Declarations

Government secrecy
“It’s another nail in the coffin of open government.”

Rep. Marc Feinstein, D-Sioux Falls, reacting to a measure that passed the South Dakota House that would close the driving records of firefighters, police, ambulance employees and other emergency personnel when they have accidents on duty. The measure is designed to insulate those public servants from higher insurance rates. Rep. Maggie Gillespie, D-Hudson, said police and rescue workers often must drive in bad conditions, and they shouldn’t be penalized when accidents occur. Feinstein contends that the measure should not be passed because it adds to government secrecy.

Super Bowl ad
“We’re not making fun of anybody, except maybe Kevin Federline.”

Comment made by Steven Schreibman, vice president of advertising and brand management for Nationwide Insurance defending an ad showing Kevin Federline dreaming about being a star and waking up as a cook in a fast food restaurant. The television ad, which ran during the Feb. 4 Super Bowl game, was criticized by the National Restaurant Association, as picturing a job in a fast food restaurant as demeaning and unpleasant.

School safety
“More kids will be injured on school playgrounds or unsecured facilities and equipment on a regular basis than in violent or crisis situations, so hazard and vulnerability assessments are absolutely critical in an overall safety plan.”

Steve Munro, loss prevention manager for Indiana Insurance, who oversees onsite evaluations at hundreds of Midwest schools each year, comments on the need for better safety plans for schools. Despite high profile and tragic events where children bring fire arms to school, Munro says other safety issues are much more common and need to be addressed in a school’s overall preparedness plans.

Identity theft concerns
“While identity fraud is still a serious criminal issue in the United States, Javelin’s new study points to significant identity fraud reduction as a direct result of changes in industry and consumer behaviors.”

James Van Dyke, Javelin president and founder comments on the 2007 Identity Fraud Survey Report released by Javelin Strategy & Research that provides information about the reduction of identity fraud across the U. S. The survey found that identity fraud is dropping nationwide. It is down by an estimated 12 percent over the previous year, which translates into a total fraud reduction of $6.4 billion.