Posts tagged as:

elections

Guest columnist Ann C. Logue on Hugh Hefner’s wives wearing Lands End, lotteries as taxes on stupid people, and rapper politicians

Letter from Texas: Greener Pastures on the Other Side

by Julie Drenner on December 30, 2010

The Texas Speaker’s race took an interesting turn this week.  For the first time in recent history, the lobby has been lobbied to support incumbent Speaker Joe Straus. Political consultants Gordon Johnson and Todd Smith sent out a rally cry to boost the current speaker.  These consultants, who helped put many of the members win [...]

Letter from Texas: Christmas Comes Early

by Julie Drenner on December 17, 2010

At this week’s Oversight Committee on the Texas Windstorm Insurance hearing, Jim Oliver, Director of TWIA, testified that 92,000 claims from Hurricanes Dolly and Ike were filed since the storms hit two years ago. Of those, 4,800 lawsuits have been filed and 2,600 have been settled. Seven hundred disagreements arose due to the issue of [...]

Letter from Texas: the Best State in the Union (Insurance Climate Aside)

by Julie Drenner on December 9, 2010

As an insurer of last resort, it is puzzling why the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association would continue to offer below market insurance rates to homes that cost up to $1.7 million. Since these dwellings are worth nearly seven times the average listing price in Texas of $265,000, why would taxpayers need to subsidize the policies [...]

Letter From Florida: A State On The *Right* Path

by Christian R. Camara on November 19, 2010

Greetings from Florida, where we are finally getting a temporary reprieve from the balmy temperatures we are normally accustomed to.  Despite these cooler temperatures, things couldn’t be hotter politically down in the Sunshine State. As in most tsunamis, coastal areas are often hit the hardest, and this year’s Republican tidal wave was felt the hardest [...]

Eli’s Crystal Ball Revisited, In Light Of The Elections

by Eli Lehrer on November 3, 2010

With the dust settling after the elections, it’s time for me to revise—and maybe modify—some predictions for the insurance climate in Congress and the states in 2011 and beyond. Three major thoughts about what the election means based directly on last night’s results: Ding-Dong, A National Cat Fund is Dead:  The humiliating defeats of both [...]

If you are going to the polls still undecided, look at the personal spending habits of the candidates on the ballot. How people spend their own money is a good indication of how they will spend the taxpayers’ money as well.  Find a candidate that has built a successful business without debt or has managed [...]

Letter From Florida – What A Difference A Few Months Makes

by Christian R. Camara on August 6, 2010

What a difference a few months makes. Earlier this year, Florida political spectators felt that the race to watch was the Republican primary election for US Senate between former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio and Governor Charlie Crist.  State Attorney General Bill McCollum was the shoe-in for the Republican nomination for governor, and Congressman Kendrick [...]