Your Views: Letters to the Editor

Frances Coleman By Frances Coleman Press-Register
on December 11, 2009 at 10:21 PM, updated December 12, 2009 at 11:45 AM

Insurers supposed

to provide service

I read the Dec. 7 article, "Alfa: Cuts needed to be ‘viable.’"

This makes me sick. This company is "responsible to its policyholders," but at the same time it is supposed to provide a service to the residents of Alabama.

If the politicians in Montgomery weren’t so beholden to Alfa, the state could require any insurance company doing business in Alabama to either cover all interested policyholders no matter where they live, or cover none at all.

There would be plenty of interest from other companies for the lucrative business available.

I would like to see the Press-Register print Alfa’s earnings and losses for the past 10 years.

Sure, the company took a hit during Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, but this is a drop in the bucket compared to what they took in from all over the state during all the other years when we didn’t have any storms.

It’s time the residents stood up and started letting Montgomery know where we stand.

If a politician is being courted by the big insurance companies, his or her days in the Capitol should be numbered.

I’ll be checking when election time comes. I’ve never been active during an election, but times are changing.




Be careful when

seizing animals

I am writing concerning the Dec. 2 article, "Mobile animal control officer gets new powers to protect pets."

The article is unclear on this, but if the City Council has appointed Ellen Lursen (the director of the city’s animal shelter) an agent of the city in regard to animal cruelty, this likely does not apply to her employees.

Unless Ms. Lursen personally seizes the animals, the city could one day find itself embroiled in a lawsuit.

I call people’s attention to a lawsuit styled "Louisville Kennel Club, Inc., et al v. Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government." The case was filed in the Western Kentucky federal district court, and a decision was rendered on Oct. 2 of this year.

The court found that the seizing of animals without due process was questionable at best and, in certain instances, a violation of the constitutional rights of the animal owner.

The Press-Register article states that the law under which Ms. Lursen was appointed gives the city immunity from lawsuits in cases in which a seizure is done in good faith to protect the animals.

However, federal law says that an individual or government cannot be shielded by a law that is unconstitutional.

When one looks into a crystal ball, one can see a case in which Ms. Lursen and all the City Council could be held personally responsible.




America doesn’t

exploit others

I am writing in reference to the Dec. 7 letter, "Selfishness plays role in immigration attitudes." The writer makes several dubious claims.

First, she says that the United States has historically exploited Mexico and "much of the rest of the world."

This statement ignores the fact that our country routinely gives billions in aid to Third World countries each year.

It also defies logic. Why would people want to come to a country that is "exploiting" its own?

Second, the writer states that we in the United States "simply don’t care about basic fairness" and "resist attempts to change this system to make it more equitable."

She seems to believe that if we took from the "haves" and gave to the "have nots," then all would be right with the world.

The problem with this argument is that it has been tried and it simply didn’t work. The only thing socialism and communism have ever done is make almost everyone worse off than they were.

The United States is not perfect. It has its faults. Its government and its citizens have made and will make mistakes. However, this country, with its representative democracy and free market economy, remains the last, best hope for freedom and liberty in our world.

I’m proud of America and the ideals on which she was founded and on which she still stands.

I pray she will continue to be that shining city on a hill for many years to come.