The 'burbs

Homeowners lose — by a landslide

  Jody and Chris Morphy are two Amherst residents who, like most homeowners, didn't spare much thought to their homeowners insurance until disaster struck. When their property suffered a landslide that made their home uninhabitable, they naturally assumed that their homeowners insurance would protect them.

   It didn't.

   The state does not require insurance companies to provide "earth movement" coverage in standard homeowners insurance policies, and none even offer a rider that can be purchased separately to cover this kind of loss.

   Residents can buy earthquake insurance, but any earth disturbance must be caused by an actual earthquake, which is not the case here.

   This type of coverage is rarely needed in this region and could increase premiums if it is a required add-on. Should homeowners' policies be allowed to exempt this type of damage?

   -- Sandra Tan

 

Has the time come for consolidating governments?

  Do we have too much government in Western New York? Do we pay too much in taxes? Should we be looking for ways to cut costs everywhere we possibly can?

Put those three questions on a Web poll and you're just about guaranteed to get more than 80 percent of the respondents checking the box marked "Yes."

  And yet virtually every time voters have a chance to actually vote at the real polls, they will resoundingly defeat the resolution. It happens all the time, and not just here. Because when it comes to cutting the size of government, we love the idea … unless it's our little corner of it.

In what could be a better sign of what's to come in Western New York, Angola voted to eliminate its police department and let the Evans PD take over.

  So let's keep the ball rolling. Just a few of many possibilities: Let's merge the police departments in the Town of Tonawanda and the village of Kenmore.

Make Cleveland Hill part of the Cheektowaga School District. Eliminate the entire Orchard Park village government and make it part of the town of Orchard Park.

Why not?

-- Bruce Andriatch