Mississippi Senate: No car insurance, no car tag

meridianstar.com/ ^ | MArch 12, 04 | from staff and wire reports

[TX Bluebonnet]

Or make the downpayment to get the card and never make any further payments. Happens all the time.

[kittymyrib]

It would take a very high wall AND the military to enforce our borders. I fantasize what it would be like to have Switzerland as our southern neighbor....

[oldcomputerguy]

"Mississippi is probably the last state in the nation to do something like this."

Louisana has a required insurance law, Mississippi doesn't.
Rates in Louisana are about twice as high as rates in Mississippi. This is a fix w/o a problem.

[onyx]

Quite a racket isn't it? Take money, then cancel.

[biggerten]

I post this every so often when the message seems relevant, sort of as a memorial to Mom, as well as to let people know what the justice system is really like.


December 5th, 2001, my mother, Shirley Norkunas, was killed in a car wreck. She was on her way to a Dr.'s appointment. The roads and weather were clear, it was about 9 in the morning, the place was just south of Superior, WI on State Hwy 35. She was driving north toward Superior.

A fellow named Thomas Frankot was heading south that morning, driving on a suspended license. He crossed into my mother's lane, she was killed instantly in the resulting crash.

Thomas Frankot lived. He is essentially judgement proof, with very few assets.

He, after much wrangling, finally pled guilty in September 2002 to driving after suspension and driving left of center.

Previous relevant citations (there are half a dozen or so others)

DWI.
DWI/OAS (Operation After Suspension)
OAS
No Valid License
OAR (Operation after Revocation)
OAR

That was six offenses BEFORE he killed Mom, so you know he was really in trouble this time.

Was he ever.

He was fined $363, license suspended for six months, and given sixty days to pay.

That's not even the funny part.

I checked a couple weeks ago, and he has not paid the fine, even though nearly two years, much less the sixty days have lapsed. I asked the clerk of courts what happens when the fines aren't paid.

They suspend his license.

Now, that's justice for ya.

[beelzepug]

"...Washington and other states...require proof of insurance for tags or driver’s licenses."

He must be talking about D.C. I've lived in Washington State all my life and I've never been asked for proof of insurance either to renew a drivers license or to purchase tags for my vehicle. I'd sure be in favor of it, though. I read that one in four drivers in this state is either without insurance or a valid license (suspended, revoked, never had one, etc.). If all those drivers were taken off the road, our traffic congestion problem would disappear overnight.

[onyx]

Oh my God, I am so sorry for you and your innocent mom.

Your story has grabbed me at my thraot. Thanks for posting it.

[beelzepug]

"Some people just buy the insurance, show proof, get a tag...and cancel the insurance for a refund."

Insurance companies should be required to notify DMV whenever a policy holder cancels. It's the least they can do since the government mandates that you buy their product.

[WKB]

I do have one question for you bill,
When did Houston become a part of Albania?

[dixiechick2000]

"If you are pulled over and can't produce registration or proof of insurance, your car is towed immediately."

That's what we have in Oregon.

"I believe that if one doesn't have insurance and is involved in an accident and cannot prove that the insurance was not present and in policy due to oversight, the offender should be executed on the spot by the MHP officer"

That's probably next in Oregon. ;o)

[onyx]

Morning dck2 :)

[BSunday]

I'm very sorry for what happened to your mother. I think you have pointed out one of the basic flaws in the way our modern day justice system, namely that we look at crimes for their "book value" instead of their effect. The judge looks up in his sentencing book and says to himself, "Okay, for X crime he gets X sentence." Instead of looking at it realistically and saying "You killed someone, and circumstances point to the fact that you were ordered not to drive by the state, therefore you have committed manslaughter"

[dixiechick2000]

Mornin'!

Can't stay...the kids are taking me out. ;o)
Hope to see you this evening.

[cpprfld]

Mississippi is probably the last state in the nation to do something like this.

In Wisconsin, I don't think that you need insurance.

[agitator]

"Miss entering the 21st century."

No, this is MS entering the 16th century where everybody is assumed guilty and where the all powerful state can enforce the monopoly extortion racket of a private, politically connected business entity. Furthermore, requiring car insurance under threat of duress is nothing more than whiners who want government to protect them from themselves.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nothing new. Iowa and Minnesota have the same rule.

[agitator]

http://taor.agitator.dynip.com/on_law.htm

[onyx]

From your perch in Massachusetts you deride MS. Ha! That's funny.

[Condor51]

Now please don't take this as a racist comment, it's just the facts;

Here in IL, if an illegal alien is stopped for moving violation (say blowing a red light) and has no license and insurance, he will be typically be fined $75 for the moving violation & court costs and $50 for not having a valid license & $50 for no insurance. HOWEVER if it's is a white US citizen the fine for not having insurance is $500!!!

These cases used to be published in my local paper under a 'Police Blotter' section. And when I used to read this garbage it made my blood boil! Every Martinez, Gonzalez, etc, would get $50 fines - while the Johnsons, Joneses, Smiths & Goldbergs would get $500 fines as is the law.

Now maybe the judges figured that the illegals would just skip, or get a new phony ID and imposing the required $500 fine was pointless. But talk about reverse discrimination, sheesh.

[Warlord David]

He should have been in jail, before the accident. But the state was probably short of money and let him off early or light. He should have gotten death penalty or better yet shot by the police, after the accident.
The problem is there is always some risks to driving. And no matter how stiff the penalty is, people who are a risk will continue to drive. But in making the penalty stiffer put a burden on those trying to make aliving and the tax payers. Yet give a false impression that the roads are safer, when their not. Sorry for the lost of your mother. May she be with the Lord.