Washington State Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler, testified before the U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming earlier this month. According to the press release, last winter’s windstorms in Washington are a result of global warming. I understand that global warming will cause changes in the weather, but to blame global warming for this past year’s storms is like Jerry Falwell blaming gays and feminists for 911.

“If you’re looking for evidence of climate change, you need look no further than the recent increase in insurance losses,” said Kreidler. “Insurance shows the economic reality of climate change. Last winter’s windstorm was the most severe in our state’s history and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to homes and property. Nationally, the insurance industry lost more than $61 billion in 2005, the year of Hurricane Katrina.”

There have been more severe storms in the past — what do we blame those on? Global cooling? The weather fluctuates. Some years, some decades, are worse than others. Ever heard of the dust bowl? Ever read Grapes of Wrath?

Sunspot activity is causing the climate to warm (yea, I think it is the sun and not us doing the majority of the warming), but whatever is causing it, I don’t think you can blame it for the current weather.

You see articles in the newspaper about homes burning down rather freqequently, but how often does someone get to burn down their own home (and not get arrested)? The Columbian reported on a man whose house was in danger of falling into a canyon as the ground eroded next to the home. They had actually moved the home but the avalanche was not to be stopped.

Normally a home would be bulldozed but because of the avalanche potential they were able to make a case for not wanting heavy equipment near the home and instead got all the permissions needed to use the home as a training exercise for the local firefighters of which he is a volunteer member.

Sad, but cool.

We enjoyed (this post did not get published in real time) our time at the Westin Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort. The view from our 7th floor room is fantastic. We have enjoyed sleeping with the sliding glass door open and listening to the ocean waves roll onto the beach.

We went out on an excursion first thing in the morning. A group of about 40 of us headed out on 3 speed boats to a secluded beach while some snorkeled and others just walked and relaxed. When the snorkelers came back Captain A.J. cooked up a grouper he said he had speared that morning along with some very spice potatoes and a salad. When lunch was done some went back to the resort and 10 of us went snorkeling. I was not as impressed with the snorkeling as I had been in Cancun, but I think they were more worried about getting us back in to the resort on time and before the rain than they were about taking us to the best spot.

Later that evening they had a reception party out on the lawn for all the GMAC agents that made the trip. We had a great buffet dinner with a little, very little, business thrown in. Gary Kusumi, GMAC President and CEO, introduced the other GMAC reps who were all wearing matching shirts. I had a chance to talk with other agency owners, all of whom obviously write enough business to qualify for this great trip. That is what makes these get-togethers so valuable — getting to know and share ideas with other successful agencies.

The party ended with a local performing group dancing in local garb and playing local instruments. What made it a hoot is that Rick Pierce, the Agency Marketing VP, who has been with GMAC Insurance for 24 years, led the procession — all dressed up!

More Bahama Vacation Photos

My wife continues to shatter my altered reality and remind me that I am getting older. It is sad but true, yet getting older does beat the alternative. We have decided it was time to work on our will. To do that I will probably have to sit down with someone, and they will look over all my stuff. So, before I do that I want to have some of that ’stuff’ in order.

One of the main items on the list is still life insurance. Even though my oldest kids would be saddened by my departing this world, they would get by. But that still leaves a handful of kids and a dear wife who have depended on my monthly paycheck to keep themselves fed and clothed as well as enjoying a few of life’s pleasures. We had not updated my life insurance for years and finances have changed considerably.

I decided to go online and see what I could find. I filled out a couple of the online lead generators like Netquote.com and promptly received some quotes from a couple of agents.

I got a ballpark quote from each of them for $500,000 of life insurance based on my age, height, weight, and general good health. From those quotes I picked two to go with. An “internet agent” who does all his business long distance and a local agent who also buys the same leads.

A couple of the internet agents gave me quotes from the same companies. I chose the one because he was a good salesman. Not only did he call me within 15 minutes of my clicking submit to the generic lead site, but when I gave him the standard, “Let me think about it” line he countered with, “Why don’t we get the paperwork started, you keep shopping, and if this turns out to be the best rate you can sign the paperwork”. The local agent came across as a nice guy and I wanted to say I tried to shop locally but his price was a bit higher so I figured I was just going through the motions with his.

The nurses were scheduled for the two policies to come by, both did their quick little routine of drawing blood, collecting pee samples, etc., and then it was time to wait and see.

Disappointment set in when the internet agent called and told me that my cholesterol ratio was not where it should be, so the company had uprated the policy an extra $35 per month. I waited a day or two then called the local agent to see what he heard. He checked with his underwriter and found out that they had a similar concern but did not know what the new rate was yet and that he would contact me in a couple days when it was through underwriting.

He called me two days late and said that they had uprated it some, but he had talked to his underwriters and they had not uprated it as much as they would have normally. He told me the price and it was only $10 more a month than I was expecting from them and so told him it was a go. We met a couple days later for me to give him the money and start the policy.

Now that that is done, I else I want to have done before I sit across from the lawyer so he does not laugh when he looks at my ’situation’.

Click here to get some free life insurance quotes through Insureme.com.

I wrote last year about local prosecutors putting DUI Dismissals up for Sale. The Tri-City Herald reported today that Governor Christine Gregoire signed Washington State Senate Bill 6100 legislation prohibiting these out-of-court deals.

A city attorney, county prosecutor, or other prosecuting authority may not dismiss, amend, or agree not to file a criminal charge in exchange for a contribution, donation, or payment to any person, corporation, or organization.

It is really hard for me to imagine that this was not illegal before, I guess the prosecutors could not keep the money for themselves but it was ok for them to have you ‘give’ it to their favorite charity in return for dropping charges. Of course the best part of the original story was the surprise that the system would be abused and some of the money, tens of thousands of the money, would disappear.

The oddities? Out of the 140+ Senators and Representatives voting on this only one person voted against it, Representative Jim Dunn (R-Vancouver) from the 17th District. I could find no reason published as to why he would stand alone in thinking that this practice should be legal.