We just received our notice of the increase in our auto insurance bill.
Thank you Mr. Doyle and the legislature of WI. How would I have lived without the opportunity to pay more for auto insurance?
I can certainly see how spending that much more on auto insurance will improve our lives. Just think of the alcohol I'll no longer to be able to afford-oh wait I'm a teetotaller. Well surely quitting smoking because I can no longer afford the cigarettes will be a benefit-except I've never smoked. Hmmm. Well how will I have to modify my life in order that I can still afford to drive in the state if WI? Looks like food, shelter and clothing will have to go.
We'll have that much less with which to help our child through college too. Oh wait, that's not a problem because my child might not be able to get into college since he's not an illegal alien and the budget expanded the competition to get into college by granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens and their children. And since illegal aliens don't have to pay taxes, I'll bet they will be able to take full advantage of that benefit.
But at least we'll all be safer on WI roads-right? After all, think of all those folks who will now be driving without insurance. Yes, thank you Mr. Doyle and WI legislature for turning otherwise reasonably honest, law-abiding folks who were just barely making ends meet into criminals who can no longer afford auto insurance. I hope you thought of that when looking at prison budgets.
But hey, think of all the carbon that won't be emitted when the determinedly law-abiding folks who can no longer afford insurance stop driving, because driving is a luxury activity-right? It's not like folks have to drive to get to work in my neck of the woods or anything. Why the 20 mile hike to work should just serve as an invigorating start to the day. The 20 mile hike home? Just an opportunity to reflect on the day's challenges. Making those hikes in winter? An opportunity to appreciate nature's glorious blizzards and snowstorms first hand. At least, no longer having to pay for auto insurance at all should provide them with enough money to purchase good quality winter outerwear.
My mother, who is living on a fixed income, thanks you too, as she believes that, when she gets her notice, her auto insurance will cost at least twice as much as previously.
Why my heart just expands with "appreciation" for the wise decision of the WI legislature in approving that monstrosity when I think of my mother negotiating icy streets with her cane because she can't afford the gas to drive after paying for her auto insurance.
Why were these changes to auto insurance included in the budget? Why were these change even necessary? The only explanation I've heard offered was that it was a payback to the trial lawyers, who funded a goodly portion of Mr. Doyle's election campaign.
I'm open to hearing any other explanations as to why this would be necessary and why, if necessary, it should've been included in the state's budget rather than debated on it's own merits. I won't be holding my breath, but I will be looking at how I can help to replace all those legislators who voted in favor of this budget as the elections approach.
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. " ~Acts 17:30-31
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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11 comments:
It's bad enough when a tax system encourages people to cheat, but when it forces them to cheat as a matter of survival, well, then you got problems bub.
Yup. It's getting ugly up here.
"Doyled" again. At least, he's not running again. Too bad we can't run him out of the office before his term is up, though.
Unfortunately, the liberals in power WANT people to be strapped so the gov. can "come to the rescue" and gain dependents. It is a vicious cycle, too, because when we cannot afford stuff, business (and jobs) will languish and die.
"Doyled again" indeed.
While there is no defense for Mr. Doyle's last "budget", we have to remember that the legislature approved it!
One would have thought they might have read the thing, had a good laugh and said "No, really, where's the budget?", but instead they actually approved it.
It's as though the swampy air from the People's Republik of Madison has caused some sort of brain damage that affects the ability of ordinary people to reason.
Oh, no, Mom, I do not forget the legislature. Something in the air or water... Next thing you know they'll be talking about "pumpkin rights" in Wisconsin and tax our fall jackolanterns out the wazoo.
If you'd like a little comic relief, you can read more about this "level orange" threat at my new blog:
http://hooeyexpress.blogspot.com
Mom, I seem to have missed something here. How does the matter of setting auto insurance rates become a state budget item? Auto insurance is not supposed to be either an income or expense item to the state, is it? If the state is not buying or selling insurance, then I cannot see how setting insurance rates becomes a budget matter at all.
Dr. D.,
Setting auto insurance rates is not a state decision, at least not directly. However, What Mr. Doyle proposed in the budget, and the legislature passed, were changes to the law that caused the insurance companies to raise their rates for most people.
They mandated, first of all, that one must have insurance to drive in WI. Before this budget, you simply had to be willing and able to pay an amount equal to the state minimum for the damages from an accident and insurance coverage was not mandatory. After all, if you can pay the mandatory minimum amount in damages that would be covered by insurance out of your pocket and wanted to take that risk, how does that penalize the possible victims of your bad driving? Now one must have insurance to drive in WI.
In addition to making insurance mandatory, this budget raised the minimum coverage by about 300%, thus causing an increase to the cost of insurance coverage if you didn't have that amount already, as many folks, especially those on fixed incomes did not.
There was also an attempt to fiddle with the liability numbers in the state law. (Mr. Doyle included a provision for changing the liability laws from those where one was only financially liable for an accident if you could be shown to be 51% or more responsible for that accident to 1%, but it was removed.)
How any of these items belong in a state budget any more than the many other policy items that were included is beyond me.
Mom, the good side of such a law, if it were ever properly enforced, would be that it would provide grounds for removing practically all illegal aliens from the roads when ever they are stopped. When asked for evidence of insurance, the will almost all fail to have it, and could then be removed from the roads. Would that ever happen in bleeding heart Wisconsin? I think not! More likely it will be followed by a bill to provided free, publicly paid auto insurance for illegal aliens. It makes just as much sense as in-state tuition, maybe more because it protects other citizens against loss. Wisconsin is truly a wonder land!
By the way, Iowa is not much better!
Dr. D.
You are inflicted with entirely too much common sense, poor man.
Discover illegal aliens through a traffic stop? We can't be having with that. No, also included in the budget(yes, in the budget!)was a provision that prohibits law enforcement from following up on information gleaned during a traffic stop. You know, information like the driver has one of those driver's cards (for illegal aliens who cannot obtain a regular license - also a provision in the budget)instead of a regular WI driver's license?
We'll be having none of that common sense stuff here in Wisconsin, that's for hard-working red-necked hicks, not enlightened people.
(Apparently enlightened people cannot use a dictionary to find the difference between the words "budget" and "policy".) I would laugh, but stuff like this is only funny when it's not true.
Mom, I think my problem is that I grew up a long time ago in a land far away from here, and I have no intention of "adjusting."
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