Car Insurance Company
Cornelius J. McIver
Attn: [Insurance Agent]
February 14, 1999
Dear [Insurance Agent],
I hope this finds you well. I want to thank you for your phone call, which I
believe was on or about December 28, 1998, regarding your company having not
received any record of my obtaining a Pennsylvania driver's license. It was,
as always, a pleasure to speak with you. I apologize for my lateness in following
up with you on that conversation. The holiday season and other matters kept me
preoccupied, and I was about to forward you the enclosed information, but then
received two additional letters from the Commonwealth it two days. I wanted to
include those letters and my responses, which required additional time & effort
to research. As I indicated, I am pursuing administrative remedies with
Pennsylvania's Bureau of Driver Licensing, and Pennsylvania's Department of
Transportation in an attempt to get them to accept my application for a license
without a social security number, to which they have not yet agreed.
My Maryland license expired on November 7, 1998, and I regret that I have been
driving without a state-issued license since that time. However, let me assure
you that I have not suddenly become a dangerous driver at the instant of that
license's expiration, but rather I continue to drive as safely as I always have
throughout the many years of our business relationship.
I have been in contact with the Bureau of Driver Licensing about every 30 days
since my application for a driver's license was rejected at the York,
Pennsylvania licensing center on August 14, 1998. I have enclosed all
correspondence for your review. Please note that I have made the Pennsylvania
State Police aware of this situation, as well as (State) Senator Mike Waugh
and Governor Tom Ridge. All have been informed that I am driving without a
state-issued license, and thankfully there has (so far) been no consequences
or actions taken against me by the police.
The situation is still unfolding. The most recent development being my
February 5 letters to both PennDOT and the Director of the Bureau of Driver
Licensing. While my situation is apparently an unusual one, I am attempting
to show that there is no law barring them from issuing me a license. I am
still trying to find truth to the motto that tells me I have a friend in
Pennsylvania. (Perhaps it should read "You need a friend in
Pennsylvania"). I do have friends here, but it appears none of them work for
the commonwealth.
You stated that [your company's] policy was to not renew auto insurance plans
with unlicensed drivers. I'm sure you do this as a means of promoting road
safety. However, I want this letter to serve as a request to be exempt from
that policy should, heaven forbid, this situation continue into the renewal
period of July, 1999. Please also note that they have not refused to give me
a license, but rather they have refused to accept my application
for a license. I believe the difference is most critical.
I ask that you please review the enclosed correspondence and inform me at your
earliest convenience what actions you plan to take, particularly whether or not
you plan to discontinue my auto insurance policy come July, 1999. I understand
this is probably an unusual situation for you, but it is my hope that reason will
prevail. I have already placed the Bureau of Driver Licensing, the Pennsylvania
State Police, and Governor Tom Ridge on notice that I may hold them responsible
for any damages I suffer as a result of the discrimination to which I am being
subjected. While your non-renewal policy is certainly intended to make things
better, in this case it will do the reverse, especially if you consider the
difficulty I would experience in securing insurance from a new carrier without a
driver's license.
I would very much like to continue doing business with [your insurance company].
I hope you will take into consideration the fact that I have enjoyed the "Good
Driver Rates" and the "First Accident Forgiveness" plan on my policy continuously
for at least the last 4 years, since (I believe) I first became eligible.
Thank you very much for your attention. Of course, if you have any questions,
please let me know. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
[signed]
___________________________
Encl: copy, my letter to the Bureau of Driver Licensing, August 19, 1998
Cc: Honorable Mike Waugh
This is a cordial letter, though it may be interpreted as a threat of legal
action if they don't renew my policy. I intended it to be more polite than
anything else, but it is open ended in terms of what action I might take,
which would get them to SERIOUSLY consider the situation. I would be
discouraged from taking any legal action against them, being a libertarian
that believes private companies should have the right to deny business to
anyone they want, but I'll wait and see. I do have a line on an
insurance-like thing which costs it's members about 80 bucks in "premiums"
over a one year period. But it wouldn't cover me or my car. Only other
people and their property. It probably doesn't qualify as "financial
responsibility" in the eyes of the almighty commonwealth, either.
[Insurance Company]
[Address]
Cornelius J. (Neil) McIver
Encl: copy, my letter to the Bureau of Driver Licensing, September 21, 1998
Encl: copy, my letter to Honorable Mike Waugh, October 24, 1998
Encl: copy, letter from Bureau of Driver Licensing to me, October 29, 1998
Encl: copy, my letter to the Bureau of Driver Licensing, November 6, 1998
Encl: copy, Social Security Administration to me, November 18, 1997
Encl: copy, my letter to Honorable Mike Waugh, December 8, 1998
Encl: copy, letter from the Social Security Administration, February 28, 1995.
Encl: copy, letter from Honorable Mike Waugh to Rebecca Bickley, December 21, 1998
Encl: copy, letter from PennDOT, January 8, 1999
Encl: copy, letter from Bureau of Driver Licensing to me, January 11, 1999
Encl: copy, my letter to PennDOT, February 5, 1999
Encl: copy, my letter to the Bureau of Driver Licensing, February 5, 1999
All information presented here is done so under the protection of the First, Fourth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, and article I section 2 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Furthermore, as established in the famous trial of William Penn in August 1670, and contrary to the unlawful instructions given by most American judges, in addition to judging the facts of a case, juries also have the right and duty to pass judgement on the law (meaning they may acquit a violator of the law if they believe the law in question is unconstitutional, immoral, just plain stupid, or if the penalty is deemed too harsh). Juries are also lawfully free to vote according to their conscience, above all other considerations.