Gas Tax to Pay for Car Insurance

Yet another way to place more taxes on gasoline! When will they let it alone?

It does not surprise me that state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) supports the Tobias plan of paying insurance premiums at the gas pump (“Pay at the Pump, Ease Gridlock on Reform,” Commentary, Feb. 3). As displayed last year with the Insurance Committee hearings on the need for increased premiums for the California assigned risk plan, Torres has a history of preferring the many to subsidize the few.

Unfortunately, what Torres and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi seem to ignore is that there are a lot of us good drivers out here who, plainly and simply, just do not want to subsidize the rest of the drivers in the state.

The part of the Tobias plan that encourages “pure no-fault” (or no-fault insurance without any tort threshold) is right on. This, as Torres aptly points out, would indeed eliminate both the costly lawsuits and the uninsured motorist problem, thus driving the premium down and making auto insurance affordable.

We shouldn’t forget that insurance is a privilege, not a right. Change is needed, but I must disagree with any system that throws agents, brokers, and underwriters out of work; increases the cost of gasoline, yet again, and gives the state bureaucrats more money to oversee.

DAVID S. FRY

Covina