The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-07-24
DEFENSELESS AMERICA

benefits of old line insurance at about
of the cost to the policy
holder, is a widely published pamph-
let, announced that the life insurance
reserves were the menace to America.
Brandeis often preached the same
gospel after he became justice OF
the u. S. Supreme Court.
The Liquor Drinking Loss
Our present governor often points
with pride to the immense income
from the state liquor business. 1t Is
all. of course, true measure OF loss
to the state, not gain, as he believes.
Only a gubernatorial conception OF
public health and wealth can imagine
that a state or person can with strong
liquor drink itself into prosperity.
Direct Taxes
The burden of taxation is the cry
of many of us who are slipping (and
howling) into the hopper of the mill
which gradually is grinding into the
grand army of paupers or proletarlans
the middle class of small business,
white collar servants (the word EN-
ployee' is silly euphemism) and pro-
fessfonal men.
Crime Costs Billions
Crime-its successes and its suppress
sion is said by statistics mongers TO
cost the people of the nation many
billions the year.
! But of these losses, gambling, taxa
ton, crime, liquor, of which we COM
plain daily, only the gross of national
state. county, school and municipal
taxation equals the dead loss to the
American people that we inflict will
ingly upon ourselves, by purchasing
| insurance.
| In all the states except Massachu-
sets the percentage of profit OF in
surance is about the same. | have
scanned the reports of other states.
[ will not tire the reader with their
figures. We have in Montana one
third of one percent of the nations
population. If the reader is curious
of the entire dead loss to the country
on insurance, simply multiply the pro-
portions given for Montana by 300 and
the gross is fairly seen. (However,
per capita, California and Mississippi
are slightly worse infested by the In
surance racket than any other states.)
So tight a screen of propaganda Is
woven by this insurance graft,
squeeze, racket, or CANNON that
in no school of economics in any uni
versity in America is it criticized or
even analysed in its true force and
meaning for the coming generation
who will guide this nation after us,
who have made such sad mess or IL.
No candidate for office dares to attack
such an entrenched national, yes, in
lternational mental social disease as
insurance. The sane mind is as GER
tain on second thought, that all un
lco-operative insurance costs the public
more than can ever be repaid, as such
mind realizes that if you buy al
the ticktes in lottery you are merely
out the expense of conducting it.
Fire Insurance in Montana
For 25 Years
In 1888 Montana people paid in pre-
lmiums for insurance against loss by
fire s4.499, 266.41. They received bach
for losses paid $1,74S,797.O3 or 80 pei
cent of what they paid in. The differ
ence lost to the patrons of fire in
surance companies in Montana for one
year 1888, was $2,750, 469.3S. This waf
much more than was appropriated fol
running all sections of the Greater
University of the State. i.e., at Mis-
soula, Bozeman, Butte, Billings. Il
1.-THE state had itself done all the fire
insurance that year 1t could have ruf
all the university units out of the pro
fits, and had perhaps million dollars
left Overland probably reduced the
rates for policies.
But the insurance peddlers cry out:
"Figures for just one year are not
fair test" There is merit in that ar
Igument. So here come the figures
flor 25 years. In the rs years, 1914
1888 the (mostly foreign) fire insur
ance companies working in Tor work
Iing) Montana were paid $102,023,
l2O4. 6S by my easy fellow citizens. The
losses paid in the same period totaled
53,0S2,31360 The difference is S4S,
94O,S91.0S.
Virginia University is listed al
among the ten most heavily endowed
lin the nation It's total assets are les.
than fifty million dollars. In rs years
lif the difference between what fire
Insurance cost US and what was re
paid in losses had been put in govern
ment bonds, the state could with i
Iendow her universities with seventy
five millions. The teachers them
selves are partly to blame for this
waste. They teach economics, so
Icalled but none teach our youth these
Ideally figures. The insurance pres
Isure group in politics would probably
fire them if they did so instruct the
coming generation - such teachers
would be called communists. In fact
they would be socialistic.
Concluded in next weeks Voice.