No, the author of Communist Manifesto was not high on drugs when he wrote it, not pharmaceutical ones anyway. The drug he was on was the mistaken belief that the distribution of wealth would ever advance society. Currently, the administration is trying to gain high marks for its high Marx approach to the economy. Turns out that there is one fundamentally unfair idea at the core of this: taxes are being proposed again to be levied on the rich. In fact, the top 25% of U.S. income and wage earners now pay 85% of all the taxes. Good luck with that… As we go to press the morning paper reports a proposed tax on benefits. There are others in the offing as well. This is back door, hidden taxation that is aimed at a redistribution of wealth. Social engineering in this country has never worked, none of it. It hasn’t worked elsewhere either. You simply cannot take away incentive, motive and reward from systems that depend on human initiative. No matter how high we may get on Marxian theory, we are flunking economics big time as a country. Where, by the way, is the outrage? It’s all aimed at AIG Executives getting bonuses and other perceived and real hoggishness that has come to the fore, and at individuals like Bernard Madoff who are simply unscrupulous and evil.We are angered by the thought of having benefits taxed, of having more taxes in upper income levels, and of still having no successful outcome. Low marks for this approach.

The New York Post of Sunday March 15th reported upon the use of state vehicles by leaders of different departments and other government officials, and included in their roundup NYSID’s Eric DiNallo. The worst that they could say about the Superintendent was that the Suburban he uses for state business was a gas guzzler. No reference whatsoever was made to any abuse and misuse of that vehicle, a credit to the Superintendent particularly in an article which aimed to paint so many with a brush applicable to a few.We do believe that the Superintendent is a modest individual. Some others, however, appear to have abused the privilege of having a state car…Speaking of privilege, it seems that every person elected to anything has got something coming out about them lately. It is simply amazing. Congressman Elliot Engel, with his house arrangement in Maryland, Congressman Charles Rangel, with his real estate and other problems, former State legislators, one former governor who is still the brunt of Jay Leno’s humor and a host of White House prospects. Is public service only attractive for the wrong reasons? Is there another conclusion I might come to? Please share your thoughts with me on this…In this issue we include an article by Robert A. Lama, of the First Niagara Insurance Agency in Ithaca, N.Y., Robert is brother of Luciano “Nino” Lama, a long time friend dating from his service on the Independent Agents of New York Board in the 1980s. The Lama family has an excellent presence in this local community and we are proud to have this guest opinion from Robert in our publication…Speaking of guest opinions, our dear friend Pat Calvert sent along an article that appeared in the Tri County Lines publication of the local Insurance Agents Associations written by Robert Mackoul, alerting agents to the impending problem implicit in the NYSID’s producer transparency and disclosure regulations.We urge you to read it and invite your responses.