posted
My dad works for an insurance company, which I will refer to as AG. About thirty years ago, AG bought another insurance company in Florida that, around fourty years ago, was selling life insurance to black people at a higher rate than white people. This only makes sense, as black people on average don't live quite as long. Of course, this is now illegal (which is, IMNHO, REALLY stupid, but that's a different topic), but at the time it was done by the company that AG bought did it, it wasn't.
Now, a bunch of black people who bought insurance from the other comapny are suing AG and six other companies for two reasons. 1: They were charged more than white people for equivalent insurance. Keep in mind that they signed a contract to this effect before it became illegal. 2: They have payed more into the insurance than they can get out of it.
Under any other circumstances, I'd just laugh at the ignorance of any asinine people who thought that they could get a easy few mil of a big corporation on such utterly ludicrous grounds as these, but only one of the companies is fighting (not AG)! Has the justice system actually become so inept that they just think that they could not win?
------------------ "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!" -- Adolph Hitler, 1933
posted
Yeah, those damn blacks don't deserve anything remotely resembling equal treatment. Somebody better get the KKK down here, or better yet, Adolf Hitler and his Nazis.
(Nice Sig, BTW. Sure the streets were safer. They killed all the damn Jews with the guns.)
------------------ "Ultra Magnus is Undeniably Fun!" David Stevens, New York Magazine. "Total Complete excitement from start to finish!" -WPIX-TV, New York "This isn't a thrill ride, it's a rocket..." -Richard Caves, Time Magazine.
posted
If your cause a car accident, your insurance rates goes up, because insurance company have to compensate the financial lost caused by your action, and also because there is a greater chance of you having a second accident.
If your race has lower life expectancy, then, unfortunately, you have to pay for a higher price, simply because there is a greater chance of you dying before reaching a certain expected age.
This probably have nothing to do with racism, it's just the statistics of making cold hard cash, I don't like it any more then you do, but as long as you're buying private insurance, the companies set priority, and in this case, money rules.
And that's why I'm in Canada, where government healthcare provide almost everything I need at an affordable cost...
CANADA RULES!
------------------ If a diamond is a woman's best friend, why does a man has to settle for a dog?
posted
This actually isn't a flame, which breaks the pattern somewhat, but a related issue...Omega, would it be correct to infer from your post that you would be in favor of insurance companies having full access to the genetic codes of their customers?
posted
I'd respond to Ultra, but Blue beat me to it. Good job.
Sol:
I'd say that if an insurance company refused to sell you insurance without seeing your genetic code first, that's their call. But I'd also say that they probably would go out of business, so it would be a stupid idea. They can't force anyone to hand over such private information, and I don't think many people would.
------------------ "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!" -- Adolph Hitler, 1933
posted
Life ain't fair. Get used to it. Insurance companies don't succeed being 'fair.' They exist to make money. If you're liable to die sooner, you're an insurance risk. The company might be better off not insuring you at all. How would you feel, then?
I'm not saying its right. But it's how they stay in business. It's an easily identifiable characteristic (unless you're michael jackson), and the statistics are sound. If they could identify gays as easily, they might charge them higher rates for the perceived risk of death from AIDS. But the color of you skin is not a private matter, it's there for everybody to see. It's not fair, but what is?
------------------ "Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
posted
I agree with the different rates for different risks, but maybe these companies want to settle out of court to avoid bad press. We complain about them suing, but the press would make these companies look like racist pigs and then they would really be hurting. So I bet the decision process was something like this: Lose a couple million to the people suing (small risk) or lose several million to loss of customers, pay the people suing, and maybe go out of business (big risk). The companies want to keep making money, so simple decision if you ask me. It's not fair and it's not right, but sometimes you have to pick the best decision even when both are bad choices.
------------------ It doesn't matter if you don't know what you're doing as long as you look good doing it.
posted
Well, if tone race is more destined to die sooner, that makes sense. Just like young/new drivers paying more for car insurance; it's statistics,
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Look at it this way: if most of your relatives had lived to 110, wouldn't you think that you should be charged less, since you're probably going to live that long, too? When you replace "race" with "family history", it suddenly doesn't seem as bad, does it?
------------------ "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed." - Noah Webster, Author, An American Dictionary of the English Language
Isn't Noah Webster that bloke who was also arrested for smuggling a shipload of cocaine into the US?
Come on, seriously, you believe that your own people plan to enslave you, and that you'll have to go out shooting them all to protect your freedom. So if this is the case, tell me why the great land of the free is so great, or free?
*knock knock*
Oh shite, here come the gestapo, and look, DAMN I don't have a gun to defend myself! Yep there I go, into a gulag in this non-armed western nation for speaking my mind. I bet the same just happened to Liam. See you in the gulag.
------------------ "Remeber, if there is a nuclear explosion, be sure to close your windows as the massive heat could cause objects within your home to catch fire".
posted
We need the guns to shoot the thread hijackers.
But, since you asked nicely...
"In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
"In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
"Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
"China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
"Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
"Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
"Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million 'educated' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated."
Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million. The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, ask them "Who do YOU want to round up and exterminate?"
------------------ "Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
[This message has been edited by First of Two (edited June 17, 2000).]
Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
Heh...that's why I use a katana instead of a gun. Need more skill, can't go off "accidentally," no need to buy ammo, easy to clean, & not restricted by any "7-day large-blade waiting period"...
Heh...that's actually pretty funny. Bladed wepaons moratoriums in, say, AD 165. Marcus Aurelius proclaiming that the populace can have pilum but not gladii....carts with signs that read (in Latin, of course), "Spiculums don't kill barbarians, barbarians kill barbarians!"
------------------ "Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
posted
Katana's good. Although I love the claymore, I wouldn't use it for close-in fighting. I have a couple sabres and a kris, but my favorites are two nicely hilted daggers, and a set of weighted throwing knives.
I'm still looking for a (that triangular punching knife whose name escapes me at the moment but which I think is Indian in origin) and one of those Russian Spetznaz spring-propelled shooting knives.
------------------ "Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
"you believe that your own people plan to enslave you[?]"
I'd be a fool not to, and so would you. There are always people who want power over the lives of others. Just look at most liberals. To VOLUNTARILY give up your only means of defence against these people is quite stupid. To believe that these people don't exist at all is completely moronic.
------------------ "Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed." - Noah Webster, Author, An American Dictionary of the English Language
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