1969, Education and Politics
Where were you in 1969? Hitchhiking to Woodstock? Surviving the jungles of Vietnam? Graduating from high school? Learning the ropes of the insurance industry? Not born yet? If you were in Austin, Texas, in the fall of that year, you may have been involved in the first insurance education class developed by what is now known as The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the 35th anniversary celebration of the birth of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors, which is now under the National Alliance umbrella. The fête, held in conjunction with the 2004 Texas Conferment of designees in CIC, Certified Risk Management (CRM) and Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR), was a fun, high-spirited affair set to a “1969’s Greatest Hits” soundtrack.
What impressed me most about the National Alliance celebration was that it really was all about education. With “The Sun Never Sets on Learning” as a theme, speakers and participants extolled the virtues of learning, not only for career advancement but for its own sake. In his conferment speech, Dr. William T. Hold, founder of the National Alliance, pointed out that the absence of corporate sponsorship at the event was an intentional effort to keep the emphasis on learning and on the participants who gave up significant amounts of time with their families in order to improve themselves through education.
Speaking of education, the Texas Legislature in January will once again take up the issue of financing the state’s public education system. The system was known to be in need of an overhaul before a state district judge determined Texas’ so-called “Robin Hood” plan was downright illegal. Now legislators are going to have to come up with a financing alternative. Since most elected officials have claimed publicly that their aim is to lower the property tax burden for their constituents, lawmakers will be looking at all sorts of creative ways to shift that burden elsewhere. Many observers believe that businesses will be the number one target. Some proposals suggest closing franchise tax loopholes and taxing business services, which could pull in a tax on agents’ commissions.
At a recent meeting of the Texas Surplus Lines Association, speaker after speaker urged attendees to pay attention to what the legislature is up to and to get involved in the process. That advice could apply to agents in all four South Central states covered by Insurance Journal-Texas/South Central. In addition to Texas, lawmakers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma will meet next year to decide the fates of their respective states.
Marshall Leicht, president of Leicht General Managers and newly installed TSLA president, summed it up at the association’s meeting when he quoted the fifth century Greek politician, Pericles, stating: “Just because you don’t take an interest in politics, doesn’t mean that politics won’t take an interest in you.”