Credit versus accidents

I urge everyone who has seen the ads sponsored by the insurance industry and is considering voting "no" on Ballot Measure 42 to do a little research before making up your mind.

The ads claim people with poor credit ratings tend to file more claims than people with good credit ratings. However, somehow during the course of the ad, "make more claims" transforms into "have more accidents." Do they really have more accidents? I doubt the insurance companies even know. It makes sense that people with bad credit would make more claims - they likely have less money and can't afford to cover minor accidents out of pocket, as folks with better credit ratings can. Is that fair? That people who merely use what they have paid for are penalized for it?

Insurance company credit scoring schemes are neither logical nor consistent. Each company uses its own, and they aren't the same that financial institutions use for granting credit.

Someone with a good enough credit rating to qualify for the lowest mortgage rate could be socked with a higher car insurance premium simply because they opened several new accounts during the last year. So having a good credit rating doesn't necessarily make you immune from higher premiums.

Consumer Reports published an in-depth article on car insurance premiums in the August 2006 issue. It is also available online at www.

consumerreports.org. I urge everyone to read it before voting.

Maureen King, Albany

Cats in shopping carts

I'm writing in regards to the letter from Rose Williams about the cat in the Wal-Mart grocery cart in the Sept. 5 paper. Good for you, Rose. I too have seen two dogs in carts at Wal-Mart, two at Safeway and one at Shop N Kart in Lebanon.

I told the clerk at all three stores and nothing was ever said to the people with the animals.

They all need to wake up and know what is going on in their store.

Bertha Forbes, Lebanon

Helmets and motorcycle wrecks

Some weeks or so ago you wrote a great editorial explaining the right of motorcyclists to choose whether or not to wear a helmet when they ride. This time, finally, someone got it right. You have obviously done your homework.

Recently my wife, Iris, requested and finally received some data from the state of Oregon that clearly shows there are injuries to the neck and head caused by the helmet. It took over a year of begging and pleading for the data, but it did uphold our beliefs and concerns about the use of a helmet.

Another important issue is the amount of recent deaths of motorcyclists. "The number of deaths have nearly doubled in the last five years," complained the government agencies. By crunching and averaging the reportable deaths in the last four years (2001-2004) and comparing them to the deaths of the year 2000, we find that there is a 72 percent increase. As we crunch the data from the same four years and compare it to 2000, we find that the number of motorcycle registrations has jumped 74 percent. The deaths and wrecks are predictable and not out of line with expected results.

The State of Oregon must do something to reduce the incident rates of motorcycle/car wrecks. The only way to do that is to create public awareness programs and to insist on severe penalties for those who cause a motorcycle to wreck into their vehicle. The motorcyclists themselves take safety courses through TEAM OREGON to help them ride safely, but the auto drivers must also be held responsible.

Mel Yeager, Albany

Allow CD players in school

My letter is about CD players in school. I think CD players should be allowed in school on breaks and during lunch. I believe this because with music you can concentrate easier. Another reason is because with music you can do things a lot easier. A final reason is if you're listening to music you can do stuff a lot better and more accurate.

Some people may argue with my idea because they say it's a distraction. Also, they may think it would get in the way of everything.

Think about your average day. Music is everywhere: in your car, on the Internet, on TV. What would people do without music? It's some people's job for a living. Being a drummer myself, I think music is an expression like art or daily life. Music is offered in school.

So, why not let people listen to music while taking a test or during lunch or on a break?

Thank you for reading this and if you are on the school board and you're reading this maybe you should do something about this problem.

Kris Nelson, Albany

A community responsibility

Thank you for the excellent article and photo of Mennonite Village in yesterday's (Sept. 13) Democrat-Herald.

We are very fortunate to have outstanding community support.

We take our responsibility to the Linn/Benton community very seriously and look forward to providing services for seniors on and off campus in the years to come.

Ron Litwiller, President/CEO, Mennonite Village, Albany