Today's Letters: Let's send Allstate a message
Letters to the EditorPublished January 20, 2008
State suspends Allstate's insurance license
It's about time Florida went on the offensive against insurers like the "good hands" Allstate people. I've been an Allstate homeowner and auto insurance customer for more than 50 years, the last 22 years being here in Florida. During this time, I never submitted a claim.
Ten years ago, I took the initiative to install hurricane panels at a cost exceeding $5,000, which lowered my annual homeowner premium by $7. Big deal! Last year, Allstate informed me that my homeowners policy would not be renewed after October. Needless to say, I was surprised, disappointed, inconvenienced and disgusted with the notice. As a result, I canceled my Allstate auto insurance.
After much searching, I replaced both homeowners and auto insurance at about a 20 percent discount over what I was paying for Allstate. I hope more Allstate policyholders will do the same and boycott the "good hands" people by going with alternate insurers. Not only will they be sending greedy insurers a message, but also, like me, might be pleasantly surprised with lower premium costs from replacement insurers.
Richard Kwiecienski, Homosassa
It's good to have someone in the consumers' corner
I was very gratified to see the story about the Florida insurance commissioner getting tough with Allstate. It's about time someone in the government stood up for us. Florida homeowners are in dire straights between property taxes and insurance.
The property tax amendment on the ballot at the end of this month is a joke. The average amount of relief is estimated to be about $20 per month. What is that $20 per month going to end up costing in loss of local infrastructure?
It's much better to get us relief from the profiteering insurance companies. I was dropped 18 months ago by Nationwide after 15 years with no claims and never missing a payment. I had no recourse but to find other insurance.
Someone in the government needs to watch out for us consumers. We're getting nailed by the insurance industry, the drug industry, the oil industry. We have to use these products; we have no choice.
Hats off to Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty for doing his job. I'm hoping others in our government will follow his lead.
Jeff Cutting, Brandon
Go with Citizens
I applaud the insurance commissioner for slapping Allstate. Now it's time to take the final step and revoke the license of all insurance companies selling homeowners insurance in Florida and have every policy written by Citizens.
My logic is that unlike a for-profit company that wants to "cherry pick," Citizens' charter can be set so that when there is money in the bank to cover "worst case" losses, operating profits would be returned to the policyholders the way rural electric companies return profits now. The other benefit is that the auto rates should drop as companies have to get aggressive to win that profitable business.
Richard Ross, Brooksville
We need a rate rollback
Regulators have scolded Allstate. Big deal.
Wake me when they demand a rollback of home insurance premiums to where they were four years ago and offer rebates for gouging!
For too long the Republican-controlled state House has rolled over for everything the insurance companies have asked for. Now it's time to prove they aren't bought and paid for by the insurance industry and give Florida citizens a fair system they can afford!
Scott McKown, Palm Harbor
An omnipresent poison Jan. 13, story
A tale of greed
How did we come to this? Reportedly, a million American children have been exposed to poisonous lead. And according to Dr. James R. Roberts, it is only "the tip of the iceberg."
Unfortunately, it is all about money and greed. The unscrupulous vendors of the tainted products as well as our indifferent politicians who are merely standing by and not taking any drastic action to protect the consumer should all be chastised and fired. Why are our protective agencies so derelict in their duties?
Listening to the toy manufacturers and importers of products with dangerous toxic levels of lead is akin to the hearings held on the tobacco industry. How can we believe them? Surely the American public deserves better than this.
Orfeo Trombetta, Seminole
An omnipresent poison Jan. 13, story
Think of pets, too
This was a great article informing your readers regarding lead in other products that can be hazardous besides toys. We also need to protect our furry friends and be aware that most pet toys are also made and painted in China. These toys are marketed by well-known companies and sold in the United States.
I checked all of my dog's chew toys, and they are all made in China! It's very unsettling to know that our pets may be ingesting lead as they merrily chew on these toys. I have taken away all of my pet's chew toys and have replaced them with things like old sneakers, hand towels and bandanas that I knot in the center and at both ends. If there's lead in children's toys from China, I suspect there is also lead in toys made for pets.
Leigh Taylor, St. Petersburg
Let's try an election without pollsters Jan. 13, Philip Gailey column
The real polling
It appears that the polling and prognosticating have gotten out of hand to the point where the actual outcome of elections is being improperly influenced. In the New Hampshire primary, Hillary Clinton was forecast to lose to Barack Obama by about 8 percent. The pollsters turned out to be wrong, and when she in fact won by 3 percentage points this was proclaimed by TV and the newspapers as a huge victory, revitalizing a failing campaign. This will no doubt have a significant effect on primaries still to be held.
Now suppose the pollsters had been wrong the other way, and had forecast that Obama would lose to Clinton by 12 percent or so. I am quite sure that, under those circumstances, that identical 3 percent margin of victory by Clinton would have been hailed by the same news media as a huge boost for Obama, and again would have had a significant, although different, effect on future primaries.
So although the actual election outcome would have been the same under both scenarios, the results of future elections would likely have been different solely because of the pre-election polling figures and the importance given them by the media.
I think the voters, but also the media, need to keep in mind that straw polls taken in advance are interesting, but should not be given too much weight. The true polling takes place on election day.
Michael Ross, Pinellas Park