Well I absolutely hate being flippant about politics but I went and behaved that way anyway. I take my vote very seriously. I've been known to spend hours in front of my computer researching candidates and calling their offices to ask questions. When I make a decision, I know it's the right one for me. (How is all of this relevant to being an Actor's Wife? I tie it in beautifully. You'll see.)
We've been talking about Insurance Commissioners here and I'd like to emphasize that this is an important race. It's the sort of position that we tend to shrug about and say, "Not a congressman? Whatever will do." Not so, good people! Not only does this department regulate insurance companies (a nasty, but necessary task), it has a tremendous amount of influence on our auto and health insurance. One key task is to make sure our insurance costs remain affordable and one of the ways this office accomplishes that goal is to investigate and prosecute insurance fraud, a dastardly crime for which perpetrators should be hung by their thumbs. (That's my word of advice to the next Commish.)
In the beautiful interest of our freedom of choice, I'm going to mention that David Smith is not our only choice for Insurance Commissioner in NC. As an anonymous poster just informed us, Wayne Goodwin is also running. The incumbent is Jim Long but it's not entirely clear to me if he's running for re-election or not. (His campaign site says 2004, so I'm guessing not?)
www.uselections.com is usually a great resource to find out who is running and it provides links to the candidates' sites so you can get more information. Unfortunately, it isn't currently listing anyone other than the incumbent. So, if you're a candidate for Insurance Commissioner (I'm talking to you, David & Wayne!) get your information put on this site. Make it easy for voters, will you?
Now what does all of this have to do with Acting in North Carolina? A whole hell of a lot, I can tell you. It is near impossible for non-union people working "in the arts" to get affordable insurance. Sure, I could insure my whole family for incomplete coverage with a high deductible for around $2000/month. We'd have to move into a small apartment and sell one of our cars, but... we could do it. North Carolina is a right to work state making union protection harder to come by. For non-SAG actors, insurance is but a dream. That makes this election particularly important to the entire acting community in Wilmington. I urge all of the actors and filmmakers to carefully examine the stances of each candidate. Choose the one who will help us insure our families. That way, the next time you're doing your own stunts (non-union, yo) and you accidentally take a bad hit to the nose, you can actually afford to go to the doctor and get it re-set.
(None of this means that I won't take full credit if Mr. Smith wins. If he does, it was surely his rocking ad featuring the St. James family.)
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2 comments:
Thank you for touching on this subject. You and I know how difficult it can be to get insurance for the working actor. I'm sure people in the arts are often forgotten when it comes to insurance.
In your posting you wondered whether Jim Long, NC's legendary and long-serving Insurance Commissioner, is seeking re-election or not.
Jim Long - after much internal deliberation on his part and to the great surprise of everyone - chose NOT to seek re-election at the end of February 2008.
And that is why the 2008 election for Insurance Commissioner is so vastly important: This will be the first time in 24 years when someone else other than Jim Long will be elected to serve as Insurance Commissioner. And that means we the voters must choose WISELY.
Jim Long, much-beloved by the State and the one Statewide official who garnered a larger percentage of the vote than any other Executive Branch official in 2004, has FULLY ENDORSED his Assistant Insurance Commissioner, Wayne Goodwin, to succeed him.
I recommend that visitors to this blog check out the News section and the Endorsements section, as well as the Issues section, of Wayne Goodwin's campaign website. At www.waynegoodwin.org you will learn all there is to know about the leading candidate for NC Insurance Commissioner.
Only in Wayne's election will North Carolina ensure that it's Department OF Insurance does NOT become the Department FOR Insurance.
Note: Actor's Wife is to be highly commended for her interest in voter education!
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