I have a proposition for you....

and this time it is Proposition 33.  There is one and only one man behind it, and he has a very specific goal in mind.  Not to offer insurance discounts, which is how the prop is being sold.  But to unravel consumer protections that were enacted by the very famous Prop 103.

Remember Prop 103?  One of the consumer protections it provided was that it prevented insurers from charging much higher premiums to people who were purchasing coverage for the first time, or after a break in coverage.  Oh yes, it allows insurers to give discounts to people who have long-term coverage with another carrier, but that's just a ruse to make this bad idea seem more palatable.

George Joseph is the man behind this bad idea.  Mercury Insurance is his kingdom and he's donated virtually all of the $16 million that the campaign to pass Prop 33 is spending on getting the voters to vote in favor of the proposition.

But making insurance more expensive means that more drivers will be on the roads without coverage. More drivers without coverage means driving up premiums for uninsured motorist protection.  So these so-called discounts will end up being eaten by higher costs that will get passed on to the motorists anyway.

We've seen this crap before.  Proposition 17 was on the June 2010 ballot and it was defeated.  That was also backed by Mercury General.

Voting NO on Prop 33 is my recommendation.  But you should get educated on the issue and make your own choice.