One of the long-running themes in US life is this constant resentment at helping out the poor and needy. People whose lives have not been a success are stereotyped as scroungers. Any program that redistributes money from the richer to the poorer is immediately attacked as being socialist, or apparently worse, communist. We are supposed to believe the true mark of success is when you no longer care what happens to others. Even in the Christian community, there seems to be resistance to the notion that charity is essentially a good approach to life. Many flocks resist open-handedness and embrace selfishness. So it's a relief to see a state-wide program swimming against the tide (even if it is in California where we've rather come to expect these liberal ideas to take root).

If there's one thing most Americans can agree on it's that having something to drive is a necessity for most families. It's not just that towns and cities have been designed on that assumption so that it's too far comfortably to walk where you want to go, it's that the culture looks down on people who do walk or rely on public transport. Even though some of the bigger cities have mass rapid transport systems, most are old and without adequate funding. Indeed, many are now starting to breakdown. Against this background, it's hardly surprising that people rely on personal transport to get where they need to go. This even though it means borrowing from the family budget for other necessities like food and clothes.

The alternative as premiums rise is driving without insurance. Such is the pressure on people to drive, an increasing percentage now risk prosecution. This is socially and economically undesirable, so California's initiative is to provide a Low Cost Automobile insurance program, with installment plans to encourage people to keep up the payments. The program has been in operation since 2007 and it now offers the basic mandatory liability insurance with a medical payments option to cover expenses. To qualify, drivers must have a good driving record, drive a "cheap" vehicle, and have a low income, i.e. as a single person earn less than $27,075. There are five different payment plans so the maximum flexibility. There are no brokers fees or other charges. It's a real WYSIWYG opportunity to keep more people legal on the road with cheap car insurance.

We are used to California being ahead of the rest of the US but, on this issue, there does not seem to be a rush for other states to follow. The general view seems to be that it's acceptable to have an average of 18% of vehicles on the road uninsured. The fact this forces up the premium rates for all of us who do insure our vehicles seems irrelevant. This is a very strange result. You would think that selfish interests would pressure states to invest in such schemes to make the mandatory liability coverage more affordable. Yet ordinary drivers seem happy to pay ever higher premiums to compensate for the increasing number of uninsured. So the next time your auto insurance quotes come in with higher premiums, perhaps you should think about the CLCA insurance program and push for something similar in your state.