health care insurance because they can't afford it, because they lost their jobs or because their insurance company dropped them?
No problem, right? They can get treatment at a hospital emergency room. Sure, it costs more there, but you and I get to pay for it.
We can't afford universal health insurance, but we can afford to spend over $12 billion a year in Afghanistan for the next 20 years on a country which has been ungovernable for 1,300 years.
Now, you decide. What is the greatest threat to our national health and security? Should we be spending our money in Afghanistan or on our own people here in the U.S. who need jobs, health care and some training for good jobs in the future?
Make up your own mind and then call Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander and Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. Tell them your priorities for spending our money. Forget about cutting taxes. For every dime you collect, a dollar will disappear elsewhere.
Ten years not spent on Afghanistan will pay for half the cost of 10 years of national health insurance. Would you rather bail out more banks or invest those billions in job creation for people who will actually earn their money here and now.
Gene Bocknek
Andersonville
Puppy mill story
found appalling
I was appalled at reading the story on the puppy mill in Harriman.
What is wrong with the authorities that they had to go there a third time? There should never have been even a second time with what they found the first time. Those poor animals!
The operator needs to be shut down completely and never own another animal.
If the authorities are there for the animals, they are doing a bad job of things.
Deb Sperling
Sweetwater, Tenn.
Take a stand against
credit card greed
I think it's time for America to wake up and take a stand against credit card companies and the greed they represent.
I refer to the way they keep raising the finance charges to our accounts at their discretion, even when you have a perfect credit rating with them.
As long as we allow this to continue, there's no hope for America to ever overcome the bondage we have brought on ourselves by living beyond our means.
As soon as you receive notice of changes in your account, cancel the cards.
Pay them off as soon as possible.
Rip them up; return them; show them you won't be intimidated any longer.
Before credit cards, we had layaway plans. If we wanted something badly enough, we paid for it each pay day until it became ours - no hassle, no finance charges. Sometimes the old ways are best.
If America would take a stand and the banks and department stores that issue these cards faced bankruptcy for their greed, maybe they would think twice before they took advantage of us again.
Ella Mae Hood
Knoxville
Seniors deserve hike
in Social Security pay
I am one of those whiny senior citizens who doesn't get a raise this January.
Could you live on $1,000 a month and pay utilities, medicine, food, gas, insurance and mortgage?
Yes, we did get a raise, but the Medicare payment increase took it.
I have to pay the same for food, clothing, gas, etc., as the person who is making that much a week.
The $250 we got went for car insurance and other things. Yes, gas did go down, but it has gone up again.
As for those of us who don't have a car, we have to pay someone to take us anywhere, so, no, we are not getting a "freebie," as a letter writer called it.
I would like for you to try and walk in our shoes for a couple of months, and you wouldn't be calling us "whiny."
We have worked all our lives and put money into Social Security, so we are not getting anything that doesn't belong to us already.
Charlotte Branch
Seymour
Issue is the cross
on government land
In a letter to the editor Oct. 24, a writer suggested that we should boycott the Olympic Games because of the protest in this country of a cross on government land.
He suggests the protest is against the cross. The argument is not about the cross but where it was placed. Had it been a Star of David, it would have elicited the same response.
The cross being on government land crosses (pardon the pun) the boundary of "separation of church and state." The cross should not be erected on land of a national preserve.
Our Founding Fathers didn't want the government and religion to mix. This protects both parties.
The writer's remark about boycotting the Olympics because of the statue of Christ in Rio de Janerio is just silly and doesn't require a reply. He wants us to make decisions for another country. How arrogant!
It is frustrating that most people don't know the basis of our laws; yet without examining these laws, they make quick and uninformed decisions.
As an example, I have heard people complain that the accused are given too much latitude in their trials. Our laws were set up to protect the innocent, and whether we like it or not, a person is considered innocent until he or she is found guilty through an honest and impartial trial.
If a person doesn't like the laws as they are, then start a movement to change them. Independent opinions are just that - independent opinions.
On this, I support anyone's right to voice his or her thoughts as much as I have the right to dispute them.
James M. Cardwell
Lenoir City
House calls are OK
but won't be enough
I was very interested in the article in a recent Sunday edition about doctors who make house calls.
It sounds like an excellent idea, but the case of the woman who was found to have low blood potassium left me wondering why the emergency room doctors didn't test her for it.
If house calls became standard, how long would it be before equally poor or inexperienced doctors were given this job and their work deteriorated to the current level of emergency-room care?
I have a biased view of emergency room care based on my own experience. Recently I called 911 because I was too dizzy to risk standing up and since several close relatives have died following strokes. I was worried.
I was put in a cubicle and left for over two hours. At one point a very rushed young man in a white coat came in and talked to me for less than five minutes.
I'm not sure why he was so rushed since the emergency room was not busy. I was not given a CAT scan although I found later my insurance was billed for one. Then, when I was finally released, my diagnosis was headaches although I almost never get them and the young man never mentioned them.
Although I was at the hospital where my doctor works, the emergency room does not have access to my records. If I had had repeated TIAs or even a stroke I had recovered from, they would have had no way to know.
Just house calls are not enough, desirable though they may be.
Shirley E. Hastings
Knoxville
U.S. judicial system,
language needs change
The judicial system in this country is in desperate need of revision.
It is outrageous to refer to someone who was personally observed by dozens of individuals as he gunned down a group of unarmed soldiers as a suspect.
He is the perpetrator and should be referred to as such.
And what kind of justice is it when defense counsel at trial is allowed to denigrate the character of murder victims, while the prosecution is prohibited from introducing evidence of the accused's past record.
Yes, the system needs to be changed or else appropriately refer to it as the "criminal protection system."
William G. Phelps
Powell
After reading the letters to the editor on Oct. 27, I am compelled to write.
One letter writer is talking out of his or her mind here, not wanting the government in health care.
What do these people think Medicare, Medicaid, and TennCare are?
Yes, you still have to pay for it the rest of your life.
Yes, you paid for it all the time you were working and paying taxes.
Should the government not be in the health care business, you and yours would be a burden on society. You cannot have it both ways; wake up; smell the coffee. The "Party of No" is not out for you. It is out for big business and bigger bucks for themselves.
Should Social Security go broke, you can thank the Republicans. They have been trying for years to do away with Social Security.
Thank President Reagan for having to wait past age 65 for full retirement. I have to wait until I am 66 for full retirement benefits or take reduced benefits at age 65.
One more thing, it is not unconstitutional for the government to be in the health care business. It would be a tragic thing for the government not to care about the citizens of this great country.
Harvey D. Boles
Knoxville
Employer mandates
a concern for business
The Nov. 1 guest column, "Economists have it all wrong," accurately notes some of the concerns that businesses have with the increasing number of employer mandates.
Policymakers who favor a requirement that employers provide health care for employees should also recognize the traditional definitions of "small business" versus "large company" aren't always appropriate.
Many small employers have a very high profit per employee. For example, investment firms generate tens of thousands of dollars in pure profit for a single hire.
On the other hand, some large companies employ thousands of workers in entry-wage positions. They operate on low levels of profit per each employee.
A play-or-pay mandate based on the number of employees disproportionately impacts these businesses. A $400 per year per employee health care premium would be less than 2 percent of the profit of a small investment firm but a devastating 20 percent of profits for a casual-dining restaurant.
Kristen Lopez Eastlick
Senior Economic Analyst
Employment Policies
Institute
Washington, D.C.
Republican proposal
backs insurance firms
On Nov. 4, I read in the newspaper that finally the GOP in the House came out with a proposal of health care reform.
It was overdue: Simply dumping on any Democratic proposal was not really helping, and it was suggesting that Republicans liked the health care system the way it is.
Now finally we can compare ideas and proposals, and we can see what side each congressman is on. For example, the Republican proposal allows insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, one of the most evil characteristics of the present system, responsible for death or bankruptcy of thousands of Americans.
There is no doubt in my mind that, on this specific issue, Democrats are on our side - the side of 90 percent of the American people - and the Republicans are on their side, the side of the insurance companies' CEOs.
On health care reform this time, the Democrats got it right. Regardless of our own political affiliation, today we should all support the Democratic bills, and call our representative to do so.
We can go back to our own political affiliations when this health care debate storm has passed, and we get our long-waited-for, decent and affordable health care.
Maurizio Conti
Knoxville
Rasmussen better pol
on public health option
I have to wonder why the News Sentinel still bothers with Froma Harrop's columns.
She states Americans favor a public option by nearly two-thirds but uses only a poll by The New York Times/CBS as her source.
Now that is just laugh out loud funny!
The Rasmussen poll has 55 percent against to 42 percent for the public option. Now the Rasmussen poll consistently is the most accurate and was the only poll to call the defeat on Nov. 3 of Jon Corzine in blue state New Jersey correctly.
I think the problem with The New York Times/CBS poll is they may only poll their own declining readership or viewers.
Perhaps the Times poll actually only indicates that even for hard-core liberals, not even two-thirds still support the public option.
Harrop and other liberals must be having a true anxiety attack that this ill-disguised attempt of our rapidly expanding federal government to rip yet another industry from the private sector may actually not come to pass.
John Woodward
Loudon
Bail out Afghanistan
or pay for health care?
So you think the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon was a national disaster?
Want to see something worse? Open your eyes and look around you.
Do you know any of the 10-15 million Americans who are currently unemployed? Do you know any of the 43 million American adults and children who have no health care insurance because they can't afford it, because they lost their jobs or because their insurance company dropped them?
No problem, right? They can get treatment at a hospital emergency room. Sure, it costs more there, but you and I get to pay for it.
We can't afford universal health insurance, but we can afford to spend over $12 billion a year in Afghanistan for the next 20 years on a country which has been ungovernable for 1,300 years.
Now, you decide. What is the greatest threat to our national health and security? Should we be spending our money in Afghanistan or on our own people here in the U.S. who need jobs, health care and some training for good jobs in the future?
Make up your own mind and then call Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander and Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. Tell them your priorities for spending our money. Forget about cutting taxes. For every dime you collect, a dollar will disappear elsewhere.
Ten years not spent on Afghanistan will pay for half the cost of 10 years of national health insurance. Would you rather bail out more banks or invest those billions in job creation for people who will actually earn their money here and now.
Gene Bocknek
Andersonville
Puppy mill story
found appalling
I was appalled at reading the story on the puppy mill in Harriman.
What is wrong with the authorities that they had to go there a third time? There should never have been even a second time with what they found the first time. Those poor animals!
The operator needs to be shut down completely and never own another animal.
If the authorities are there for the animals, they are doing a bad job of things.
Deb Sperling
Sweetwater, Tenn.
Take a stand against
credit card greed
I think it's time for America to wake up and take a stand against credit card companies and the greed they represent.
I refer to the way they keep raising the finance charges to our accounts at their discretion, even when you have a perfect credit rating with them.
As long as we allow this to continue, there's no hope for America to ever overcome the bondage we have brought on ourselves by living beyond our means.
As soon as you receive notice of changes in your account, cancel the cards.
Pay them off as soon as possible.
Rip them up; return them; show them you won't be intimidated any longer.
Before credit cards, we had layaway plans. If we wanted something badly enough, we paid for it each pay day until it became ours - no hassle, no finance charges. Sometimes the old ways are best.
If America would take a stand and the banks and department stores that issue these cards faced bankruptcy for their greed, maybe they would think twice before they took advantage of us again.
Ella Mae Hood
Knoxville
Seniors deserve hike
in Social Security pay
I am one of those whiny senior citizens who doesn't get a raise this January.
Could you live on $1,000 a month and pay utilities, medicine, food, gas, insurance and mortgage?
Yes, we did get a raise, but the Medicare payment increase took it.
I have to pay the same for food, clothing, gas, etc., as the person who is making that much a week.
The $250 we got went for car insurance and other things. Yes, gas did go down, but it has gone up again.
As for those of us who don't have a car, we have to pay someone to take us anywhere, so, no, we are not getting a "freebie," as a letter writer called it.
I would like for you to try and walk in our shoes for a couple of months, and you wouldn't be calling us "whiny."
We have worked all our lives and put money into Social Security, so we are not getting anything that doesn't belong to us already.
Charlotte Branch
Seymour
Issue is the cross
on government land
In a letter to the editor Oct. 24, a writer suggested that we should boycott the Olympic Games because of the protest in this country of a cross on government land.
He suggests the protest is against the cross. The argument is not about the cross but where it was placed. Had it been a Star of David, it would have elicited the same response.
The cross being on government land crosses (pardon the pun) the boundary of "separation of church and state." The cross should not be erected on land of a national preserve.
Our Founding Fathers didn't want the government and religion to mix. This protects both parties.
The writer's remark about boycotting the Olympics because of the statue of Christ in Rio de Janerio is just silly and doesn't require a reply. He wants us to make decisions for another country. How arrogant!
It is frustrating that most people don't know the basis of our laws; yet without examining these laws, they make quick and uninformed decisions.
As an example, I have heard people complain that the accused are given too much latitude in their trials. Our laws were set up to protect the innocent, and whether we like it or not, a person is considered innocent until he or she is found guilty through an honest and impartial trial.
If a person doesn't like the laws as they are, then start a movement to change them. Independent opinions are just that - independent opinions.
On this, I support anyone's right to voice his or her thoughts as much as I have the right to dispute them.
James M. Cardwell
Lenoir City
House calls are OK
but won't be enough
I was very interested in the article in a recent Sunday edition about doctors who make house calls.
It sounds like an excellent idea, but the case of the woman who was found to have low blood potassium left me wondering why the emergency room doctors didn't test her for it.
If house calls became standard, how long would it be before equally poor or inexperienced doctors were given this job and their work deteriorated to the current level of emergency-room care?
I have a biased view of emergency room care based on my own experience. Recently I called 911 because I was too dizzy to risk standing up and since several close relatives have died following strokes. I was worried.
I was put in a cubicle and left for over two hours. At one point a very rushed young man in a white coat came in and talked to me for less than five minutes.
I'm not sure why he was so rushed since the emergency room was not busy. I was not given a CAT scan although I found later my insurance was billed for one. Then, when I was finally released, my diagnosis was headaches although I almost never get them and the young man never mentioned them.
Although I was at the hospital where my doctor works, the emergency room does not have access to my records. If I had had repeated TIAs or even a stroke I had recovered from, they would have had no way to know.
Just house calls are not enough, desirable though they may be.
Shirley E. Hastings
Knoxville
U.S. judicial system,
language needs change
The judicial system in this country is in desperate need of revision.
It is outrageous to refer to someone who was personally observed by dozens of individuals as he gunned down a group of unarmed soldiers as a suspect.
He is the perpetrator and should be referred to as such.
And what kind of justice is it when defense counsel at trial is allowed to denigrate the character of murder victims, while the prosecution is prohibited from introducing evidence of the accused's past record.
Yes, the system needs to be changed or else appropriately refer to it as the "criminal protection system."
William G. Phelps
Powell
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Argos Launches Financial Services Price Comparison Site
car insurance
Argos, the UK general merchandise retailer, today announced the launch of its new financial services price comparison website, Argos Compare.
At launch, the service will be the only comparison site offering cash-back on both home and car insurance.
The new service, Argos Compare, covers the full range of financial service products from car, home and travel insurance through mortgages, pensions and credit cards to utilities. Customers will get £30 worth of Argos vouchers with every car insurance purchase and £15 worth of Argos vouchers on home insurance purchases when they use the service.
The site will give visitors to the popular www.argos.co.uk homepage the opportunity to search for the best value financial services products on the market. The service compares more than 65 car insurance providers and more than 25 home insurance providers to bring consumers the best possible value.
Commenting on the launch, Greg Ball, MD of Argos Financial Services, said:
“Argos has always been focused on providing choice, convenience and value to our customers, and the launch of Argos Compare is another example of us delivering that.
“Argos.co.uk is the UK's leading high street internet website and that popularity means we can focus on providing the best possible deals for our consumers, rather than advertising it. The first of those offers is providing Argos vouchers to our car and home insurance customers, and is the first of a number of deals we will be offering. As the pure comparison sites have to continue to advertise, this means we will always offer better value to consumers and keep true to our brand proposition of 'helping you live for less'.”
Argos, the UK general merchandise retailer, today announced the launch of its new financial services price comparison website, Argos Compare.
At launch, the service will be the only comparison site offering cash-back on both home and car insurance.
The new service, Argos Compare, covers the full range of financial service products from car, home and travel insurance through mortgages, pensions and credit cards to utilities. Customers will get £30 worth of Argos vouchers with every car insurance purchase and £15 worth of Argos vouchers on home insurance purchases when they use the service.
The site will give visitors to the popular www.argos.co.uk homepage the opportunity to search for the best value financial services products on the market. The service compares more than 65 car insurance providers and more than 25 home insurance providers to bring consumers the best possible value.
Commenting on the launch, Greg Ball, MD of Argos Financial Services, said:
“Argos has always been focused on providing choice, convenience and value to our customers, and the launch of Argos Compare is another example of us delivering that.
“Argos.co.uk is the UK's leading high street internet website and that popularity means we can focus on providing the best possible deals for our consumers, rather than advertising it. The first of those offers is providing Argos vouchers to our car and home insurance customers, and is the first of a number of deals we will be offering. As the pure comparison sites have to continue to advertise, this means we will always offer better value to consumers and keep true to our brand proposition of 'helping you live for less'.”
Grassley Flips on Health Insurance Mandate
car insurance
Here’s Sen. Charles Grasssley (R-Iowa) in June, telling Fox News that requiring people to buy health insurance is a good idea, analogous to states requiring drivers to purchase car insurance:
There isn’t anything wrong with it, except some people look at it as an infringement upon individual freedom. But when it comes to states requiring it for automobile insurance, the principle then ought to lie the same way for health insurance, because everybody has some health insurance costs, and if you aren’t insured, there’s no free lunch. Somebody else is paying for it…. I believe that there is a bipartisan consensus to have individual mandates.
And here’s Grassley today, raising questions about the constitutionality of those individual mandates:
For the first time in a 225- year history of the country, the federal government says you have to buy something, and if you don’t buy it, you’re going to be paying $1,500 as a family to the IRS each time you file your income tax until you get at least a minimum insurance….
And the questions raised about that — and, of course, I’m not a constitutional lawyer and I don’t — haven’t studied the law. In fact, I doubt if there’s any cases that would apply to it right now that you could call precedent…. [But] you want to assume that Congress would not pass an unconstitutional law if they knew it was unconstitutional.
When a reporter asked specifically about the difference between a federal health insurance mandate and a state car insurance mandate, Grassley had a ready answer: the 10th Amendment.
The major difference would be the 10th Amendment and what the 10th Amendment says about our federal system of government. It says something like: anything that’s not specifically delegated to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people thereof — all those rights and powers….
So states, if they want to mandate you buy something, they can do it. But that doesn’t give the federal government the right to do it.
The next question was about $50 million in emergency aid the federal government recently showered on the nation’s pork farmers — half of the assistance Grassley had requested.
Here’s Sen. Charles Grasssley (R-Iowa) in June, telling Fox News that requiring people to buy health insurance is a good idea, analogous to states requiring drivers to purchase car insurance:
There isn’t anything wrong with it, except some people look at it as an infringement upon individual freedom. But when it comes to states requiring it for automobile insurance, the principle then ought to lie the same way for health insurance, because everybody has some health insurance costs, and if you aren’t insured, there’s no free lunch. Somebody else is paying for it…. I believe that there is a bipartisan consensus to have individual mandates.
And here’s Grassley today, raising questions about the constitutionality of those individual mandates:
For the first time in a 225- year history of the country, the federal government says you have to buy something, and if you don’t buy it, you’re going to be paying $1,500 as a family to the IRS each time you file your income tax until you get at least a minimum insurance….
And the questions raised about that — and, of course, I’m not a constitutional lawyer and I don’t — haven’t studied the law. In fact, I doubt if there’s any cases that would apply to it right now that you could call precedent…. [But] you want to assume that Congress would not pass an unconstitutional law if they knew it was unconstitutional.
When a reporter asked specifically about the difference between a federal health insurance mandate and a state car insurance mandate, Grassley had a ready answer: the 10th Amendment.
The major difference would be the 10th Amendment and what the 10th Amendment says about our federal system of government. It says something like: anything that’s not specifically delegated to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people thereof — all those rights and powers….
So states, if they want to mandate you buy something, they can do it. But that doesn’t give the federal government the right to do it.
The next question was about $50 million in emergency aid the federal government recently showered on the nation’s pork farmers — half of the assistance Grassley had requested.
Car Insurance Coverage Recommendations - A Few Facts to Help You Decide
car insurance
If you are a vehicle owner, you no doubt realize the risk of driving without car insurance. In the USA it is compulsory for car owners to at least have some basic form of car insurance. Many other countries do not have the same requirements, but that does not mean that driving without insurance is ever a good thing. There are a number of options available, and below we will make a few car insurance coverage recommendations, which should help you decide on which type of policy is the right one for you.
Fully comprehensive car insurance
This kind of insurance will cost more than any of the others, but it also gives the best protection. It is the only type of policy you will be allowed to sign up for if you buy a vehicle which is financed by a finance company. To protect themselves they will require you to sign up for a fully comprehensive policy.
You'll be covered against accidents caused both by yourself and by other drivers. You'll also be covered should your car be stolen, or burns out (not if you set it alight though!).
If you therefore have a reasonably new vehicle, or even an older vehicle but you have no money to replace it if it should be destroyed in an accident, this is the best kind of car insurance for you.
Third party, fire and theft insurance
Policies in this category will pay out if your car should be stolen, if it is damaged or destroyed by fire, or if you cause an accident by driving into somebody else's car.
It is important to note that it will only pay out if you are the guilty party. If somebody else collides with your vehicle, you are not covered. Also: there has to be another car involved. The insurance carrier won't pay out if you drive into a concrete wall.
This type of policy will suit you if you have an older car, but still drive a lot. The risk of hitting somebody else's car is therefore quite high. Although your car might be old, the other car might be new and expensive and you could end up having to pay a large amount in damages.
Third party insurance
This policy is the most affordable type of auto insurance. It will cover you in all the situations set out under third party, fire and theft insurance above, except it doesn't cover fire and theft.
You should consider this kind of insurance if you drive an older vehicle, but you live in an area where the risk of theft and fire is very low. An example is a small country town. Your policy will still pay out if you go for a Sunday drive, and you accidentally hit the very expensive car of a city slicker out for a drive with his luxury BMW.
The potential benefits of such a policy far outweigh the cost of the monthly premiums.
Our car insurance coverage recommendations above only serve as an introduction. You should do an in-depth study of the subject and you own needs before proceeding.
If you are a vehicle owner, you no doubt realize the risk of driving without car insurance. In the USA it is compulsory for car owners to at least have some basic form of car insurance. Many other countries do not have the same requirements, but that does not mean that driving without insurance is ever a good thing. There are a number of options available, and below we will make a few car insurance coverage recommendations, which should help you decide on which type of policy is the right one for you.
Fully comprehensive car insurance
This kind of insurance will cost more than any of the others, but it also gives the best protection. It is the only type of policy you will be allowed to sign up for if you buy a vehicle which is financed by a finance company. To protect themselves they will require you to sign up for a fully comprehensive policy.
You'll be covered against accidents caused both by yourself and by other drivers. You'll also be covered should your car be stolen, or burns out (not if you set it alight though!).
If you therefore have a reasonably new vehicle, or even an older vehicle but you have no money to replace it if it should be destroyed in an accident, this is the best kind of car insurance for you.
Third party, fire and theft insurance
Policies in this category will pay out if your car should be stolen, if it is damaged or destroyed by fire, or if you cause an accident by driving into somebody else's car.
It is important to note that it will only pay out if you are the guilty party. If somebody else collides with your vehicle, you are not covered. Also: there has to be another car involved. The insurance carrier won't pay out if you drive into a concrete wall.
This type of policy will suit you if you have an older car, but still drive a lot. The risk of hitting somebody else's car is therefore quite high. Although your car might be old, the other car might be new and expensive and you could end up having to pay a large amount in damages.
Third party insurance
This policy is the most affordable type of auto insurance. It will cover you in all the situations set out under third party, fire and theft insurance above, except it doesn't cover fire and theft.
You should consider this kind of insurance if you drive an older vehicle, but you live in an area where the risk of theft and fire is very low. An example is a small country town. Your policy will still pay out if you go for a Sunday drive, and you accidentally hit the very expensive car of a city slicker out for a drive with his luxury BMW.
The potential benefits of such a policy far outweigh the cost of the monthly premiums.
Our car insurance coverage recommendations above only serve as an introduction. You should do an in-depth study of the subject and you own needs before proceeding.
National Survey Finds Many Consumers Missing Out on Insurance Discounts
car insurance
Trusted Choice(r) recommends consumers maximize little-known discounts to 'nickel and dime' their way to big savings.
Alexandria, VA, Nov. 12, 2009 -As millions of Americans look for ways to stretch their budgets to survive these tough economic times, too many are not utilizing all of the discounts that may be available to them in their homeowner and auto insurance, according to a new national survey conducted for Trusted Choice(r) and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big "I").
The survey asked home and auto owners if they believed they are taking full advantage of all the discounts they qualified for on their homeowners and auto insurance policies. More than 34% of respondents, representing 53 million households, admitted they are probably not taking advantage of all homeowners insurance discounts or said that they simply didn't know. Regarding auto coverage, more than 20% of car owners either didn't know or said they were not maximizing all the car insurance discounts available to them.
"The latest survey shows what we suspected: many Americans could be foolishly throwing money away because they fail to ask about insurance discounts for which they may qualify," says Madelyn Flannagan, Big "I" vice president of agent development, education and research. "Companies often offer some unique, regional, very specific and, at times, quirky discounts. In these economic times, every dollar counts-some consumers may be able to nickel and dime their way to big savings."
And those who stand to benefit most from the discounts are often those who aren't taking advantage of them: nearly 38% of respondents with a household income of less than $25,000 said they weren't taking advantage of all possible homeowners discounts or said they didn't know.
The survey also found that the largest percentage of respondents, about 26%, estimated they save 6-10% on their insurance premiums by using discounts. In reality, many consumers could be saving significantly more-as much as 30%.
"One of the biggest advantages to using an independent insurance agent is that they can explore the various companies and find the best possible coverage for each individual family or business," says Robert A. Rusbuldt, Big "I" president & CEO. "Finding specific discounts can be time-consuming and confusing, so we advise consumers to consult with their Trusted Choice(r) independent insurance agent and ask questions."
HOME INSURANCE
The Big "I" and Trusted Choice offer the following tips that may lead to substantial homeowners insurance savings.
* LIFE IN A GATED COMMUNITY? Some homeowners are entitled to gated community discounts.
* WHAT'S YOUR HOUSE WEARING? Some insurers give hail resistant roof discounts for Class 4 roofs and credits can be sizeable in some territories.
* "EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN:" Some companies are coming out with new rating models that are oriented toward offering lower rates to new customers. Sometimes, a customer can even save money by applying for a new policy with the same company.
* 'FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE' MAY ALSO APPLY TO YOUR CREDIT SCORE: For married couples, sometimes one person will have a better credit score than the other. Since some companies will use the score of the first person named on the application, putting the spouse with the best credit score on first can result in a lower rate.
* GOT NEW WIRES? Depending on the age of newer electrical wiring in your home, you may qualify for an age of wiring discount.
* HAS IT REALLY BEEN 10 YEARS? If you have not filed any home insurance claims in the last 10 years, ask about a discount. "Claims-free" homeowners can often save up to 20%.
AUTO INSURANCE
The Big "I" and Trusted Choice provide the following tips and considerations that may lead to big auto insurance savings.
* IS YOUR TEEN A SCOUT? Some insurers give credits to young drivers who are involved in organizations such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.
* WHAT'S YOUR ALMA MATER? At least one insurer gives a 5% credit if a driver is a graduate of a university on the company's approved list.
* DO YOU HAVE A COMPANY CAR? Many carriers will give a multi-car discount to consumers who have a company car even if they only own one personal vehicle.
* HAVE YOU BEEN WIDOWED? Some insurers give "married" discounts to widows and widowers.
* ARE YOU SHOPPING FOR NEW WHEELS? Before you buy a car, make a short list of the ones you're considering and ask your agent to estimate the difference in insurance premiums. The difference could save you thousands of dollars.
* ARE YOU A GREEN COMMUTER? Consider car pooling to reduce your commute frequency and ask your agent if that will impact your auto premium. In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, you may also be fattening your wallet.
* HOW YOUNG ARE YOU? In some states, if you're 55 or older, and you're the principal driver of your insured car, you could save on your premiums by taking an approved defensive driving class.
* GOT A TRACTOR? If you're a full-time farmer or rancher, and you're insuring a farm or ranch vehicle used exclusively for work on your property, a farm vehicle bonus could help keep your costs down.
MORE WELL-KNOWN DISCOUNTS:
While there are plenty of quirky discounts your independent agent can investigate, there are many 'tried and true' discounts that many, but not all, insurance consumers know.
* UNEMPLOYED? People who are out of work should qualify for a low-mileage discount or lower rating factor that can save 5-10% on their auto premium.
* MULTIPLE POLICIES? If you have property insurance with ONE company, you may qualify for a multiple policy discount to lower both your auto and your home insurance premiums by as much as 10-15%.
* SOUND THE ALARMS! Alarm credits are often available if your home is equipped with two or more of the following: fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinklers, deadbolt locks and a burglar alarm. Savings can be up to 15%. (Criteria vary in some states. An agent can help determine what applies in your area.)
* ACCIDENT-FREE FOR THREE YEARS? If you've been safe on the road and accident-free for the past three years, and you haven't received any moving violations, you might qualify for a good record discount. To be eligible, you and all additional drivers also need to have carried continuous, standard automobile liability insurance during those same three years. If you're a new driver and received your license within the past three years, you, too, could be eligible. Just make sure you meet the above qualifications from the date your license was issued.
* DOES YOUR CAR HAVE SAFETY FEATURES? Auto insurance discounts apply in many states, if your car comes equipped with approved anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes, and/or passive restraint systems such as airbags.
The survey was conducted for Trusted Choice(r) via telephone by International Communications Research (ICR); an independent research company in Media, Pa. Interviews of a nationally representative sample of 1058 U.S. households were conducted in Oct. 28 - Nov. 1, 2009. More information about ICR can be obtained at http://www.icrsurvey.com.
For more information on the survey results or to request an interview with a national spokesperson or local insurance agent in your area, please contact Sue Nester (broadcast), (703) 706-5448, susan.nester@iiaba.net or Margarita Tapia (print) at (703) 706-5374, margarita.tapia@iiaba.net.
Trusted Choice(r) agencies are insurance and financial services firms. They represent multiple insurance companies, offering individuals and business owners a variety of coverage choices, customized insurance plans to meet specialized needs as well as advocacy support. These firms adhere to a pledge of performance, committing them to providing excellent customer service. Go to www.TrustedChoice.com and click on "Find a Trusted Choice(r) Agent" on the homepage to locate the right agency for your needs.
Founded in 1896, the Big "I" is the nation's oldest and largest national association of independe
Trusted Choice(r) recommends consumers maximize little-known discounts to 'nickel and dime' their way to big savings.
Alexandria, VA, Nov. 12, 2009 -As millions of Americans look for ways to stretch their budgets to survive these tough economic times, too many are not utilizing all of the discounts that may be available to them in their homeowner and auto insurance, according to a new national survey conducted for Trusted Choice(r) and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big "I").
The survey asked home and auto owners if they believed they are taking full advantage of all the discounts they qualified for on their homeowners and auto insurance policies. More than 34% of respondents, representing 53 million households, admitted they are probably not taking advantage of all homeowners insurance discounts or said that they simply didn't know. Regarding auto coverage, more than 20% of car owners either didn't know or said they were not maximizing all the car insurance discounts available to them.
"The latest survey shows what we suspected: many Americans could be foolishly throwing money away because they fail to ask about insurance discounts for which they may qualify," says Madelyn Flannagan, Big "I" vice president of agent development, education and research. "Companies often offer some unique, regional, very specific and, at times, quirky discounts. In these economic times, every dollar counts-some consumers may be able to nickel and dime their way to big savings."
And those who stand to benefit most from the discounts are often those who aren't taking advantage of them: nearly 38% of respondents with a household income of less than $25,000 said they weren't taking advantage of all possible homeowners discounts or said they didn't know.
The survey also found that the largest percentage of respondents, about 26%, estimated they save 6-10% on their insurance premiums by using discounts. In reality, many consumers could be saving significantly more-as much as 30%.
"One of the biggest advantages to using an independent insurance agent is that they can explore the various companies and find the best possible coverage for each individual family or business," says Robert A. Rusbuldt, Big "I" president & CEO. "Finding specific discounts can be time-consuming and confusing, so we advise consumers to consult with their Trusted Choice(r) independent insurance agent and ask questions."
HOME INSURANCE
The Big "I" and Trusted Choice offer the following tips that may lead to substantial homeowners insurance savings.
* LIFE IN A GATED COMMUNITY? Some homeowners are entitled to gated community discounts.
* WHAT'S YOUR HOUSE WEARING? Some insurers give hail resistant roof discounts for Class 4 roofs and credits can be sizeable in some territories.
* "EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN:" Some companies are coming out with new rating models that are oriented toward offering lower rates to new customers. Sometimes, a customer can even save money by applying for a new policy with the same company.
* 'FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE' MAY ALSO APPLY TO YOUR CREDIT SCORE: For married couples, sometimes one person will have a better credit score than the other. Since some companies will use the score of the first person named on the application, putting the spouse with the best credit score on first can result in a lower rate.
* GOT NEW WIRES? Depending on the age of newer electrical wiring in your home, you may qualify for an age of wiring discount.
* HAS IT REALLY BEEN 10 YEARS? If you have not filed any home insurance claims in the last 10 years, ask about a discount. "Claims-free" homeowners can often save up to 20%.
AUTO INSURANCE
The Big "I" and Trusted Choice provide the following tips and considerations that may lead to big auto insurance savings.
* IS YOUR TEEN A SCOUT? Some insurers give credits to young drivers who are involved in organizations such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.
* WHAT'S YOUR ALMA MATER? At least one insurer gives a 5% credit if a driver is a graduate of a university on the company's approved list.
* DO YOU HAVE A COMPANY CAR? Many carriers will give a multi-car discount to consumers who have a company car even if they only own one personal vehicle.
* HAVE YOU BEEN WIDOWED? Some insurers give "married" discounts to widows and widowers.
* ARE YOU SHOPPING FOR NEW WHEELS? Before you buy a car, make a short list of the ones you're considering and ask your agent to estimate the difference in insurance premiums. The difference could save you thousands of dollars.
* ARE YOU A GREEN COMMUTER? Consider car pooling to reduce your commute frequency and ask your agent if that will impact your auto premium. In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, you may also be fattening your wallet.
* HOW YOUNG ARE YOU? In some states, if you're 55 or older, and you're the principal driver of your insured car, you could save on your premiums by taking an approved defensive driving class.
* GOT A TRACTOR? If you're a full-time farmer or rancher, and you're insuring a farm or ranch vehicle used exclusively for work on your property, a farm vehicle bonus could help keep your costs down.
MORE WELL-KNOWN DISCOUNTS:
While there are plenty of quirky discounts your independent agent can investigate, there are many 'tried and true' discounts that many, but not all, insurance consumers know.
* UNEMPLOYED? People who are out of work should qualify for a low-mileage discount or lower rating factor that can save 5-10% on their auto premium.
* MULTIPLE POLICIES? If you have property insurance with ONE company, you may qualify for a multiple policy discount to lower both your auto and your home insurance premiums by as much as 10-15%.
* SOUND THE ALARMS! Alarm credits are often available if your home is equipped with two or more of the following: fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinklers, deadbolt locks and a burglar alarm. Savings can be up to 15%. (Criteria vary in some states. An agent can help determine what applies in your area.)
* ACCIDENT-FREE FOR THREE YEARS? If you've been safe on the road and accident-free for the past three years, and you haven't received any moving violations, you might qualify for a good record discount. To be eligible, you and all additional drivers also need to have carried continuous, standard automobile liability insurance during those same three years. If you're a new driver and received your license within the past three years, you, too, could be eligible. Just make sure you meet the above qualifications from the date your license was issued.
* DOES YOUR CAR HAVE SAFETY FEATURES? Auto insurance discounts apply in many states, if your car comes equipped with approved anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes, and/or passive restraint systems such as airbags.
The survey was conducted for Trusted Choice(r) via telephone by International Communications Research (ICR); an independent research company in Media, Pa. Interviews of a nationally representative sample of 1058 U.S. households were conducted in Oct. 28 - Nov. 1, 2009. More information about ICR can be obtained at http://www.icrsurvey.com.
For more information on the survey results or to request an interview with a national spokesperson or local insurance agent in your area, please contact Sue Nester (broadcast), (703) 706-5448, susan.nester@iiaba.net or Margarita Tapia (print) at (703) 706-5374, margarita.tapia@iiaba.net.
Trusted Choice(r) agencies are insurance and financial services firms. They represent multiple insurance companies, offering individuals and business owners a variety of coverage choices, customized insurance plans to meet specialized needs as well as advocacy support. These firms adhere to a pledge of performance, committing them to providing excellent customer service. Go to www.TrustedChoice.com and click on "Find a Trusted Choice(r) Agent" on the homepage to locate the right agency for your needs.
Founded in 1896, the Big "I" is the nation's oldest and largest national association of independe
Have you heard? Kwik Fit Insurance is recruiting
car insurance
It’s really a great news after long days and is definitely the indication of gradual refurbishment of the fiscal scenario worldwide. What is the news then? Kwik Fit Insurance, as per its own assertion, is on a recruitment drive; this is taking place at its Uddingston based contact centre and there has already been the creation of 84 new positions.
Speaking on this Brendan Devine, group managing director of Kwik Fit Financial Services, said: “We’re looking at a number of opportunities for us to grow our business and we need to ensure we recruit good people who will help us to achieve this.” “This is a really exciting time for everyone at Kwik Fit Insurance as we aim to strengthen our position in the UK insurance market. We’re growing our policy numbers year on year and we want to maintain that momentum by adding to the great team we already have.”
Kwik Fit happens to be a renowned British car servicing and repair company and had its commencement in 1971. However, in response to customer demand, Kwik Fit Insurance, part of Kwik Fit Financial Services, was formed in 1995 and has grown to become one of the UK’s leading car insurance distributors.
There is almost not any doubt that car insurance is the core business of Kwik Fit Insurance but the company has added time and again to its stable in recent years and can now boast a strong home insurance book, an extensive range of additional car insurance products alongside van, motorbike, pet and travel insurance. Kwik Fit Insurance was recently placed 17th in the Sunday Times \'Best Companies to Work for\' list for 2009.
Over the years, the conciliator has been recognized all over the business community with success at the National Business Awards, British Insurance Awards, Insurance Times Awards, National Training Awards, Customer Contact Association Excellence Awards and the Contact Centre Innovation Awards.
It’s really a great news after long days and is definitely the indication of gradual refurbishment of the fiscal scenario worldwide. What is the news then? Kwik Fit Insurance, as per its own assertion, is on a recruitment drive; this is taking place at its Uddingston based contact centre and there has already been the creation of 84 new positions.
Speaking on this Brendan Devine, group managing director of Kwik Fit Financial Services, said: “We’re looking at a number of opportunities for us to grow our business and we need to ensure we recruit good people who will help us to achieve this.” “This is a really exciting time for everyone at Kwik Fit Insurance as we aim to strengthen our position in the UK insurance market. We’re growing our policy numbers year on year and we want to maintain that momentum by adding to the great team we already have.”
Kwik Fit happens to be a renowned British car servicing and repair company and had its commencement in 1971. However, in response to customer demand, Kwik Fit Insurance, part of Kwik Fit Financial Services, was formed in 1995 and has grown to become one of the UK’s leading car insurance distributors.
There is almost not any doubt that car insurance is the core business of Kwik Fit Insurance but the company has added time and again to its stable in recent years and can now boast a strong home insurance book, an extensive range of additional car insurance products alongside van, motorbike, pet and travel insurance. Kwik Fit Insurance was recently placed 17th in the Sunday Times \'Best Companies to Work for\' list for 2009.
Over the years, the conciliator has been recognized all over the business community with success at the National Business Awards, British Insurance Awards, Insurance Times Awards, National Training Awards, Customer Contact Association Excellence Awards and the Contact Centre Innovation Awards.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
‘Curfew’ car insurance aids young drivers
car insurance
A new car insurance policy for drivers aged under 26 has been launched . The policy will give young motorists a discount off their premium of up to 40% if they don’t drive between 11pm and 5am.
Young drivers who want to take advantage of the discount offered by RSA Insurance through Welsh broker Motaquote must have a device installed to their car to ensure they comply with the curfew. The i-kube is a global positioning system (GPS), which monitors when the car is driven.
Protection for young drivers
According to Brake, the road safety campaigner, road traffic accidents are the number one killer of young people.
Nigel Lombard, managing director of Motaquote, said: ‘Young drivers remain in the age group with the highest proportion of insurance claims, road crashes and fatalities on our roads. As we go into the darker winter months, it is even more important to highlight these dangers.’
Which? car insurance expert Dan Moore said: ‘One in five young people drive without insurance, partly because it is so expensive. Innovative policies such as this will hopefully go some way to reducing the number of uninsured motorists in the roads, and keep more your motorists safe.’
To read more about how to get the best car insurance policy, visit our website.
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Which? Money Email
Subscribe to the Which? Money Email for independently reviewed Best Buys and impartial expert advice plus the latest money news and money saving tips.
A new car insurance policy for drivers aged under 26 has been launched . The policy will give young motorists a discount off their premium of up to 40% if they don’t drive between 11pm and 5am.
Young drivers who want to take advantage of the discount offered by RSA Insurance through Welsh broker Motaquote must have a device installed to their car to ensure they comply with the curfew. The i-kube is a global positioning system (GPS), which monitors when the car is driven.
Protection for young drivers
According to Brake, the road safety campaigner, road traffic accidents are the number one killer of young people.
Nigel Lombard, managing director of Motaquote, said: ‘Young drivers remain in the age group with the highest proportion of insurance claims, road crashes and fatalities on our roads. As we go into the darker winter months, it is even more important to highlight these dangers.’
Which? car insurance expert Dan Moore said: ‘One in five young people drive without insurance, partly because it is so expensive. Innovative policies such as this will hopefully go some way to reducing the number of uninsured motorists in the roads, and keep more your motorists safe.’
To read more about how to get the best car insurance policy, visit our website.
pound coins
Which? Money Email
Subscribe to the Which? Money Email for independently reviewed Best Buys and impartial expert advice plus the latest money news and money saving tips.
How to Drive Like the MAD MEN: Top 10 Cars of the MAD MEN Era
car insurance
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its premiere in 2007, the popular AMC show "MAD MEN" has renewed an interest in the sophisticated lifestyle of the early 1960s. For professionals of this era, the ultimate sign of success was a new car.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091111/LA09314)
Hagerty, the country's leading provider of collector car insurance, has put together its picks of the collector cars that the most powerful and influential professionals of the MAD MEN era would have driven.
"Collector cars are a unique way to show off your sense of style and express your personality," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. "The early '60s especially were an era when quality products and cutting-edge design still ruled in America. The ten cars on our list are great examples of the understated and sophisticated design style of this period, and their solid value today makes them a smart way to capture the essence of MAD MEN era."
Below are Hagerty's picks of "How to Drive like the MAD MEN: Top 10 Cars of the MAD MEN Era." The leading collectible car price guide, Hagerty's Cars that Matter, has determined approximately what each vehicle is valued at today.
1. 1963 Buick Riviera ($28,000-$36,100): When Cadillac decided against producing the Riviera, Buick enlisted McCann Erickson ad agency to convince GM brass that the car should be a Buick. GM styling chief Bill Mitchell drew inspiration from Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. Owners knew the value of a powerful, yet beautifully understated car with plenty of room for the mistress and weekend's luggage. And the iconic 1963 Riviera certainly filled the bill.
2. 1963 Corvette Sting Ray ($61,000-$74,000): The 1963 Corvette was perhaps the last truly elegant Corvette before the muscle car era arrived with all its ducts and scoops. A man could "expect a subtle, extra measure of attention and respect" by arriving in such a potent machine.
3. 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird ($35,000-$45,000): With the 1955 Thunderbird, Ford introduced Americans to the concept of a personal luxury car. By the early sixties, the boys from Dearborn had perfected the notion. Big power, big comfort, "suddenly, you're in Thunderbird Country."
4. 1961-63 Lincoln Continental Sedan ($18,000-$24,000): Conceived just before the beginning of the design-by-committee era, Elwood Engel's magnum opus was the last mass-produced automobile to be designed by a single man. A 1963 print ad showed the Continental, with doors open in welcome. Below, the tagline stated: "For 1963, we have enlarged your private world and provided you with added power."
5. 1961 Chrysler 300G ($59,000-$67,000): The G's styling was unabashedly 50's. But with up to 400 horsepower available and one of the best suspension and brake packages available, the big Chrysler was more than met the eye. Though outwardly traditional, its looks concealed inner fury.
6. 1963 Studebaker Avanti ($23,000-$31,000): Studebaker was among the last of America's independent automakers. Styled by a team led by famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, the Avanti was Studebaker's last gasp. A Hail Mary Pass of a European-style GT, the Avanti was a lasting icon of an era when the fiercely independent were heroes. While Studebaker succumbed to a creeping death, Avanti production continued into the 1980s.
7. 1962-63 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ($14,000-$20,000): No list of great 1960s cars is complete without a Cadillac. The Coupe De Ville was a neon sign announcing the "arrival" of a top executive. Young businessmen did not want or even yearn for a new Cadillac, they aspired to one.
8. 1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk ($27,000-$32,000): Although Studebaker went out of business in 1966, it wasn't because their products lacked style. The GT Hawk was fast, elegant, and understated. Though larger and more staid than its Avanti stable mate, the Hawk was still a bold statement of independence.
9. 1963 Buick Electra 225 ($13,000-$19,000): Though it was built by GM's "near luxury" division, the Electra 225 carried plenty of prestige. Four vents on each front fender indicated Buick's largest available engine and the big 401 cubic-inch V8 provided enough power to make even Cadillac owners think twice. Though not as flashy as the Cadillac, the Buick was grace and style made manifest.
10. 1963 Ford Galaxie XL Convertible ($31,000-$36,000): If the world or even the solar system simply wasn't big enough, there was the Galaxie. With a whopping 119" wheelbase the Galaxie convertible wasn't a car you wanted to parallel park in Manhattan. Which is why the French invented valet parking. True story, sweetheart.
Hagerty Insurance Agency, Inc. is the leading insurance agency for collector vehicles in the world and host to the largest network of collector car owners. Hagerty offers insurance for collector cars, motorcycles and motorcycle safety equipment, tractors, automotive tools and spare parts, and even "automobilia" (any historic or collectible item linked with motor vehicles). Hagerty also offers overseas shipping/touring insurance coverage, commercial coverage and club liability coverage. For more information, call (800) 922-4050 or visit www.hagerty.com.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its premiere in 2007, the popular AMC show "MAD MEN" has renewed an interest in the sophisticated lifestyle of the early 1960s. For professionals of this era, the ultimate sign of success was a new car.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091111/LA09314)
Hagerty, the country's leading provider of collector car insurance, has put together its picks of the collector cars that the most powerful and influential professionals of the MAD MEN era would have driven.
"Collector cars are a unique way to show off your sense of style and express your personality," said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. "The early '60s especially were an era when quality products and cutting-edge design still ruled in America. The ten cars on our list are great examples of the understated and sophisticated design style of this period, and their solid value today makes them a smart way to capture the essence of MAD MEN era."
Below are Hagerty's picks of "How to Drive like the MAD MEN: Top 10 Cars of the MAD MEN Era." The leading collectible car price guide, Hagerty's Cars that Matter, has determined approximately what each vehicle is valued at today.
1. 1963 Buick Riviera ($28,000-$36,100): When Cadillac decided against producing the Riviera, Buick enlisted McCann Erickson ad agency to convince GM brass that the car should be a Buick. GM styling chief Bill Mitchell drew inspiration from Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. Owners knew the value of a powerful, yet beautifully understated car with plenty of room for the mistress and weekend's luggage. And the iconic 1963 Riviera certainly filled the bill.
2. 1963 Corvette Sting Ray ($61,000-$74,000): The 1963 Corvette was perhaps the last truly elegant Corvette before the muscle car era arrived with all its ducts and scoops. A man could "expect a subtle, extra measure of attention and respect" by arriving in such a potent machine.
3. 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird ($35,000-$45,000): With the 1955 Thunderbird, Ford introduced Americans to the concept of a personal luxury car. By the early sixties, the boys from Dearborn had perfected the notion. Big power, big comfort, "suddenly, you're in Thunderbird Country."
4. 1961-63 Lincoln Continental Sedan ($18,000-$24,000): Conceived just before the beginning of the design-by-committee era, Elwood Engel's magnum opus was the last mass-produced automobile to be designed by a single man. A 1963 print ad showed the Continental, with doors open in welcome. Below, the tagline stated: "For 1963, we have enlarged your private world and provided you with added power."
5. 1961 Chrysler 300G ($59,000-$67,000): The G's styling was unabashedly 50's. But with up to 400 horsepower available and one of the best suspension and brake packages available, the big Chrysler was more than met the eye. Though outwardly traditional, its looks concealed inner fury.
6. 1963 Studebaker Avanti ($23,000-$31,000): Studebaker was among the last of America's independent automakers. Styled by a team led by famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy, the Avanti was Studebaker's last gasp. A Hail Mary Pass of a European-style GT, the Avanti was a lasting icon of an era when the fiercely independent were heroes. While Studebaker succumbed to a creeping death, Avanti production continued into the 1980s.
7. 1962-63 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ($14,000-$20,000): No list of great 1960s cars is complete without a Cadillac. The Coupe De Ville was a neon sign announcing the "arrival" of a top executive. Young businessmen did not want or even yearn for a new Cadillac, they aspired to one.
8. 1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk ($27,000-$32,000): Although Studebaker went out of business in 1966, it wasn't because their products lacked style. The GT Hawk was fast, elegant, and understated. Though larger and more staid than its Avanti stable mate, the Hawk was still a bold statement of independence.
9. 1963 Buick Electra 225 ($13,000-$19,000): Though it was built by GM's "near luxury" division, the Electra 225 carried plenty of prestige. Four vents on each front fender indicated Buick's largest available engine and the big 401 cubic-inch V8 provided enough power to make even Cadillac owners think twice. Though not as flashy as the Cadillac, the Buick was grace and style made manifest.
10. 1963 Ford Galaxie XL Convertible ($31,000-$36,000): If the world or even the solar system simply wasn't big enough, there was the Galaxie. With a whopping 119" wheelbase the Galaxie convertible wasn't a car you wanted to parallel park in Manhattan. Which is why the French invented valet parking. True story, sweetheart.
Hagerty Insurance Agency, Inc. is the leading insurance agency for collector vehicles in the world and host to the largest network of collector car owners. Hagerty offers insurance for collector cars, motorcycles and motorcycle safety equipment, tractors, automotive tools and spare parts, and even "automobilia" (any historic or collectible item linked with motor vehicles). Hagerty also offers overseas shipping/touring insurance coverage, commercial coverage and club liability coverage. For more information, call (800) 922-4050 or visit www.hagerty.com.
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