It’s never a good time. You’ve just been in an automobile accident; you’re still shaken up and confused. Just like any other emergency situation, you need to understand what to do before it happens, so you can be prepared when it happens. Keep a list clipped to your insurance card in your glove compartment. You do have your insurance card in your car, don’t you? Even though many states don’t require this any more since considerable of this is computerized, you need your auto and medical insurance info with you in case of emergencies. Keep calm and follow these five steps any time you are in an automobile accident.

1. Is anyone hurt? In hospitals they call this triage. Assess the dwelling and pick of the most important first. Are you or anyone involved in the accident injured in any way – even a minor injury? Shock has a plan of minimizing pain and injury. Make sure no one is injured or call for medical assistance immediately.

2. Call the Police. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. You need a police picture to file with your insurance company. Do not be talked into not calling the police by the other party. No matter what they say, if you fail to get a police report, you may be giving up any and all rights you have to recover damages to your vehicle, contents, or yourself.

3. Trade information with the other drivers. This should include driver’s license numbers, tag numbers, contact information, and information from insurance cards. If anyone involved doesn’t have a valid driver’s license or insurance, don’t bag confrontational. Wait for the police to arrive and let them include this information in their report. If anyone tries to leave the scene before the police arrive, again don’t try to conclude them. Attempt to get the effect number and manufacture and model of the vehicle and wait for the police to handle it.

4. Consume some pictures. Got a cell phone? Get some pictures of the vehicles and the environment. If this ends up going to court, the person who is the best prepared usually wins the case. Take pictures of the damage to your vehicle, the site of the vehicles, and any skid marks or other indications of what happened.

5. Look around for any witnesses. See if anyone who may have seen the accident is willing to wait for the police to arrive, or at the very least, give you their contact information. If the case ends up going to court, having an look witness that can verify your account may be the difference in winning.

Drawing from personal experience and some tricky work on the internet, a list of companies that offer competitively priced if not affordable car insurance. When shopping for insurance of any type, make obvious that you shop. Try as much as possible to compare apples to apples.

Insurance agents like to build in things to drive the price up to earn bigger commissions. Online agents do the reverse and may leave some key items out to build certain that they offer you the most affordable car insurance, but it may not always be the best for you. Here is a list of five companies that for the most part are well known and respected. For comparison purposes, I have former an aging mini-van and not-quite-new Dodge Intrepid for test purposes.

The only discounts considered are for safe driver and multiple vehicle coverage. Several of these companies give discounts for membership in some professional, governmental, and civic organizations. Because there are hundreds of these, I recommend that you check with your company or agent for such discounts.

Safeco Insurance Company is one that I have recent personal experience as an insurance carrier. For the two vehicles mentioned, the six month premium paid for monthly by bank draft costs $84 per month. For this amount, both vehicles carry both liability that is required by law in most states and collision. The collision deductible is $250 per incident and comprehensive is at zero deductible. The liability limits are above the minimum at $100,000/$300,000. The policy does not include towing or rental car at this price. It does include underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage. Medical coverage is limited to $5,000.

The Hartford Insurance Company is another excellent insurer that was considered. For the same two vehicles, the cost was quoted at $68 per month via bank draft. While the notice was lower than Safeco, there were some differences in the policy. The two major changes were that the collision deductible was raised to $500 per incident. The comprehensive was not available at a zero cost deductible. The quoted price included a $250 deductible on comprehensive. At this level, a no-deductible on windshield glass that can be repaired is offered. Liability and medical coverage was the same level as Safeco. Uninsured and underinsured motorist, no towing, and no rental car are also the same.

American Family was the next company viewed for affordable car insurance. The quote on the two vehicles came in at about $65 per month on bank draft. No changes were noted in the liability coverage. Medical, underinsured, and uninsured motorist were included in the premium amount. Both vehicles were covered for collision at a $500 deductible. The comprehensive was set at a $250 deductible with repairable windshield pain excluded from the deductible. The quote was obtained without towing or rental vehicle coverage.

Because of their lizard and heavy TV advertising, Geico is the next company considered for affordable car insurance. They quoted these vehicles at about $105 per month with several differences in coverage. The liabilities, underinsured, uninsured motorist coverage was the same level. The mini-van was quoted in this offer without collision or comprehensive coverage. Also, the comprehensive and collision on the Valiant were both set at $500 per incident. Both vehicles were again quoted without towing or rental vehicle.

The final company in this list is Allstate. Having used this company a few times in the past, I have found them to be competitive when looking for affordable car insurance. However, for the quote on these vehicles, the monthly premium on a bank draft was $91. The coverage was the same as most of the other companies. Both vehicles were quoted with liability, comprehensive, and collision. The comprehensive and collision both carry a $500 deductible with the exception for windshield repair. Uninsured and underinsured motorist and medical coverage was included. Again, a rental replacement vehicle was not offered nor road hazard with towing.

Four out of the five of these quotes were obtained directly from agents. The fifth, Geico, was handled online only. There was no real inequity in the clarity of the quotes with the exception that it is handy to have a live person to answer questions immediately. Geico’s website is fast and easy to use. I was able to get a quote within three minutes from the time that I started the form until the quote was offered. The agents that I dealt with in searching for possible new coverage for vehicles, were efficient, helpful, and responded within a reasonable time frame.

It is possible to find the most affordable car insurance with a moderate amount of effort. You honest need to be diligent to ask for the right or desired coverage so that the quotes are able to be compared. If you change your mind about deductible amounts or liability limits during the process, be sure to go back and be comely to earlier agents by allowing them to quote their premium amounts with the same terms.

Why is it a big secret that if you don’t have good medical insurance, a doctor won’t see you? This is somthing that’s very conclude to home for me and I’m sure for others who have experenced the same thing I have. It wound to call to try make an appointment for a doctor because you are sick and they asked, “What Insurance Do You Have? ” If it’s not Blue Cross, Aetna, Humana or some well known insurance, they tell you; “NO”!

I knew for a long time now that doctor’s don’t want to except Medicaid (Site Government Insurance For Coarse Income) because they say they don’t get paid; and if they do receive a payment, it’s penny’s on a dollar. But now it’s Medicare too!

I am on Disibility and have had Medicare for years now. I also have Medicaid as my secondary insurance. I have never really had a problem with Medicare; I have had problems with Medicaid in the past before I was eligible for Medicare. It hurts when you go to a doctor and they tell you that they haven’t received a payment in 1 year; they next time I approach in, can I bring at least $400 dollars to form toward my account? I’ve been there and this was what was asked of me!

So now, they just won’t except Medicaid period! What is it to do when there is NO doctor in your area you can see when you’re sick? Doctor’s get mad if you go to the ER for a cold or something that could have been taken care of with a doctor’s appointment!

Recently I’ve been very sick; I can’t get my blood pressure down. I called all over Joliet to try get into a doctor! I went down the list in the Yellow Pages, I couldn’t find one doctor that would except Medicare! Medicare? WOW! And the only one that did except it, they told me since I had Medicaid as 2ndry, they couldn’t take me. I CRIED LIKE A BABY! My GYN doctor told me last month that they stopped taking patients with Medicare as well due to non-payment!

I’m can’t see a GYN for female issues anymore and can’t find a Internal Med doctor for other issues! What are we to do? We can’t get out to other places; Maywood or Chicago.

They wonder why we are die’n at an early age! We can’t get the exams that’s needed to Dx problems like Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and other major things.

We realize that rich people could care less about us! They don’t have a problem getting treatment because all they have to do is perambulate in and pay.

There is no No Middle class anymore. You either have it or you don’t!

Another example of not having medical insurance is: I had a baby premature 3 years ago; 6 months/3 weeks. Instead them flying him to Children’s Memorial Hospital from Joliet; in the middle of rush hour, they send by ambulance. They next morning, when I called ot see how my baby was doing, I was told he needed a blood transfusion. I gave them the okay but asked why was it needed. I was told that he could be bleeding on the brain or he just may have low blood. They didn’t take him in for a MRI till Monday morning. My son bleed on the brain from Saturday to Monday; it was too leisurely for him. When I got them call to reach in, they had to talk to me; it was a very cold/not caring squawk over the phone. I have never been on the Northside of Chicago; I had to find someone to drive me there. They told me it would be best to just let him die; he would be no good to me or himself in life. I had to make the hardest decision in my life to pull the race on my son. A day I will never forget.

I went in the hospital that Friday and had to have an emergency C-section. No one came to change me or my covers; I kept asking for pads, nothing. I had to call a friend from far away to have her bring me pads; but by that time it was Sunday; I had to push myself out of bed and try clean myself up.

I had another baby last year that died as well; I couldn’t/or they wouldn’t give me proper medical care till it was too late!

I could tell you more but I will leave it alone.

This subject should be an open peek to the government!

Medicaid, Kid Care, Medicare; Doctor’s Don’t Want To Except!

HELP

First, survey for a driving refresher course for yourself or your senior parent, because these courses can lower your auto insurance rate. They may be listed as Senior Honorable Driving Courses or Driver Safety Course, but these classes can also help you on the road.

Since seniors, in most cases, have had continuous coverage for several years, they can qualify for the continuous coverage discount. Even if you plan to stay with the same auto insurance company, you can also ask your current auto insurance company for a list of available discounts you can qualify for, like putting all of your insurance needs into one company and one bill. Putting your auto, home, and life insurance policies into one, can also save you time, and money.

If you have not filed any claims against your auto insurance companies, or have had very few claims in the several years you have been insured, you can receive a discount for being a safe driver. Even if you have the right age, the right car, having a large amount of insurance claims can wound your monthly auto insurance payments.

Some auto insurance companies also offer discounts for purchasing their auto insurance online. In some cases, seniors are not computer savvy and may need assistance, so I suggest asking a relative to help, visit your local library or visit your local senior care center.

Below you will score a review of my top three choices for auto insurance for seniors. By purchasing your premium and paying the full payment at once, you will also save money, instead of paying monthly.

Esurance

For standard coverage for a 55 year old senior couple driving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt, with no accidents in the past 3 to 5 years, minimum Ohio state coverage for liability, $100 deductibles for comprehension and collision, towing up to &75, and rental reimbursement of $30 per day up to $900, is about $65 per month or $400 for 6 months of auto insurance coverage. This estimate gives you a small look at what you would be paying through Esurance. They offer like a flash and easy payment options online at www.esurance.com, where you can download and print a copy of your auto insurance cards immediately after your payment is processed.

The General

The General auto insurance company offers low rates on almost every insurance policy they sell, which makes them one of my favorite auto insurance companies. For about $56 per month or $280 for 6 months, or $550 per year, a senior couple ages 55 will receive the Ohio state minimums for liability, $250 deductibles for comprehension and collision, rental reimbursement of $25 per day up to $750, and towing up to $75 for a 2008 Chevy Cobalt. The only downfall of The General auto insurance is that the lowest deductible for comprehension and collision is $250 each, and they pay lower amounts toward rental reimbursements. You can go to www.thegeneral.com to receive a free quote. If you choose their rates, you can purchase your policy online with a credit or debit card and download and print your insurance cards at home after your payment is processed in minutes.

Progressive

Out of these three auto insurance companies, Progressive offers the lowest rate of auto insurance with the better package deals for a 55 year old senior driving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt. For about $47 per month or $255 for a 6 month premium, you will receive the highest liability coverage, $100 deductibles for comprehension and collision, rental car reimbursement of $50 per day up to $1500, roadside assistance that pays for the cost of service and or reimbursement, loan or lease payoff, and enrolls you into the Myrate plan that saves you 25% off your renewal. Progressive auto insurance is an obedient choice for seniors, simply because they offer ease and convenience. For auto insurance claims, you can call their 1-800 number, and an agent will come to you. You can get your free quote at www.progressive.com. Progressive also offers fast and convenience policy payments online, and you can download and print your auto insurance cards at home immediately after your payment has processed in minutes.

The security issue of doing business online is peaceful a tricky one; a problem which in all honesty is one which has not yet been fully resolved. If this is your reasoning for not wanting to commit yourself to purchasing auto insurance online, keep one thing in mind: even if you go to visit your friendly local insurance agent to purchase your auto insurance, they’re going to have to send your personal info (including your credit card number) into the limbo that is the internet from there, too. The put a question to then becomes: how much upselling are you willing to put up with for that peace of mind?

Laying aside the threat of identity theft, purchasing auto insurance over the internet is a fast, safe, and painless process that can grasp less time than it takes to finish your morning cup of coffee. You’ll receive a no obligation quote (so long as you are dealing with a reputable company) and should you settle to purchase, you’ll often be able to print out your insurance card, or at least a temporary one, immediately. The other benefit to buying auto insurance online is that you can mercurial check quotes from as many different insurers as you want, making comparison shopping equally painless. So, to review the positives for buying car insurance online:

1. It’s a quick, easy painless process
2. You can often print a temporary insurance card immediately
3. You can compare multiple quotes from several sources quickly

And the negatives:

1. Potential for identity theft

Purchasing from a flesh-and-blood insurance agent also has its benefits, however. You can always do your comparison shopping online and then go to an agent if you feel at all confused about your coverage. The internet, while uniquely agreeable to providing information, falls woefully short of acceptable in appropriate information. Skeptical? Try typing “auto insurance” into your search bar. If you’ve hit upon this article, than you’ve done well. There are so many insurance companies out there that rifling through them for information of a non-biased sort is going to be practically impossible to accumulate. This is where an agent can step in and clear the air, so to speak.

Your auto insurance agent is uniquely suited to provide the right information at the right time. If you have questions concerning coverage, an agent is the one to ask. If you have questions about discounts, an agent is the one to ask. Be willing to spend some time with them to really understand what coverage you’re getting and under what circumstances you’ll be covered, and what circumstances you won’t. Be aware, though, that first and foremost, your insurance agent is a salesperson, and that it is their job to sell you the farm. Be aware of what you don’t need, and don’t let them talk you into something you don’t understand.

Both methods have their positives, buying car insurance online and in person, and by and large, it comes down to which method you’re most comfortable with. If you’re comfortable with the internet, by all means, use it. If you have your doubts, however, and still prefer that handshake before you leave the office, then there’s someone there to take care of you, too.

Contrary to widespread belief, free markets do not substitute self-interest for morality. Free markets enable moral action by channeling existing self-interest into conduct benefiting both the individual and those around him. Free markets harmonize self-interest and morality by ensuring that individuals prosper by bringing valuable services to others. Furthermore, free markets have inaugurated some of history’s greatest lawful advances – including the advent of religious toleration in the Western world. Free markets accomplish widespread moral improvement by facilitating peaceful coexistence of divergent beliefs, preferences, and behaviors – eliminating enforced homogeneityof ideas, tastes, and actions.

Self-interest does not characterize market systems alone; humans exhibit self-interest universally. Frederic Bastiat noted that “[s]elf-preservation and self-development are common aspirations among all people.”[1] Self-interest is simply the desire to improve one’s condition; by itself, it does not necessitate any particular course of action. The behaviors resulting from self-interest can vary dramatically depending on the incentives individuals face. Do the incentives enable individuals to find through their own hard work and honesty? Or do the incentives favor individuals plundering one another? Bastiat notes, “[S]ince man is naturally inclined to avoid pain – and since labor is pain in itself – it follows that men will resort to plunder whenever plunder is easier than work.”[2] Thus, all human societies face the challenge of establishing incentives whereby individuals will always perceive work as easier than plunder. Individuals of diverse good persuasions will agree that earning one’s wealth via objective production is superior to seizing it from another. Hence, a system that enables honest production to prevail over plunder would accomplish tremendous moral improvement relative to alternatives.

Ayn Rand identifies free-market capitalism as “a social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned.”[3] Under a purely free market, each individual has his own realm – comprised of his body, ideas, actions, and possessions – all subsumed under the concept of property. Through property rights, free markets render work easier than plunder. As Peter Hill argues, “[u]nder a set of well-defined and enforced property rights, the only transactions people acquire in are ‘positive-sum’ or wealth-creating transactions, those that occur because all parties to the transaction own they will be better off as a result.”[4] If each individual is absolutely sovereign over his property, then he would only use this property in ways he believes will improve his own condition. But this is also the case for anyone with whom that individual interacts. Thus, any interaction in a free market only occurs if all parties consider themselves better off thereby. No individual would permit himself to be victimized or plundered; no individual would consent to actions he deems detrimental to his self-interest. If anybody in a free market tried to forcefully expropriate an individual, the law would quickly assist the victim. One of a private property system’s defining characteristics is that “a person who injures another or damages another’s property is responsible for the damages, and courts enforce this responsibility.”[5] Thus, a zero-sum world where one can gain only if another loses is impossible under free-market capitalism.

On the other hand, a zero-sum place often occurs in the absence of well-defined property rights – be it under a Hobbesian “war of all against all,”[6] where no generally recognized contrivance of property rights exists, or under centralized control. The only alternatives to free markets in principle are the lawless tyranny of strong criminals over their victims and the centrally-planned tyranny of a much stronger group of men, exerting its will over an entire population. Both criminals and government planners can “obtain command over resources without obtaining the consent of the owners of the resources.”[7] Virtually all real-world societies contain some “mixture” of all three elements – private crime, government control, and free markets – but the free-market element alone creates wealth in every society, while private crime and government control result in zero-sum transfers of wealth from those who created it to those who did not. There is widespread agreement that earning one’s wealth is moral, whereas expropriating it is immoral. Only free markets can ensure that people benefit from the fruits of their own labor. The more prevalent free markets are in a society, the more honest production and commerce will predominate over theft, coercion, wealth redistribution, and victimization.

But free markets go far beyond ensuring that each individual has the right to keep what he has earned. They channel individuals toward providing goods and services that other people want. If only voluntary persuasion is a permitted means of acquiring another person’s association, patronage, or property, then providing services that others value is the primary free-market path to personal gain. Whole Foods founder John Mackey notes that “the most successful businesses put the customer first, ahead of the investors,” but Milton Friedman recognizes that this is truly “the way to save the investors first.”[8] No dichotomy exists between the well-being of a business’s investors and that of its consumers; what is good for one benefits the other.

A free market also permits individuals to act outside of the realm of commerce, transforming their own property or objects from the status of nature for their own benefit – but trading greatly enhances the range of goods and services an individual can come by. From the inception of human societies, this recognition led individuals to exchange for mutual benefit. According to Ludwig von Mises, “The fundamental facts that brought about cooperation, society, and civilization and transformed the animal man into a human being are… that work performed under the division of labor is more productive than isolated work and that man’s reason is capable of recognizing this truth.”[9] By maximizing the scope of voluntary value-trading, free markets also broaden the range of social cooperation and civilized, harmonious interactions among individuals. This is the essential social purpose of free markets, which Milton Friedman describes as “a sophisticated means of enabling people to cooperate in their economic activities without compulsion.”[10]

Most people will agree that a society that tolerates various religious and non-religious persuasions is ethically generous to a society that does not. The advent of religious toleration in the West illustrates free markets’ indispensable role in broadening civilized human interactions. The bloody religious wars and political persecutions of the 16^th and 17^th centuries resulted from attempts by European governments to centrally plan their subjects’ beliefs. “Traditionally, France (along with most other European nations) had attempted to enforce a homogeneous system of values upon its people in the belief that current values were vital to ensure peace and harmony.”[11] But, in the early 18^th century, a different pattern began to emerge in England – despite official protections for Anglicanism as the established state religion. The growth of commercial freedom in England triggered an unprecedented degree of religious toleration. Voltaire, in his “Letters Concerning the English Nation,” observed this phenomenon:

Go into the Exchange in London, that place more venerable than many a court, and you will peep representatives of all the nations assembled there for the profit of mankind. There the Jew, the Mahometan, and the Christian deal with one another as if they were of the same religion, and reserve the name of infidel for those who go bankrupt.[12]

Because they were free to trade with one another and perceived commerce’s mutual benefits, individuals of all religions in England were willing to overlook intellectual disagreements and focus on areas where they could gain from associating with one another. This case exemplifies Hill’s insight that “participants in a market economy – buyers and sellers – continually scrutinize for areas of agreement where they can net along, rather than concentrating unproductively on areas of inequity.”[13]

Religious toleration and unprecedented intellectual freedom emerged in 18^th-century England while continental regimes such as the French monarchy continued to pursue both commercial and intellectual homogeneity. Wendy McElroy notes that “A key to the difference between England and France lay in the English system of commerce and in the comparatively high regard in which the English held their merchants. In France, aristocrats and the other elites of society regarded those in commerce, or in trade, with unalloyed contempt.”[14] The French economy was characterized by virtually ubiquitous central planning – imposed by Jean-Baptiste Colbert under Louis XIV. Colbertism[15] consisted of manifold economic restrictions – including government-protected monopolies, punitive taxation, enormous tariff barriers to trade, limitations on economic mobility, and minute government oversight of the quantity and quality of output. Under Colbertist central planning, religious toleration’s economic benefits did not become obvious – because individuals were prohibited from freely trading with one another anyway. Thus, it was easier for France’s government to crack down on religious dissent and forcefully impose Roman Catholicism – culminating in Louis XIV’s 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau[16], which revoked religious toleration for the Huguenot Protestants.

On the other hand, in England, because freedom of commerce made the advantages of inter-religious cooperation obvious to many, Voltaire observed that “the Presbyterian trusts the Anabaptist, and the Church of England man accepts the promise of the Quaker.”[17] While France was engulfed in perpetual religious strife and bloodshed, England – with its far greater diversity of faiths – flourished peacefully. Voltaire was among the first to recognize that enforced homogeneity of values undermined a moral social order. He noted, “If there were only one religion in England, there would be danger of tyranny; if there were two, they would cut each other’s throats; but there are thirty, and they live happily together in peace.”[18] Voltaire’s observations regarding England are echoed in James Wilson’s conception that in free markets, “religion must coexist with human freedom, and this relationship, of necessity, requires religious freedom. With such freedom, many sects will prosper, and none will be the sole plot church.”[19] A free market entails not only freedom to exchange physical commodities, but also to exchange religious or secular ideas. Commercial and intellectual freedom are inseparable; where one exists, the other surely follows. In unhurried 18^th-century England, religious toleration existed de jure, not just de facto.

Free markets not only facilitate official religious toleration; they also enable individuals of diverse belief systems to be nice to one another in their private interactions. Being an atheist sufficed to get one imprisoned anywhere in 17^th-century Europe; it sufficed to bag one burned at the stake during the Middle Ages. Even immediately after moral sanctions against atheism were lifted, non-religious individuals were subjected to widespread social stigma. But today, virtually everywhere in the Western world, an atheist can flow into a store or restaurant and be served with the same courtesy and respect as can a member of one of thousands of religious denominations. In free markets an atheist’s money is as good as a Christian’s or a Hindu’s; prudent businessmen recognize this.

Similarly, any individual’s money is good, irrespective of that individual’s race, gender, or country of origin. Thus, Wilson observes, free-market capitalism “will find racial discrimination burdensome, thus helping put an end to it… [Bigotry] shuts a firm off from many potential customers and… potential workers, thus lowering sales and raising labor costs.”[20] Once laws upholding segregation in the American South were repealed, racism’s social incidence plummeted – honest as once state-sanctioned religious mandates and prohibitions were removed, social toleration quickly emerged. As free-market commerce encourages individuals to treat one another with kindness and respect, people begin to actually judge one another worthy of such treatment. What may begin as a prudential policy for cultivating more customers and sales becomes ingrained into people’s habits and worldviews; Wilson observes that free-market incentives to treat customers with respect “produce more than mere pretense; they actually change behavior.”[21] A majority in today’s Western world genuinely believes that race does not affect a person’s character and that atheists or practitioners of a religion different from one’s own are most often safe, moving, valuable people.

Free markets are the foremost institution for human moral improvement. Throughout most of history, people lived in a zero-sum world of widespread plunder, oppression, poverty, and stagnation. Only through commercial freedom and private property rights have there emerged societies where individuals can keep most of what they have created and centralized authorities do not violently impose homogeneous beliefs on the population. Free markets in the West have created an environment where tens of thousands of competing religions and philosophies can thrive and race and ethnicity no longer resolve individuals’ socioeconomic standing. Free markets’ tremendous victories over enforced homogeneity enable our comfortable, prosperous, civil everyday lives.

Works Cited

Bastiat, Frédéric. 1850. The Law. Bastiat.org. Available from http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html. Accessed 24 November 2007.

“Colbertism.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Colbert#Colbertism. Accessed 24 November 2007.

“Edict of Fontainebleau.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Fontainebleau. Accessed 24 November 2007.

Friedman, Mackey, and Rodgers. 2005. “Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business.” Reason , October. Available from http://www.reason.com/0510/fe.mf.rethinking.shtml. Accessed 24 November 2007.

Hill, Peter J. 1988. “Markets and Morality.” Bozeman, MT: Political Economy Research Center. Available from http://www.perc.org/perc.php? id=820. Accessed 24 November 2007.

McElroy, Wendy. “The Origin of Religious Tolerance: Voltaire.” Zetetics.com. Available from http://www.zetetics.com/mac/volt.htm. Accessed 24 November 2007.

Mises, Ludwig von. 1949. [2000.] Human Action: A Treatise on Economics. Ludwig von Mises Institute. Available from http://www.mises.org/humanaction.asp. Accessed 11 February 2007.

“Thomas Hobbes.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Fontainebleau. Accessed 24 November 2007.

Rand, Ayn. 1967. Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. New York: Signet.
Wilson, James Q. 1999. “The Free Society Requires a Moral Sense, Social Capital.” Interview. Religion and Liberty , July/Aug. Available from http://www.acton.org/publicat/randl/interview.php? id=313. Accessed 24 November 2007.

[1] Bastiat 1850 [2] Bastiat 1850 [3] Rand 1967, p. 19 [4] Hill 1988, p. 4 [5] Hill 1988, p. 3 [6] “Thomas Hobbes.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia [7] Hill 1988, p. 4 [8] Mackey, Friedman, and Rodgers 2005 [9] Mises 1949, p. 144 [10] Mackey, Friedman, and Rodgers 2005 [11] McElroy [12] McElroy [13] Hill 1988, p. 2 [14] McElroy [15] “Colbertism.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia [16] “Edict of Fontainebleau.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia [17] McElroy [18] McElroy [19] Wilson 1999 [20] Wilson 1999 [21] Wilson 1999

A driver has not lived until they experience the “horrors” of being involved in an auto accident with severe injuries and your vehicle is completely totaled. Unfortunately, the precise “Nightmare” does not begin until you try settling with the insurance company.

I’ve been operating motor vehicles for the past 36 years here in U.S.A. and it seems like at least every two years another driver hits my vehicle, normally in the rear! Believe it or not! None of these accidents have been my fault in 30 years! This information is based on documented facts from 16 auto accidents I have personally been involved in over the years. Some of them went to court.

Here are the 10 best ways I have found to settle an auto accident insurance claim.

1. Whenever you are involved in an auto accident. DO NOT get out of the vehicle if it is a busy street. Call 911 for benefit. If you don’t have a cell phone, someone driving by will normally call for help. The reason why, you could gather ran over by another vehicle! Wait until the rescue workers near at the scene. If you are not severely injured, the rescue team will have the traffic blocked, by then, you can accumulate out and talk to the police officers and paramedics.

If you are not injured, be distinct to get the other drivers full name, phone number and the name of their insurance company, policy number and the insurance companies claim phone number (if available). Also, try to get a name and phone number of anyone(s) that witnessed the accident. Normally, police officers don’t do this, unless it’s a severe accident with major injuries or fatalities and that also really just depends on how much time they have. Police officers will fill out an accident report, but if it’s a minor accident, a lot of the valuable details could be missing if you have to go to court years later regarding this accident.

If you have a camera phone or any camera available, take any photos you may mediate that would be relevant to this claim, especially your vehicles and possible injuries. Ironically, if your vehicle is drivable, you could get hit the very “next day” and the insurance adjuster will try to divulge your property distress. Take photos of your vehicle as soon as possible. The body shop, insurance appraiser and insurance inspectors will take photos, especially if you have filed a personal injury claim. DO NOT Thunder THE INSURANCE COMPANY that you have these photos in your possession. This is what attorneys call “keeping an ace in the hole” If you hire a law firm to handle your claim, they will explain the reason why?

2. Personally, I would go ahead and call the other drivers insurance company to find out if they have a “valid” insurance policy, even if your at the emergency room. The reason why, is because there are so many drivers without valid insurance. You can always file a claim with your insurance company for an un-insured motorist accident, if this is included in your insurance policy, unfortunately, you will have to pay the deductible. “Hit and Run” accidents are treated in the same manor. If the other driver does not have valid insurance, you should report this to the police department and your insurance company immediately!

3. Go ahead and file your claim with the other drivers insurance company, be sure that you give them the exact phone number where you can be reached night or day. These adjusters will normally only call you once and it’s literally impossible to call them back without getting their voice mail! DO NOT VOLUNTEER a lot of unnecessary information when filing your claim, I don’t know this for sure, but the CSR claims taker could possibly be recording your conversation for the claims adjuster to analyze whenever they do finally call you. These adjusters get paid good money to keep their cost of expenses down. Unfortunately, because there are so many false or false claims, adjusters are forced into this situation.

4. Write down immediately what happened on a notepad the events that took place regarding this accident or place it on a computer file. Be sure to write down every detail you can possibly consider of such as: Was it raining? What time of day was it? Was there a lot of traffic? How were you struck? Was the other driver helpful? Did you have any witnesses? Was your vehicle drivable? Did you go to the emergency room? What happened in the emergency room? Also, if you have to hire an attorney, the first thing they will ask for, is to study your notes.

5. What documents do you need to keep after this accident? All medical bills, rental car receipts, gas card purchases, time of expenses driving back and forth to the doctors office, loss of wages check stubs, photograph receipts. Also, get a copy of the value of your vehicle, such as the blue book that banks often use or the www.nadaguides.com in the consumer section. Majority of the time, the adjuster will only offer you the wholesale value or the lowest designate if your vehicle has been declared totaled. This is what claim adjusters call “Fair Market Value” versus expense of repairs.

6. Whenever the insurance adjuster does finally call you, they will most likely also offer you the lowest price for repairs to your vehicle. This is standard procedure. “Do Not scream at these people!” This will only make matters worse and they might not call you back for a month! You can always decline their offer and wait a couple of weeks, to see if they may up the offer especially if your vehicle has been totaled! Also, if you have personal injuries, they may assign a different claims adjuster that specializes in personal injury claims. This usually happens in the bigger insurance companies like Situation Farm and Allstate from what our attorneys have told us. Be sure to also get the adjusters fax number, and you can fax them your decision. DO NOT send them unnecessary statements, they can and will use this against you in court! We found this out the hard way with Region Farm Insurance!

7. If you have a personal injury, you can always use this as leverage to get a rental car, especially if your vehicle has been totaled, by telling them you need a vehicle to drive back and forth to the doctors office. If your vehicle needs to be repaired, I would recommend getting an estimate from someone that is NOT affiliated with the insurance company. Some of these insurance appraisers will try to slit their losses on repairs and you may have to end up paying the balance. Some insurance companies will sigh you a check and some will make out the check to the body shop once your vehicle has been repaired.

8. If you settle your property damage claim without using an attorney, be distinct that the contract does not have any words like “injury” or injuries sustained” anywhere in their contract, especially if you filed a personal injury claim. You will have to give them the title and of course the vehicle, before they can give you the check, if your vehicle has been declared a total loss. The larger companies will fair give you a check without a contract, that’s what State Farm did with us. Over all, most attorneys do not handle property afflict claims.

9. If you have the time, you can always get a copy of the accident report at the courthouse in the same city normally within 3 days. Some of these insurance companies will take up to three weeks to get this report and until then, they will normally offer you absolutely nothing! Simply because they want to find out who’s fault it was! If you hire an immediate attorney, this is also very good to have on your initial visit.

10. The best way I have found to hire an attorney, is to check with friends and family members. My advice, if you have sustained personal injuries that will be permanent, I would use an expert trial attorney. You can always interview different attorneys. Be definite to choose an attorney that you feel comfortable with. These people can sometimes stay with you for years and years! I would also recommend viewing this attorney in court to see what kind of tactics they are using against these insurance attorneys. In most states, you have a minimum of 1-2 years before you have to file a lawsuit to recover your losses and expenses. Insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate are notoriously acclaimed about waiting until the last week to settle your personal injury claim. Remember also, lawsuits are filed against the other driver and not the insurance company! Go to your local library and research personal injury books.

I hope this information has been helpful,

Thanks,
Phillip Chambley

Detail One:

A friend of mine thought his insurance was paid up, after all, he’d been making the payments every month for his car and his wife’s car. When his “tags” came due in April, he went to the DMV and was given the original tags. The next month, he was pulled over and told his registration had been pulled by the plot. The car was impounded. My friend went to court, explained everything to the judge and proved that his car insurance had never lapsed. He was found “Not Guilty” in the morning and his car was sold to someone else that afternoon. How’s that for unfair? The scrape turned out to be that his insurance company had applied both payments to his wife’s car and cancelled his coverage without ever telling him. The lesson here is to be very careful which insurance company you choose. Having a local agent is always better than just sending payments to someone you don’t know.

Detail Two:

A couple I know hadn’t had a car for a couple of years and needed to get insurance when they finally bought a car. They called Geico and were assured that they would be covered. The husband had gotten a ticket in his work vehicle and told the Geico rep. Since it was a work vehicle, Geico assured him it wouldn’t be a problem. They mailed the check and received their insurance cards. Three weeks later they got a small check in the mail with a cancellation perceive! It seems the on-the-job ticket made them ineligible for Geico insurance. But they had been driving for more than a week, uninsured. The lesson here is not to maintain the television ads. Shopping for car insurance should be like shopping for new shoes. One size doesn’t fit all! Make sure you investigate before buying.

Detail Three:

Another friend of mine unprejudiced bought a current car. He arranged for the insurance through his own agent, unaware that he was supposed to assure the lending company. Several months went by, during which he received strange phone calls. Most were recorded messages, telling him he was uninsured and asking that he call an “800″ number immediately. Since the recording didn’t use his name, he assumed it was a execrable number and ignored the calls. His car payment bill came and was twice the size it had been the month before! Outraged, he called the company and demanded to know why. The loan agent told him that his new car was uninsured and they were charging him for their believe insurance. It didn’t choose long for him to contact his insurance agent and settle the jam. This lesson is “Make sure you tell your lender about having insurance!”

Detail Four:

The wife and I did everything proper and used an agent we knew several years ago when we lived in California. We made the payments right on time and thought everything was fine until we heard on the news that the company we were with had pulled out due to a new law. Our agent had continued to collect our money every month, never mentioned that the company it was supposed to go to didn’t even do business in Calif. anymore. The wife called and chewed him out, demanding the money we’d been paying be returned. He didn’t seem to think he’d done anything snide and refused to repay the money. Our lawyer convinced him otherwise and he did give us a refund, eventually. The only lesson here is that stuff happens that you can’t protect against.

In conclusion, automobile insurance is a “necessary noxious” that we’re all stuck with these days. Lots of things can go wrong, but if you choose your company and coverage carefully, and expend an agent you know, you can minimize disasters if not preventing them altogether.

Advantages of selecting a paperless automobile insurance policy- DiscountsAutomobile insurance corporations provide discounts to buyers that switch over to paperless vehicle insurance policies Why supply discounts The discounts are given since it saves the insurance business funds on paper, postage, and time Paperless insurance policies are less difficult to send and give to consumers in comparison to standard paper policies Some auto insurance organizations truly charge a premium for not selecting a paperless policy, which just tacks on dollars to an already costly plan Advantages of selecting a paperless automobile insurance policy- Less ClutterWe all know how cluttered papers and critical documents can get in the property office, so why not switch to a paperless policy Paperless policies eliminate the clutter since all the paperwork is now on the net under your account and can be accessed anytime anywhere The benefit of not having to search for all the papers associated with your policy in the event of a claim can be a substantial benefit to a paper policy Advantages of selecting a paperless vehicle insurance policy- Safer for the EnvironmentThe truth is that paperless automobile insurance policies are safer for the environment; they decrease the waist of paper, energy required to ship the documents, and does not require to be mailed each time there is a change in the policy Selecting a paperless automobile insurance policy over a standard policy is an quick way to do your component for the environment, and you might even get a slight discount for your very good deed.Advantages of selecting a paperless automobile insurance policy- Far more choices for automobile insurance organizationsThe net era developed a lot of diverse on the internet vehicle insurance corporations that do not send out paper policies 1 of the advantages of selecting a paperless vehicle insurance policy is that you can now decide on from any of these on-line businesses and get rates that are additional competitive.Must you select a paperless automobile insurance policy?The selection of selecting a paperless automobile insurance policy is entirely up to you, but the advantages do outweigh the possible cons Some customers prefer a physical document stating what they bought, and would rather file that at residence than deal with the net Not world wide web savvy Paperless vehicle insurance policies are possibly not for you if you are not world wide web savvy since they need you to use the web extensively Overall, by switching to a paperless vehicle insurance policy you can get discounts, aid protect the environment, and you can decrease clutter at your house.Sources:Personal experience .

Interestingly enough, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has done research on women and men in the labor force and the numbers seem to be somewhat unsettling. In terms of managerial and professional specialty, it is stated that men, on average, in the year 2000, had 15,739,000 workers while women had 15,866,000 workers in the same fields. In the year 2001, the numbers were very similar, men with 15,947,000 workers compared to women with 16,155,000 workers. Nevertheless, even though the numbers for women workers are somewhat larger, the wages they score are significantly lower. For the year 2000, median weekly earnings for men were recorded at $1009 compared to $726 for women. Similarly in the year 2001, median weekly earnings for men were $1046 compared to $742 for women. That is a $15,000 annual income difference for people who are supposedly completing the same jobs and receiving a drastically different amount on their paycheck 

However, the numbers can be somewhat explained under the present conditions. Characteristically, individuals in upper level Executive positions derive more than those in lower positions, and since women only hold a small fraction of the upper level positions, it is no surprise that women earn less money. Thus, the question becomes as to why women do not believe more of the upper level positions in the IT profession. For example, out of the Chief Information Officer’s or CIO-equivalents at 300 Fortune 1000 companies and the 100 fastest-growing companies recently surveyed by Amsterdam, N.Y.- based Sheila Greco Associates, there were only 41 women (13.7 percent), compared with 259 men (86.3 percent). Sheila Greco Associates say that the percentage of women CIO’s has not changed since their research consultancy began its annual view in 1998(Paul). 

According to the 1996 Information Week 500 list of leading IT users, women held the highest-ranking IT positions at only about 7% of the 500 companies listed. Five years later, the number only rose by 1.8 percent to 8.8% of the positions held by women or 44 out of 500 Executives. Among them were Farmers insurance Group, Cecilia Claudio, and Recent York Life Insurance Co., Judith Campbell. Not surprisingly, the Society for Information Management, an organization of senior IT executives, counts only 195 women among its 2700 members. According to ongoing research by Robert Zawacki, professor emeritus of management and international business at the University of Colorado and distinguished scholar in residence at accounting firm KPMG Peat Marwick in New York, unprejudiced 20% of senior IT executives are women, while nearly 40% of all IT employees are female. These findings were based on a sight conducted every year for 20 years in IT departments at 200 companies in different industries (Wilde). 

Amid all of these statistics, it looks like companies are getting the idea, slowly but gradually allowing women to be active in its upper level positions. Xerox, for example, received several awards for its diversity programs. Now, the company has about one-third of its IT department calm of women workers. Xerox CIO Wallington says that 10 years ago a woman in the computer industry had to be “a harder worker, a smarter person, a more qualified” than her male peers to move beyond the ranks of programming into management. Now that she has arrived, Wallington says, being a woman often makes it easier for her to be heard than her male counterparts. Composed, Wallington notes that outside the walls of Xerox, IT is like the rest of corporate America- dominated by white males. She adds, “But hope can be taken from the fact that you can point to those exceptions, exceptions that weren’t there 10 years ago, so clearly there has been progress (Paul).” It seems that having a woman already in a higher position at a company makes it easier for other women to follow suite.

It seems that in IT at least, women are beginning to become a winning force in the Glass Ceiling war. Ann Winblad, founder of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, a $95 million venture-capital fund in Emeryville, Calif., says the software industry is a meritocracy. “Skills matter more than gender,” she says, “It’s an industry where the intellectual capital wins.” For men and women, Winblad says, keys to success are intellectual stamina and current sense. Winblad, who started her career as a systems analyst in 1973, encourages women to be themselves, and to not adjust their personalities to fit a man’s world. “Having a personality that is the same whether it’s with friends or business colleagues is the key to success- and so far less stress, ” she adds (Paul). Thus, individualism is supposed to give women the upper hand when going out for jobs in the upper ranks of the IT field. 

IT, it seems, when it comes to sexism, is not considerable different from other careers. Computer consultant and author Ellen Ullman is quoted as saying “Sexism is everywhere, but technology is one area where for the first two-thirds of your career- if you’re good at it- you’ll be on equal footing with people around you. Other consultants agree with Ullman that “IT is one of the best equal-opportunity areas in our society today,” says Victor Janulaitis, president of Certain Help Review, an IT management and consulting firm in Santa Monica, Calif. “It doesn’t care what accelerate, color, creed, or sexual preference you are. If you as an individual can accomplish results, you’ll be rewarded, and you’ll proceed and progress (Wilde).” While this sounds very reassuring, it might still be a little far advanced into the future for current times.

As far as minorities are concerned, a study was done in order to attribute the Glass Ceiling as a factor in the advancements or lack thereof of black IT workers. The Glass Ceiling Commission has suggested that there might be a glass ceiling that prevents them from reaching the top levels of IS and non-IS management positions. The commission’s figures show that managers were 92% white and 8% minority in 1988, identical to percentages found in 1980 and 1985. A sample of 138 employees were used, 50% gloomy and the other half white, and 52% of the sample were women. Eighty-two of the IS participants held managerial positions, and the remaining 41% percent held professional positions without supervisory responsibilities. The sample used was also of similar age. The measurements were done through a job performance rating and job performance attributions with a rating scale included on the Supervisor Glimpse. The study confirmed the presence of race differences in job performance evaluations, attributions, career advancement prospects, and career satisfaction. Dusky IS employees received lower job performance ratings, were less likely to have their job performance attributed to internal causes, were less successful in their jobs, were perceived as having less favorable advancement prospects, were more likely to be plateuad in their careers, and experienced lower career satisfaction than white IS employees (Igbaria, Wormley). 

Alright, so there are fewer women Executives in IT then men, and minorities face a glass ceiling when trying to excel. The question is, why is this the case? Quite frankly, as some put it, women find the demands of IT a little bit too demanding. Karen Hogan, acting deputy CIO of the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. says that she wouldn’t want to capture the CIO job at her agency because the time demands the position would impose on her life would be too much to bear. Women, due to the fact they need to care for children, find themselves more at odds with the near-constant travel and intense 24/7 demands of being a CIO (Paul). However, several surveys have found that the problem of balancing work and life are a major pain of male CIO’s as well. According to a current online survey by CIO of 310 IT professionals, almost as many men as women (57% versus 63%, respectively) felt they did not have an appropriate work and life balance in their current job. “Both men and women realize this is an dispute,” says Judy Rosener, professor at the Graduate School of Management of the University of California at Irvine. Rosener believes the eventual dismantling of the glass ceiling in IT will take pressure off both sexes. Rosener says, “A lot of men are saying they no longer want the burden of feeling they have to get to the top.” However, still more men than women are willing to sacrifice their personal lives in exchange for a successful professional life, while women may not be ready to leave their instilled domestic responsibilities.

Even though all of this sounds very promising, the numbers themselves exhibit that this equality still has a long way to go in order to reach reality. Another reason why IT might not favor women is because of the sheer fact that women, throughout history, have not been the major proponents of math and technology. According to Charles W. Moore, the dissatisfaction of females in the IT profession can be explained through a simple observation of the way that women and men act on a daily basis. Men, when they net together, tend to talk about cars and the intricate parts of their hardware in their different machinery systems. Even though women might be better IT workers they will never get ahead due to the fact that they do not have the drive in IT that men have, thus giving them less satisfaction from working in the industry (Moore). While this is a very risky argument and exceptions do occur, it does tend to effect sense. When most women consume a computer, they are more interested in the software and what the computer can do for them than the machine fragment of the system and the means it takes in order to effect the ends. Thus, in the job aspect of IT, that drive from the enthusiasm gained from the machine aspect in Information Technology, can be the factor that get men most of the executive level positions. Just as when women purchase out a car, most women tend to care more about the color and accessories of the automobile than the gas per mileage of the auto. Thus, grouped with the fact that women through history have had more domestic demands put on them, this lack of enthusiasm might be a factor that keeps women out of the front lines of the field.

Information Technology might be one of those modern careers of skill that acts very similarly to the oldest game of skill: the game of Chess. Being the oldest game, Chess if much more than just a game of skill. Few people realize this but the queen is the only allotment on the board that represents a woman, and she is the most remarkable allotment of the game. In medieval times, the surrender of the king would mean the loss of the kingdom to invading armies and that could mean change for the worse. The king is the most important, but not the most grand portion in Chess. Thus, if the king is not protected, the game is lost. Perhaps, not great is different in world of Information Technology. Even though women might have the same or more skill in IT, they are also bound by the demands of domestic responsibility, and their female drive may not include the same interests in technology and machinery as the drive expressed within the male characteristic, giving males fleshy control of the game. Furthermore, putting a woman in a high level position might be seen as a risk to many companies, not knowing how the public will respond to a woman run game. Thus, when it comes to wages, executives and workers in upper positions tend to make more money. When it comes to those upper positions, women may not possess the characteristics or the time needed to fill those positions, and that is why it might seem that women are more prone to fall prey to lower pay and lower jobs while in reality it might just be a consequence of the historical trends still evident in unique life today. Contrastingly from the recommendations of the Glass Ceiling Commission, affirmative action should not be applied; rather women and minorities should be promoted due to their efforts, drive, and skill, and not because of their gender or ethnicity. Therefore, until the queen and other minor pieces makes it evident that they rule the chess game, there will be, for some time to come, a struggle of women and minorities trying to attain higher level positions, and white men will continue to rule the field.

Bibliography

Moore, Charles W. “Female Dissatisfaction in the IT Industry.” (2001) 8 Feb. 2002
http://www.lowendmac.com/misc/01/0611.html.

Paul, Lauren Gibbons. “Why IT Hates Women (and the Women Who Stay Anyway).”
CIO Magazine 15 Sept. 2001: 1-10.

Wilde, Candee. “Women Gash Through It’s Glass Ceiling.” InformationWeek 20 Jan.
1997: 83.

Wormley, M. Wayne and Igbaria, Magid. “Race Differences in Job Performance and
Career Success.” Communications of the ACM March 1995: 82.