Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 12:38:24 EST
From: justin@dsd.camb.inmet.com (Mark Waks)
Message-Id: <9403151738.AA03609@dsd.camb.inmet.com>
To: carolingia@world.std.com
In-Reply-To: <9403151658.AA04833@math.bu.edu> (jeffs@math.bu.edu)
Subject: Re: insurance

Tio writes:
>I agree; insurance is the first strong argument against decentralizing
>that I've seen (IMHO, it's the _only_ argument against it).  But most
>of the decentralizing proposals I've seen want to keep a National
>Organization to maintain insurance.

Not all, but yes, most people at this point seem to acknowledge that
there is some merit to at least a national organization for matters
like this. (Whether that national organization be the SCA, Inc. or
something else...)

>1)  We can make a good case for getting local event insurance for the
>	same per person rate that we are getting it currently.  We can
>	argue that we are smaller and run fewer events than the
>	National group, so our risk is correspondingly less.

Overly simplified. The SCA, Inc. has been running events for twenty-some-odd
years, and has reams of documentation that it has made few insurance
claims in that time. Even if we create Carolingia, Inc., its legal
existence will be new, and it will be relatively difficult to prove
that we're a good risk.

Also, note that the cost of insurance isn't strictly proportional to
the risk; there is *lots* of less-flexible overhead in there, I'd bet.

>	Plus you have the argument, "Well, they only have $1500 in
>	their Corporate bank account and no million dollar policy.
>	Most of that will get eaten up by legal fees, so if they offer
>	to settle out of court --- do it."

Right, but the argument is that many sites require proof of insurance
*in advance*. Not all, as I've said, so we could do *some* things without
insurance, but it's not a good permanent solution. And it only takes one
incident like you describe to get blacklisted from many of the rest...

>Also, I've been told that for $25/year, the Living History Association
>will provide site insurance for the events that an entire group holds.
>This does not protect autocrats, just sites.  

Incorrect. My recollection is that there is a considerable per-event
cost for using the LHA insurance (a couple hundred dollars, as I recall).
I don't remember the exact details (and my copy of the letter from
Rowena has been archived to tape), but I'm quite sure that the small
fee is just the group membership in the LHA, and doesn't include
insurance...

				-- Justin
				   Who still thinks it's an interesting
				     option, but wants to make it clear that
				     it's no panacea...

Random Quote du Jour:

"The 'Raven of Regret'(tm) appear courtesy of the Novgorod
 Arctic Petting Zoo, where you can meet such other cuddly
 characters as:
     'The Lemmings of Self-Loathing' 
     'The Wolverine of Career Indescision' 
     'The Mole of Vague Disquiet'
     'The Hedge Hog of Abject Resignation'
     'The Muskox of Grim Determination'
     'The Snow Geese of Poiniant Longing'
     and lets not forget
     'The Ice Weasels of Unrequited Love'"
		-- Balderik