Back to School for Me

[Ted S]

I'm enrolled in an 8 hour defensive driving class.  OMG Ted, what did you do?  Nothing, other than have a birthday.

In my home state of Minnesota, the legislature in their infinite wisdom decided that the once a person is 55 years old they aren't as good driving as they once were.  I'm not going to argue with that logic as it is probably accurate but instead of testing the driving ability of us seasoned citizens individually they force the insurance companies to give us a 10% discount if we sit through 8 hours of classroom instruction.  So next month I will be spending two evenings learning the how to drive safely which by the way, I have been doing for the past 35 years.

The good news is that this is completely voluntary for me.  The bad news is that it's not for my insurance company and it probably has zero effect in actually making elderly drivers safer.  I expect this will be nothing more than a huge boondoggle but I'll report back if I learn anything new at all.

[wbcoleman]

I'm enrolled in an 8 hour defensive driving class.  OMG Ted, what did you do?  Nothing, other than have a birthday.

In my home state of Minnesota, the legislature in their infinite wisdom decided that the once a person is 55 years old they aren't as good driving as they once were.  I'm not going to argue with that logic as it is probably accurate but instead of testing the driving ability of us seasoned citizens individually they force the insurance companies to give us a 10% discount if we sit through 8 hours of classroom instruction.  So next month I will be spending two evenings learning the how to drive safely which by the way, I have been doing for the past 35 years.

The good news is that this is completely voluntary for me.  The bad news is that it's not for my insurance company and it probably has zero effect in actually making elderly drivers safer.  I expect this will be nothing more than a huge boondoggle but I'll report back if I learn anything new at all.

Well, ted, look at it this way:  Up until now, you've been paying an inflated premium to finance the state-mandated discount to oldsters.  Now you'll finally be on the receiving end.  Maybe now you'll start voting for your Democratic benefactors!

[clistensprechen]

That made absolutely no sense, wbcoleman...however...there's no such thing as knowing too much by way of skill updates, Ted, and refresher courses are always good no matter who you are.

And, by the way....

Hippo, birdies, two ewes---
Hippo, birdies, two ewes!
...Hippo, birdie, deer ewe......
Hippo, birdies, two ewes!

[wbcoleman]

That made absolutely no sense, wbcoleman...however...there's no such thing as knowing too much by way of skill updates, Ted, and refresher courses are always good no matter who you are.

And, by the way....

Hippo, birdies, two ewes---
Hippo, birdies, two ewes!
...Hippo, birdie, deer ewe......
Hippo, birdies, two ewes!

I think it was pretty clear.  You don't see the economics of such a scheme?

[clistensprechen]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

[Ted S]

That made absolutely no sense, wbcoleman...however...there's no such thing as knowing too much by way of skill updates, Ted, and refresher courses are always good no matter who you are.

Refresher courses are necessary for things that are complicated, ever changing, or things that you don't do very often.  I drive every day, only rarely does anything change, and nearly any dope can get a driver's license.  This has boondoggle written all over it.

[wbcoleman]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

You don't think the premia of younger drivers rise to offset the mandatory, meaningless discounts offered to older ones?  Naive.

[clistensprechen]

That made absolutely no sense, wbcoleman...however...there's no such thing as knowing too much by way of skill updates, Ted, and refresher courses are always good no matter who you are.

Refresher courses are necessary for things that are complicated, ever changing, or things that you don't do very often.  I drive every day, only rarely does anything change, and nearly any dope can get a driver's license.  This has boondoggle written all over it.

You're too young to remember the Right Turn on Red  rash, I guess. Rules of the Road can and do change, like what you're expected to do when emergency vehicles or police car approaches. Etc.  It's not always the case that when you think you still know it all that you actually do.

[clistensprechen]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

You don't think the premia of younger drivers rise to offset the mandatory, meaningless discounts offered to older ones?  Naive.

Call me naive for not recognizing a delusion, and I raise you one and call you delusional for your delusion.

[wbcoleman]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

You don't think the premia of younger drivers rise to offset the mandatory, meaningless discounts offered to older ones?  Naive.

Call me naive for not recognizing a delusion, and I raise you one and call you delusional for your delusion.

I guess you don't believe that Obamacare's mandate to insure sick people will be paid for by increasing premia for healthy people.

[Ted S]

You're too young to remember the Right Turn on Red  rash, I guess.

I guess I am too young because for as long as I have been driving it has been legal to make a right turn on a red.  This just goes to prove my point; hardly anything ever changes in the world of driving.

Rules of the Road can and do change...

Yeah, at about the same frequency as Halley's comet visits. (every 75 years)

The only significant change I can remember is that Minnesota discovered the joys of roundabouts within the past 10 years.  Before 2000 I think there were only 3 in the entire state but now they are much more common.  But that's it.  Nothing else of significance has changed.

[clistensprechen]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

You don't think the premia of younger drivers rise to offset the mandatory, meaningless discounts offered to older ones?  Naive.

Call me naive for not recognizing a delusion, and I raise you one and call you delusional for your delusion.

I guess you don't believe that Obamacare's mandate to insure sick people will be paid for by increasing premia for healthy people.

Indeed I do not because increased premia already pays for the indigent to go to the hospital emergency room at top dollar. A cheaper method of health care will mean lower premia instead.

[clistensprechen]

You're too young to remember the Right Turn on Red  rash, I guess.

I guess I am too young because for as long as I have been driving it has been legal to make a right turn on a red.  This just goes to prove my point; hardly anything ever changes in the world of driving.

Rules of the Road can and do change...

Yeah, at about the same frequency as Halley's comet visits. (every 75 years)

The only significant change I can remember is that Minnesota discovered the joys of roundabouts within the past 10 years.  Before 2000 I think there were only 3 in the entire state but now they are much more common.  But that's it.  Nothing else of significance has changed.

So how would you know if you don't periodically review the laws? You don't...which is exactly my point. Your assessment is in error because you clearly haven't.  Going back to school would be good for you.

[wbcoleman]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

You don't think the premia of younger drivers rise to offset the mandatory, meaningless discounts offered to older ones?  Naive.

Call me naive for not recognizing a delusion, and I raise you one and call you delusional for your delusion.

I guess you don't believe that Obamacare's mandate to insure sick people will be paid for by increasing premia for healthy people.

Indeed I do not because increased premia already pays for the indigent to go to the hospital emergency room at top dollar. A cheaper method of health care will mean lower premia instead.

So you don't believe that Obamacare will increase the demand for medical services, it'll just shift the financing.  Backers of the scheme claimed that 30 million previously uninsured people would be covered, but you think they are already covered by ER writeoffs.  Why weren't we told???

[clistensprechen]

I do see the economics of the scheme you describe. It's just not reality, that's all.

You don't think the premia of younger drivers rise to offset the mandatory, meaningless discounts offered to older ones?  Naive.

Call me naive for not recognizing a delusion, and I raise you one and call you delusional for your delusion.

I guess you don't believe that Obamacare's mandate to insure sick people will be paid for by increasing premia for healthy people.

Indeed I do not because increased premia already pays for the indigent to go to the hospital emergency room at top dollar. A cheaper method of health care will mean lower premia instead.

So you don't believe that Obamacare will increase the demand for medical services, it'll just shift the financing.  Backers of the scheme claimed that 30 million previously uninsured people would be covered, but you think they are already covered by ER writeoffs.  Why weren't we told???

You WERE told. You just weren't listening because you dismiss the messenger as lying libs, that's why.  You'll get a whole lot further along in solving the nation's problems when you recognize facts as facts regardless of who it is that's telling you the facts.

FACT: the demand won't increase because it's always been there and it's always gone to the ER and it's a cost that the hospital eats.

FACT: the hospital won't eat the cost and so charges more on the insurance companies of the insured. This is the redistribution of wealth your side has always been blind to because it's a medical corporation that's redistributing wealth.

FACT: redistribution of wealth = redistribution of wealth whether it's the corporation or the government that does it.