And Now, A Heartfelt Message to Travelers Insurance Co.

(A letter I intended to just post, but I think I will really send it to the bastards.)

Dear St. Paul Travelers Cos., Inc.,

I understand that your company, the largest commercial insurance provider in the state of Louisiana, will cancel all commercial insurance policies in the New Orleans area, effective immediately. Your clarification that this will occur over the next 12 months via the non-renewal of current policies is: 1) no consolation; 2) the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig; and 3) a poor attempt to dress up ruthless corporate behavior (see #2). Furthermore, your spokeswoman's comment that this move does not affect residential customers is idiotic and just plain stupid even. For one, how will your residential policy holders afford homeowner's insurance if the companies they work for or own go out of business after not being able to rebuild? Second, I am sure that the homeowners who can will cancel their Travelers policies ASAP. Of course, this is probably what you want since it will save you the trouble of doing it yourselves, as such a shameful move cannot be far off.

The reasoning that you are limiting your risk exposure implies that: 1) you think we are idiots who, 2) don't understand that the whole purpose of the insurance industry is to profit from your customers' risk exposure. Let me explain, in case you missed that day of orientation. You see, you are supposed to take risks. We take the risk that we will need your coverage; and you take the risk that we will not. Sometimes the consumer wins; sometimes Travelers wins. By pulling out of this market, you are trying to ensure that you win every time, now that we have paid you handsomely with several years of increased premiums that you levied to mitigate your risk exposure.

Your risk analysts and risk assessments, I am sure, made you well aware of the chances of this market facing the disaster it did in August 2005. You knew of this risk from the day you began writing policies, and any claim to the contrary implies again that: 1) you think we are idiots who, 2) don't understand that the whole purpose of the insurance industry is to profit from your customers' risk exposure.

I am sure that none of this matters, but I just wanted you to understand why I wrote this letter in the first place, which was out of my desire to say: May others treat you as you have treated others, and may those responsible for this decision rot in the most horrendous realm of hell -- and if hell doesn't exist, may all of the business owners whom you are putting out of business and their unemployed workers use their newfound free time to build one especially for you. And THAT, is my heartfelt message to you.