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["Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

Insurance is just a way to push risks off to others for a fee.  It is 
important in situations where losses would be total but has moved into a 
much less important and underserved role.  Spreading the risk of losing a 
ship load of goods keeps commerce humming.  Insurance companies have now 
instead become parasites on modern society.  And the huge sums of money 
involved attract bottom feeders and lawsuits.

It is important to be financially responsible for your actions and buying 
auto insurance helps but at the same token insurance makes that 
responsibility seem inconsequential.  I am not sure what the answer is but I 
do like the idea of no fault and some sort of pay at the pump as advocated 
by Tobias.

Health care has gotten very expensive with more and more expensive 
medications and routines.  Personal action has little bearing on insurance 
costs, heavy smokers are not charged more than non smokers.  Again the huge 
sums of money are attracting bottom feeders.  I do not think insurance 
companies should be involved in health care at all but rather it should be a 
single payer with significantly increased personal responsibility.

I have insurance on my pickup because the state says I have to but I do not 
have insurance on the trailer.  I have health insurance because my wife has 
it through her school.  If I did not have insurance my medical costs would 
be significantly lower than what insurance premiums would be.   I might 
carry something like catastrophic insurance just to make sure my relatives 
would be spared a financial hit.  I do hope that when the time comes I will 
not want to go to extraordinary measures to prolong life.

Don Bowen      KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html