Could not believe the response to our articles published in the last issue and the issues prior on the “Obama/Pelosi/Reed Healthcare Package”. While most of the e-mails either praised the stance or the fact that we took the stance at all, some actually wondered why an Insurance Advocate would oppose a bill such as this one. First, we are in line with what most of the Associations have been thinking and saying about the bills’ intrusion in to free enterprise. Interestingly, our last cover celebrated the Free Enterprise Award itself, one of the industries oldest. But, on a different level, I would like to point out that I am a simple business man with a small staff and a lot of bills. Health insurance costs a great deal of money to us. I do not see anywhere in the legislation relief from that, only more taxes, more restriction and more regulations. After a while, putting the key in the door on a Monday morning starts to feel onerous. Most of our readers are in the same boat. Do keep the e-mails coming and we will respond…On another note, we were surprised that the Governor would reissue all of New York’s license plates at a new cost to consumers. The timing seems bad, although the idea of cleaning a system and essentially retagging automobiles will prove to be a good safety measure and a good means of keeping this system clean. As we reported in our last issue, many fraudulent drivers and vehicle owners have resorted to registering their cars out of state to save money and to hide some other activities of theirs. The Governor’s move seems to come precisely at the wrong time. The twenty-five dollars is a small price for each driver to pay if, some how or other, the result of this activity would be a stabilization of any cost of any kind; twenty-five dollars is a small amount to pay for that. History, however, has taught us that these monies somehow fade into funny money and get lost some where in general revenue. We are very pessimistic about the State’s ability to use new revenues effectively; the New York State Lottery is an example of this. I am not criticizing Governor Paterson for undertaking the program per se but his timing is terrible in this and there is no demonstrated benefit to consumer except the possible purging of some illegitimate plates….The New York Insurance Scholarship Foundation based at the NYIA have announced the awarding of its first scholarship Ms. Kathleen Vuong, a younger at St. John University studying Actuarial Science. The scholarship was awarded in the amount $1,500.00 for the 2009-2010 year. We need a lot more students such as Ms. Vuong entering the business. Thank to the NYIA for this gesture… Congratulations as well to Roger Hayne, who begins his term as President of the Casualty Actuarial Society. Hopefully Ms. Vuong will become a new member of the group. Roger Hayne is a Consulting Actuary for Milliman in Pasadena, California. He succeeds John J. Kollar, who is a Vice President for ISO. The Casualty Actuarial Society has 5, 100 members.