Reasons to love Louisiana

[markay714]

Well, if anyone plans to move back, expect to pay a "road use tax" to have your car registered in the state. It will run you over $500 per car unless it is a very old klunker ($500+ for 2005 Ford Sportrac). However, you can always just buy a new car once you arrive.

If you live south of I-12 or in any of the coastal parishes, don't expect to get home insurance. You get the opportunity to go through the citizen's plan and pay $4000+ a year just to insure your home.

They have really rolled out the red carpet and welcome signs for people who want to relocate here.

My insurance actually went down this year, and I'm just ever so slightly south of I-12 in BR. Who should be subsidizing insurance for people who live in the most hurricane prone areas? Just because NO had gotten lucky for so long, a bad one was bound to happen and surely will again.

At least when you renew your registration its cheap. I think about $10 or something (no annual property tax on it or anything). Had you bought your vehicle in Louisiana initially? I bought a car and moved to Michigan and back a year later. Since I'd paid the taxes here initially, I didn't get hit hard on the return trip.

Every place has their plusses and minuses. A friend moved to Texas and I got a crying call when she found out here HUGE increase in escrow charges to pay property taxes - a whole mortgage payment by itself.

[markay714]

Actually I hate the negativity about this state. Some of the bad that has happened is likely to ultimately produce some real positives. I do expect things to be better.

I enjoyed my year away in Michigan, but it wasn't home. Louisiana is home - I'd just rather work to make it better!

[Cal&Ken]

Well, if anyone plans to move back, expect to pay a "road use tax" to have your car registered in the state. It will run you over $500 per car unless it is a very old klunker ($500+ for 2005 Ford Sportrac). However, you can always just buy a new car once you arrive.

If you live south of I-12 or in any of the coastal parishes, don't expect to get home insurance. You get the opportunity to go through the citizen's plan and pay $4000+ a year just to insure your home.

They have really rolled out the red carpet and welcome signs for people who want to relocate here.

Been there - done that. For us it was $1,400.

[Guisslapp]

My insurance actually went down this year.

Mine did too. I switched to Geico.

[Cal&Ken]

There is but one plus to this state - my family lives here. Without that I would be in Virginia still.

[Dawgbitten]

Markay, maybe I should have stated St. Tammany Parish south of I-12. Tangipahoa Parish and East of there is fine.

As far as the insurance "subsidy", what will your feelings be when a Cat 5 strikes Norfolk, VA or Houston, TX? I realize New Orleans is different terrain, but it just isn't NO that is suffering from this insurance mess. It is FL, AL, and MS. Florida probably the worst. Should they all pack up and move to the interior of the country?

My wife will be paying $600 to register her car tomorrow and will probably wait in line for over two hours to do so. She waited over two hours today just to get her driver's license.

[Guisslapp]

Markay, maybe I should have stated St. Tammany Parish south of I-12. Tangipahoa Parish and East of there is fine.

As far as the insurance "subsidy", what will your feelings be when a Cat 5 strikes Norfolk, VA or Houston, TX? I realize New Orleans is different terrain, but it just isn't NO that is suffering from this insurance mess. It is FL, AL, and MS. Florida probably the worst. Should they all pack up and move to the interior of the country?

My wife will be paying $600 to register her car tomorrow and will probably wait in line for over two hours to do so. She waited over two hours today just to get her driver's license.

Florida is getting reduced rates per the campaing promise of our newly elected republican governor. It is this GREAT plan. Get this, Citizen's Insurance, an insurance company created by the legislature to insure those who cannot otherwise get/afford insurance. is not required to get reinsurance. Otherwise, the reinsurance costs would be passed to the consumer. Citizens is now the biggest property insurer in Florida. Hey, but if Florida gets hard we can just raid the state treasury to cover the claims. BRILLIANT!!!

[JuBru]

Florida is getting reduced rates per the campaing promise of our newly elected republican governor. It is this GREAT plan. Get this, Citizen's Insurance, an insurance company created by the legislature to insure those who cannot otherwise get/afford insurance. is not required to get reinsurance. Otherwise, the reinsurance costs would be passed to the consumer. Citizens is now the biggest property insurer in Florida. Hey, but if Florida gets hard we can just raid the state treasury to cover the claims. BRILLIANT!!!

I dont' see a problem with that. If done right, I think it could end up being a very good thing... MIGHT even be something to model social security and some other stuff after maybe??? That is, assuming it works...


I love Louisiana, but I'll be happy when I leave for BCT and so on... Will be great to get away and then visit every once in a while (mainly since most of my family live here).

[Guisslapp]

I dont' see a problem with that. If done right, I think it could end up being a very good thing... MIGHT even be something to model social security and some other stuff after maybe??? That is, assuming it works...


I love Louisiana, but I'll be happy when I leave for BCT and so on... Will be great to get away and then visit every once in a while (mainly since most of my family live here).

Insurance companies get reinsurance for a reason. Florida has a huge coastline. A season with a couple of hurricanse hitting Florida or ONE nasty hurricane hitting a large city (Miami in particular), and there will not be enough money in Citizen's to cover the claims. An insurance company only has to keep a certain percentage of money on hand relative to the value of the policies it writes. Usually this is no big deal, beacause the insurance companies are reinsured by other insurance providers. For example, a company writing property insurance coverage in Florida will also purchase insurance to cover the insurance it writes. It will most likely get insurance from someone that is more diversified (someone that insures other insurance companies elsewhere in the country). This works well because disasters tend to hit regions and not the whole country at once. If the company has no reinsurance, then it will not have the assets to pay the claims. It will just go bankrupt, and people that pay for the insurance will get nothing (or not much) in return for the premiums they pay. Of course, in this day and age, this is a politically unpleasant result. Therefore, the state of Florida will have to pay this money out of its treasury. But where is this money going to come from?

[markay714]

Markay, maybe I should have stated St. Tammany Parish south of I-12. Tangipahoa Parish and East of there is fine.

As far as the insurance "subsidy", what will your feelings be when a Cat 5 strikes Norfolk, VA or Houston, TX? I realize New Orleans is different terrain, but it just isn't NO that is suffering from this insurance mess. It is FL, AL, and MS. Florida probably the worst. Should they all pack up and move to the interior of the country?

My wife will be paying $600 to register her car tomorrow and will probably wait in line for over two hours to do so. She waited over two hours today just to get her driver's license.

Car registration can be done at some of those Tax Title and License places (private) and they don't have the wait. I think there's a surcharge, but I KNOW it is worth it! I've seen those lines

On the homeowner's insurance, I do not believe that people in Shreveport should be rated like they live in Baton Rouge, nor me like I lived in New Orleans as far as risk. I think groups with like risk (Norfolk or New Orleans) should pay the same rates.

[JuBru]

Insurance companies get reinsurance for a reason. Florida has a huge coastline. A season with a couple of hurricanse hitting Florida or ONE nasty hurricane hitting a large city (Miami in particular), and there will not be enough money in Citizen's to cover the claims. An insurance company only has to keep a certain percentage of money on hand relative to the value of the policies it writes. Usually this is no big deal, beacause the insurance companies are reinsured by other insurance providers. For example, a company writing property insurance coverage in Florida will also purchase insurance to cover the insurance it writes. It will most likely get insurance from someone that is more diversified (someone that insures other insurance companies elsewhere in the country). This works well because disasters tend to hit regions and not the whole country at once. If the company has no reinsurance, then it will not have the assets to pay the claims. It will just go bankrupt, and people that pay for the insurance will get nothing (or not much) in return for the premiums they pay. Of course, in this day and age, this is a politically unpleasant result. Therefore, the state of Florida will have to pay this money out of its treasury. But where is this money going to come from?

Learning something new... I didn't know of reinsurance... Seems the whole system is more screwed up then I previously thought if that is what happens.

[Dawgbitten]

Car registration can be done at some of those Tax Title and License places (private) and they don't have the wait. I think there's a surcharge, but I KNOW it is worth it! I've seen those lines

On the homeowner's insurance, I do not believe that people in Shreveport should be rated like they live in Baton Rouge, nor me like I lived in New Orleans as far as risk. I think groups with like risk (Norfolk or New Orleans) should pay the same rates.

Then if you think the riskier the place, the higher the premiums, would you be in favor of a higher minium wage,r higher fuel prices (think oil refineries, etc.), or higher prices when you go to the beach (so the hotel manager can afford to live there), to offset the costs of the employees that live in these areas? Or would equitable insurance from coast to coast be a better solution?

[Cal&Ken]

Then if you think the riskier the place, the higher the premiums, would you be in favor of a higher minium wage,r higher fuel prices (think oil refineries, etc.), or higher prices when you go to the beach (so the hotel manager can afford to live there), to offset the costs of the employees that live in these areas? Or would equitable insurance from coast to coast be a better solution?

That is stupid to think everyone should pay for someone else to be able to afford to live in a riskier area. Anyone that thinks like that must love welfare, foodstamps, etc. We all make choices in life. One of them is the location where we live. I have lived on the coast in VA and I don't now. I certainly don't want to pay a higher premium because someone wants a beach view- that is just stupid. And the other scenario makes no sense and is not worth addressing.

[saltydawg]

Florida is getting reduced rates per the campaing promise of our newly elected republican governor. It is this GREAT plan. Get this, Citizen's Insurance, an insurance company created by the legislature to insure those who cannot otherwise get/afford insurance. is not required to get reinsurance. Otherwise, the reinsurance costs would be passed to the consumer. Citizens is now the biggest property insurer in Florida. Hey, but if Florida gets hard we can just raid the state treasury to cover the claims. BRILLIANT!!!

Isn't that some of that liberal socialism crap?

[marketdawg]

I could knock out two "demographic" aspects in this study and one and you would be amazed at how Louisiana would shoot towards the top of the list in all areas involving anything besides infrastructure (education, disease, crime). One of them is Orleans Parish and the other, well...