At 02:22 PM 12/27/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>$225??
>
>$8.00????
>
>It's pretty clear you guys don't live near "lawyer country". I pay over
>$600 for liabilty and comprehensive coverage (fire and theft) and I get a
>10% low mileage discount (not this year, though...). That's _no
>collision_ coverage.
>
>I wouldn't mind paying only $225, that would be a great relief and I'd
>have roughly $400 for parts ;-). Such a deal.
>
>I'll bet NY and most of the East Coast is expensive like Massachusetts. I
>heard California is up there too. I think the high rates are due to the
>concentration of attorneys.
>
Bob (and list):
You're right about NY, but it's 2,200 per year for the XJ6.
Okay, I have to admit first of all, I _am_ a lawyer, but not involved
in the personal injury mess -- I work for a Federal bankruptcy judge.
Second, the problem isn't lawyers, its their clients who think a
five-mile-an-hour fender-bender is the functional equivalent of a
winning lottery ticket.
Most of all, it's the fault of juries consisting of rubes who find it easy
to spend other people's money. I'm generalizing here, but it seems that
most educated people try to get out of jury service, and I have to say,
it's hard to blame them. It's no fun, and it doesn't pay. But that leaves
you with juries made up of people who work for places like the post
office and phone company, who will keep paying you when you're on jury duty,
and the unemployed, as juries. You get what you pay for. I mean, look at
the O.J. civil jury -- one of the alternates is a Trekkie, who comes to
court every day in a Star Trek uniform, for God's sake. Now, I kind of
like Star Trek, but for crying out loud, to have a closet case like this
on a jury??? Even as an alternate? I know a lot of well-educated,
dedicated people who are happy to go serve on jury duty, but I know a
lot of others who, if given the choice, would rather have their taxes
audited for the last 15 years.
Next time, if you're lucky, you'll get the call to jury duty and the
insurance bill in the same mail. Just something to think about.
I feel much better now.
Apologies to the non-U.S. members of the list for this rant! :-)
Mark Moburg
markmoburg@mindspring.com
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