Free Republic

OF COURSE

FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOLS GRADES 2 -8

What the heck We don’t need em anyway. We have plenty of coal. If they wont give us the money, let’s just SUCCEED.

Country lawyer

“It would be up to you to seek reimbursement from the violator, but YOU WOULD BE THE PERSON PAYING THE TICKET AND PAYING THE FINE IF YOU DIDN’T”

Not in AZ. There, if you are not clearly the person in the picture, the ticket will be dismissed.

In the ( slightly alered ) words of General Pickett, “Mr President, I have no party”

Bangladesh is spiraling into chaos. A civil war with a number of sides is possible (and in my view is already in progress, depending on your definition of "civil war");. A third (actually there are a number of smaller parties) party has been formed, but mainly it is a split off of the current government.

But the day is coming shortly when the current government will have to either comply with or reject the provisions of the constitution. My bet is that they will ignore the constitution (but will probably try to make it look like they aren't).

The constitution's choice for interim president has turned down the job (after determining, it is said, that he would not likely survive the short term of office). The designated successor has said he would take the job if all parties agree (little chance of that, because he is a true neutral).

I am not a fan of military takeovers. However, the situation is so dire that I fear the only organization that can reduce the violence and stop the decent into chaos is....the army.

And if that is to be done, it will be led by the younger officers.

The country'economic elite are not likely the source of any significant leadership, as

1. They have little knowledge of what is going on in their own country (they live in isolated, walled off areas and generally do not deal with ordinary folks),

2. Many are fleeing the country and will not be there to do anything, and

3. A high percentage made their money though corruption (which is endemic in Bangladesh), and everybody knows it.

I suspect the army will eventually leave its Cantonments as it sees the situation worsen (it is already very problematic--many are dying in the streets) and realizes it is the only hope for Bangladesh.

It is likely the US Embassy, Dhaka, is running full bore 24/7. I wish them good luck.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for democracy in Bangladesh.

Given the article's provenance it may well be a composite. But unlike much of what comes out of the UN and BBC for that matter, this one could be true. The circumstances of the poor in India are desperate. Drive down main streets in Mumbai, a major, modern World Class city and you will find miles of "shanties". The family with the tarp for a house is certainly not unusual and is unlikely to be the worst off in their village.

But India has a chance to break this cycle of poverty (born on the street live their life on the street, die on the street). The Economy is doing well and economic reforms (of which more are needed)are helping, as is superb technical education. India is even the home of the world's largest circulation English language newspaper, The Times of India.

India has found it is a natural ally of the US and, for the US, India is something of a counterbalance to China.

India certainly has a poverty issue, but if you want to see even worse poverty look next door in Bangladesh. And there it is a threat to the US, as the folks who brought you 9/11 are trying to set up there. As the old Chinese curse goes: "May you live in interesting times."

Bangladesh is a country with big problems, including grinding poverty. And it erred in not (unlike India) adopting English as a national language. But it is trying remarkably hard to succeed. Its higher education system is small but good. Its people tend to be very family oriented and very friendly--not a good environment for the development of radical Islamists.

It is telling that Colin Powell visited Bangladesh (and few other Central Asian countries) on his most recent trip to that region.

When it comes to the war on terrorism, Bangladesh is likely to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Regards

Unfortunately this article starts with fabrication and ends with illogical and incorrect conclusions.

Can insurers legally flout anti trust laws and conspire to set prices? Years ago, they could. Today, they can if they want to end up in jail.

Do caps on liabiliity reduce premiums? It depends on whether premiums in the marketplace are sufficient pay the cost of loss. If not, caps may not reduce premiums, but they may make insurers more interested in writing the coverage.

Do doctors' mutual insurance companies solve the problem? Sometimes they help, but doctor owned insurers are not exempt from the reality of losses or the liability environment in general. For example, the hospital mutual in Pennsylvania, PHICO, recently failed in Pennsylvania's very difficult medical malpractice environment.

Finally, should insurance companies open their books to see whether they really are losing money on medical malpractice? Actually, insurer's books are more open by law than other corporations. Anyone can visit their state Department of Insurance and pick up more data on insurers' finances than they will ever find time to review.

There are no easy answers to the malpractice insurance crisis. But it would help if the kind of misinformation in this article is recognized for what it is: propaganda.

The US IS NATO

Perhaps more to the point, NATO IS the US.

Regards

Actually the property and casualty insurance industry lost money last year (as a whole). This is the first time this has happened in a very long time. But the loss is not surprising given the events of September 11 and the fact that the industry has been in a decade long price war.

One result is an industry in some financial difficulty. Before you purchase property or liability insurance from any company, check its financial rating. There are a number of rating agencies, but I suggest looking up the A M Best Insurance Reports at your local library.