Missed the Point

How is it, that the editorial board continues to miss the point or the obvious. when it comes to serious problem of this city.

HIGH INSURANCE RATES for SAFE DRIVERS is the problem. The main and only reason. Flint has high insurance rates. is that most of the citizens are poor and cannot fight back.

Here we get the statistics about the safe driving habits of Flint residents. So what possible reason for high insurance rates if flint has some of the safest drivers.

Poverty and ability to pay is one of the main reasons. the more money you have the more voice you seem to have. The other problem is. CRIME. Yes it's crime. Flint is the only municipality in the Genesee County area. That fines people for getting their cars stolen. Then refuses to do any type of investigation into the criminal that stole the car.

Why would they? If the city makes money off your car getting stolen. It is in the city's best interest not to find out who stole the car. If your making money off stolen cars. You want more to be stolen. We'll see if I'm right come end of the year. When the stats show how many cars were stolen in 2006. If it does go down. I predict. It won't be by more than a few percent. But, if it goes up. It will be by 5 or more percent. We'll just wait and see.

In the mean time. We get stuck with lackluster editorials from the Flint journal. From people who are so far out of touch with the general population of Flint. They write dribble in a rag. That continually proves itself to most valuable as bird cage lining, or for use in house training your dog.

I wish someone would sing them "Some where over the rainbow" and ask the wizard of Oz to give them a brain.

Flint's safe drivers?
Insurer's claim we well know may not be the full story
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Lists ranking cities on one criterion or another are
fun to read, but they shouldn't be taken seriously,
such as Allstate Insurance Co.'s ratings on driving
safety.

Of the 200 largest cities in the country, Flint came in
30th, based on claim data the insurance company used to
analyze how often drivers can expect to be involved in
an accident.

While we'd be the first to cheer if we thought these
numbers meant those driving in Flint had become more
conscientious, no one should believe the Vehicle City
zoomed from 73rd to 30th in a single year, and Grand
Rapids revved its way up to 33rd from 128th. Did
everyone retake driver's education in the past 12
months?

More credible are Flint police statistics that show the
number of accidents in Flint has dropped slightly in
recent years and fatalities are way down, a situation
the city's traffic bureau chief credits to better
enforcement, quality medical care and more cautious
drivers.

Noteworthy, the data Allstate used to claim much
greater improvement in Flint driving safety is
significantly different from what police use. The
insurer based its analysis on where customers live
rather than where their accidents occurred. Traffic
bureau numbers are based on just the opposite.

Allstate's findings likely don't account for other
factors. For instance, people who regularly drive in
the city know that a green light does not mean go. It
means watch out for the two or three drivers who'll
surely run the red.

Also, claims data don't offer a complete accident
picture. Flint, like other economically depressed
cities, has its share of uninsured drivers. Others have
high deductibles and may not report accidents that
would provide little money, but greatly hike premiums.

Finally, Flint continues to lose jobs along with
population. That means fewer people driving to work in
the city each day.

So, while it's entertaining to read about Flint's safer
drivers, those who get behind the wheel shouldn't relax
their defenses.