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Another housing crisis brewing
As it continues to pick up the pieces from the mortgage mess, Congress needs to take note of another housing-related crisis that threatens…
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Another Housing Crisis Brewing
Irresponsible federal and state homeowners' insurance schemes could easily cost the nation several hundred billion dollars when and if a major hurricane hits.
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Bush Should Keep Promise To Stop New Regs
Despite his party’s defeat at the polls last week, President Bush still wields enormous regulatory power. The way he manages this power—and, in…
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Property insurance gamble: Florida Risks its Fiscal Future on a Quiet Hurricane Season
One simple fact ought to dominate every discussion of Florida’s homeowners’ insurance system: Were a single storm to hit the wrong area, it would literally…
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Florida, Nation Need Federal Insurance Regulator
Much of the turmoil in America’s financial markets involves exotic investments that most Americans never have heard of and never will get near. However, with…
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Gale Force Foolishness: Congress pushes for a federal windstorm insurance program.
AS CONGRESS WINDS down its current session, there’s little doubt that plenty of bad ideas will pop out of the woodwork as members…
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Be wary of insurance rate cut
Although it may seem like an early New Year’s present, North Carolina drivers have every reason to be wary of the 16.1 percent…
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Soggy, slow-moving Fay offers lessons
Paying for insurance The Aug. 22 editorial, “Soggy, slow-moving Fay offers lessons,” contains a lot of common sense, but your call…
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Congress Should Develop Smart, Cost-Effective Natural Catastrophe Policy
Although it’s cold comfort to Florida residents dealing with the massive flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Fay, the slow moving…
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Congress Should Develop Smart, Cost-Effective Natural Catastrophe Policy
Although it’s cold comfort to Florida residents dealing with the massive flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Fay, the slow moving…
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Billionaires won’t keep Florida from fiscal disaster
On July 29, Florida’s State Board of Administration voted to spend $224 million in return for a billionaire’s pledge. Warren Buffett, the…
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Flood Control Subsidies Soak the Treasury
Since the first comprehensive flood control legislation went into effect the early 20th century, America’s federal government has fought a never-ending battle to control floods.
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Barney’s Big Idea
A few powerful members of Congress have got it in their heads that it would be a good idea to shake up…
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The Risks of Gambling Regulation
When trade emissaries from the European Union arrive in Washington later this month to talk to officials in Congress, the Justice Department, and…
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It’s time to tune up N.C.’s system
North Carolina's insurance system is headed down the wrong path, Eli Lehrer explains why and how to reform it.
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Swimming in Subsidies: The National Flood Insurance Program must dry up.
Already, the news of the massive flooding in the Midwest has disappeared from most newspaper front pages. And, indeed, the worst…
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Bailing out homeowners
Your June 16 editorial “Tornado warning” is absolutely correct to point out that “every part of the country has its risks.” But these…
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Catastrophe coalition looking out for public, not reinsurers
Your recent editorial, “Who’s really opposing national disaster plan?” (May 13), mischaracterizes the interests and motivations behind the organizations that comprise Americans for Smart…
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Animated Aristophanes: The Idiot, The Oddity, but not Homer (Simpson)
About half way through its 12th season, South Park (Comedy Central, Wednesdays, 10 P.M. ET) has attacked, to take just the first five…
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A financial disaster waiting to happen
Florida’s state government easily could end up bankrupt this year unless the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist change the state’s homeowners’ insurance…
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A Financial Disaster Waiting to Happen
Florida's state government easily could end up bankrupt this year unless the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist change the state's homeowners' insurance laws.
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Legislature can set tone to save Florida
Florida’s state government easily could end up bankrupt unless the Legislature abruptly changes course. Minor insurance law changes approved Wednesday don’t change much at…
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Ensuring Disaster
Congress may put taxpayers on the hook for what could easily top $100 billion in liabilities before Memorial Day…
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How a minor storm could bankrupt Florida
Here’s one scary Halloween scenario that could easily come true: By trick-or-treat time, just past the hurricane season’s peak, Florida’s state government…
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Police Those Credit Cards
The burdensome, patronizing, new credit card regulations proposed in the wildly misnamed “Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights” will hurt just about every…
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No Dice
Anybody who has spent time in Washington knows that Congress often passes bad laws. But even the most widely derided laws — think…
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A Disaster in the Making
Late last year, two recently elected southern Republican governors, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Florida's Charlie Crist, vowed to work together for a "national catastrophe fund"…
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Lawmakers, undo some of 2007 reforms
A year has passed since Gov. Charlie Crist and a nearly unanimous Legislature hailed the arrival of a new era for Florida’s property insurance…
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Subprime Borrowers: Not Innocents
A simple look at the blunt reality reveals that borrowers themselves should assume primary responsibility for the current subprime crisis. Millions of borrowers, all…
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Eliminating Prison Rape
It has been far too long in coming but, yesterday, the Federal Prison Rape Elimination commission released its report on elimination and prevention…
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Crist’s insurance ‘fix’ might leave you broke
When former Gov. Jeb Bush recently said his successor's insurance reforms were “as bad as the natural disasters themselves,” he understated his case. As…
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Ripples Make Waves: We shouldn’t tax our credit unions
When last week’s credit-related market slump started reversing the stock market’s 2007 gains, it seemed clear that the Bush Administration would act quickly…
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Bankrupting Florida
If a catastrophic Katrina-like hurricane sweeps through the state of Florida, it may leave behind more than wrecked houses, damaged shops, and ruined roads:…
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Barriers to more effective US disaster insurance
Sir, You are right about the need for much greater purchase of disaster insurance but, perhaps, say verylittle about how difficult it might be…
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Short on Storm Coverage
So long as hurricanes continue to sweep through Florida's landscape, Floridians will have to find ways to repair the damage. As the Sentinel…
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Private Public Matters
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The Road to Health Care Reform
When they buy automobile insurance, Americans enjoy a market that provides many choices, lots of competition, and, in most places, reasonable rates. Residents of…
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Charleston’s Uncommon Tragedy: Fires do less damage today than ever before
Nine firefighters perished as a terrible inferno swept through <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Charleston’s Sofa Super Store this past Monday…
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Hurricane Eye on Insurers
Throughout the hurricane zone that follows <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />America's Atlantic coastline from Texas to North Carolina, a populist…
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Crime’s Up
During the late 1990s, police superintendent Edward F. Davis III presided over epic crime reductions in Lowell, Massachusetts. Under his leadership, the city's crime…
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The Church of Rachel Carson
One hundred years after her birth in May of 1907, it’s difficult to underestimate Rachel Carson’s influence. Unfortunately, it’s all bad. That hasn’t stopped…
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Caring for Vets: A Healthy Plan
If it wants to fix the appalling mess that medical care has become at Washington D.C.’s Walter Reed hospital, the Department of the Army might…