DONOVAN INSURANCE SOLUTIONS

se U n a C u o Y ws e N e c n a r Insu
Volume 3 Issue 12 December 4, 2013

A united America

by Paul Donovan

Inside this issue:

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Great leaders know when they unite a people against a common enemy, they are not easily defeated. Its one of the founding reasons our country came into existence and why America has persevered against multiple injustices. Unfortunately a disturbing trend is occurring throughout our land that threatens our entire culture and the American dream. Its at least a threefold threat brought about by a misinterpretation of fairness, misplaced security and a blatant disrespect of people. 1. The term fairness means equal opportunity offered to all and the end of cronyism. As long as there is a level playing field we have the freedom to succeed or fail based on the right amount of determination, competence, persistence, ingenuity and enthusiasm. It does not guarantee equal results or rewards but equal opportunity. 2. At some point in American history, people started to believe that individual liberty should be replaced solely by government security. We see it in our Social Security system, multiple government programs and now Healthcare. Granted, there are those that need help to survive and compassion is not lost on those who need it. Thomas Jefferson said, "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." Independence is still our best hope for true security. 3. Our country is stalled and steeped in uncivilized miscommunication. It seems as though politicians are more interested in a sharp sound bite than in true dialogue. There are good ideas on the Republican side as well as the Democratic side but we have to return civility and statesmanship to governance. If we don't do that, it doesn't matter what issue is being discussed, nothing is going to get done. Civility is not about dousing strongly held views, it's about making sure that people are willing to respect other perspectives and compromise. The United States of America is truly a grand experiment in the history of mankind. To change our country we have to impact our states. To impact our states we need to affect our counties. To affect our counties we have to touch our cities and to touch our cities we have to influence our homes. Change starts at home with each of us individually. This holiday season, pray for your family, your leaders and our nation. May you have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
A United America Citizens Takeout Recognizing a Stroke Encouragement December Trivia Christmas Cartoons Christmas in Florida

Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame. Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart. Hannah Senesh

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INSURANCE NEWS YOU CAN USE

Takeout companies continue in Florida markets

The following takeout companies assumed a total of 160,683 policies from Citizens' Personal Lines and Coastal Accounts effective November 5, 2013. Florida Peninsula (877-229-2244) Heritage P&C (855-620-9978) Homeowners Choice P&C (888-210-5235) Southern Fidelity P&C (866-874-7342) Southern Oak (877-900-3971) Tower Hill Preferred (800-342-3407) Tower Hill Prime (800-342-3407) Tower Hill Signature (800-342-3407) United P&C (800-295-8016) Weston (800-262-1780) Citizens policy owners are sometimes confused on what they should do when they receive a letter from an alternative takeout company confirming that they have been chosen to be removed from the Citizens pool. Typically, the policy owner will also receive a similar letter from Citizens as well. Heres what to do. If you want to take the offer from the takeout company you do nothing, its all done automatically. The advantages to taking the offer is threefold. 1. You avoid a potential 45% additional surcharge in the event of a natural disaster. 2. You will likely have more coverage (please go to the OIR website for comparison information) at www.floir.com/sections/pandc/takeoutcompanies.aspx 3. You get to keep your current insurance agent If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 727-935-4858, we will be happy to help explain.

If children can be thankful to Santa for filling their stockings at Christmas time, then we should be grateful to God for filling our socks each day with our feet. G.K. Chesterton S.T.R. Recognizing a Stroke and preventing a tragedy
The tragic story about a woman who died from a stroke made it into my email again. I thought it would be a great piece of information to share. The story tells of a family BBQ, where a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would have survived. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours they can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. Symptoms of a stroke are sometimes difficult to identify, heres a few simple steps to help recognize a stroke. Ask three simple questions: S *Ask the individual to SMILE. T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A COHERENT SIMPLE SENTENCE (i.e. Chicken Soup) R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he or she has trouble with any one of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Another sign of a possible stroke is to ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke. A simple piece of information can sometimes save a life.

Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and Batteries not Included. Unknown

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 12

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By Paul Donovan

En courag em en t Chroni cl es

A good and faithful man fell upon hard financial times. Every time he turned around another demand was placed upon him until he was finally at his wits end. One night in his distress, he dropped to his knees and prayed to God asking to win the lottery. The first few weeks he was optimistic but by the end of six months he became angry with God. Are you there God? he pleaded. I believed you that you would help me, yet you have failed to answer my prayers! Suddenly a dark cloud appeared and the voice of God emerged from the cloud stating, I hear you I hear you, in fact, Ive heard all your continuous cries for help. But the least you could do is buy a lottery ticket! Those who decide to wait to be rescued from their undesirable circumstances will undoubtedly wait a very long time. Keep on going, moving, being pro -active, and you will stumble upon something. No one has ever stumbled sitting down waiting.

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. ~William Arthur Ward December trivia
by Paul Donovan

1. Who was the first president to decorate the white house Christmas tree in the United States? 2. What country came up with the first artificial Christmas Tree and what was it made of? 3. In what year were electric lights for trees first used? 4. In what year were the first Christmas cards invented and in what country? 5. What Christmas holiday movie has appeared on TV more often than any other holiday movie? 6. Who created the popular story of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and when? 7. The Nutcracker" is the most famous Christmas ballet, who wrote the music? 8. If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," how many would you receive? 9. The red leaves of this Christmas plant have been used to make dyes for clothing since the days of the Aztecs. 10. Traditionally, when are Christmas Trees taken down? 11. More _________are sold around Christmas time than any other time of the year. (Hint: Its not Christmas Trees) 12. What was Ralphie's little brother's name in the movie A Christmas Story? 13. According to the Bible, how many wise men visited the baby Jesus? (Dont believe me look it up Mathew 2:1) 14. True or False On Christmas Eve, the streets of Caracas, Venezuela are blocked off so people can rollerskate to church? 15. Name the number one selling Christmas gift in the USA for the following years (yes, its hard to believe) 1985 _______ 1990 _______ 1995 _______ 2000 _______ 2005 _______ 2010 _______

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph. Shirley Temple

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Christmas Funnies 2013

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store. Dr. Seuss Advantages of Christmas in Florida
The closest my family has come to experiencing a white Christmas in Florida is when Ive taken my shirt off to sunbathe. There arent many places where you can find alligators and palm trees on a daily basis, except here in sunny Florida. Floridians dont have to schedule an extra 20 minutes just to layer their clothes to go outside in the cold. We dont have to salt our drive ways or keep a shovel near the front door to dig out from the drifts. We also dont have to worry about stepping in potholes filled with ice cold dirty slush water. Whens the last time you had to start your car to warm it up before you went someplace? Floridians experience all the joys of Christmas with almost none of the hassles. Sure, theres still crowded stores and traffic, but Ill take clear sunny blue skies all year long over four months filled with grey skies, anytime. Other than southern CA or HA, where else can you go out on Christmas morning in shorts and bare feet to retrieve your morning newspaper at the end of the driveway without freezing to death? No matter where you live, I know that its really the relationships that we have that make the area feel like home. Thankfully, we have raised our family in Florida, truly the Sunshine State! Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it white. Bing Crosby
Trivia Answers from Page 3: 1. President Franklin Pierce, 2. Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green, 3. The year 1895, 4. Invented in1843, the Victorian Era England, 5. " It's a Wonderful Life" 6. Created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion, 7.Tschaikovsky, 8. You would receive 364 gifts, 9. The Poinsettia, 10. After Epiphany, 11. Diamonds, 12. Randy, 13. Unknown number Bible doesnt say how many, 14. True, 15. 1985=Care Bears, 1990=Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1995=Beanie Babies, 2000= Razor Scooters, 2005=Xbox 360, and 2010 Apple iPad