Three Way News

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Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Larkin on insurance

Terry Larkin published an op/ed piece in the Strib Sunday about terrorism insurance. He doesn't like the idea:

So, regardless of whether you believe government insurance is a good idea or a bad idea, let's all agree on this idea: Industry's argument for government-sponsored insurance would be more authentic if they would stop whistling "God Bless America" in our ear while sliding their hand into our pocket.

I've got no informed opinion on government involvement in terrorism insurance, so I've got nothing to say about that. I'm more interested in what Larkin doesn't know anything about:

Since I'm still not clear why Minnesotans pay government employees to dispense cold soda and free maps in roadside rest stops, I think we should examine the pros and cons of renewing this temporary government insurance.

Say what? I haven't visited each of the 280 rest areas and waysides in Minnesota, but I've never seen someone dispensing soda and free maps. Minnesota has 11 (pdf) staffed travel information centers (TIC). Staff at the TICs help tourists find where they are going. What's so hard to understand about that?

While TICs promote tourism, the remaining 270 unstaffed rest areas promote safety. Minnesota rest areas serve 20 million travelers each year at a cost of about $6 million. That's 30 cents per visitor, which seems a fair price.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it seemed to me the author willingly lives in a right-wing fantasy land where liberals impose exorbitant taxes on hard-working folks just to pay white-gloved rest area attendants to serve cold sodas in Ikea tumblers to possibly illegal swarthy-looking travelers. And you probably don't want to listen to that guy.