"Let's start the bidding. Do I hear ZERO?"

Thom Hartmann pointed out the fallacy of the idea "insurance companies being allowed to sell across state lines" ... that the insurance companies all would go to the state which would do anything to become the capitol of the insurance industry (as Hartmann pointed out, like the credit card companies do with South Dakota).

So I could see the bidding war for becoming the central hub of the insurance industry ...

"The bidding will start at ZERO ... zero regulations, zero money input by the industry, zero jobs established, and even zero presence aside from the post office box number as the 'corporate presence' ..."

via corporate income and business tax. As far as regs go, I think it's pretty obvious that federal regulations will have to hold court.

have the FED regulate intra state business?

the EPA all have broad powers over business wherever it's located.

Possibly under the auspices of the FTC, or create a new agency if necessary.

but then, isn't that the goal of pitting the states/municipalities against each other?

We've seen so many examples of that ... a corporation, which has had their location in one area all their corporate life, says "Hey, I can't survive in this environment. Town X is offering me Q in tax breaks and infrastructure. What will you give me as incentive to stay?"

I'm just going to the logical conclusion of the insurance industry's bidding war ... start at the corporation giving up absolutely nothing ... and then what will the locations give them?

Aside from "workers" who would bear the brunt of paying the taxes which fund what the municipalities will give the corporations ...

that doesn't bring anything to the table. :shrug:

I mean, the least that the corporations can get away with, by pitting one area against another ...

aren't communities doing that now, with all the tax abatements and such that they give to bring "businesses" and "jobs" to their area?

I remember in 2007, the "Republicans" were coming to Cleveland to see if Cleveland would "host" the Republican convention ... I said that there was no way in hell that Cleveland would have been selected, that the Rs were there just to have their d*cks sucked by the local (Democratic) politicians in hope to get the "honor of hosting it" ... as it ended up, the Rs left town and, just as I predicted, gave the convention site to somewhere else ... and had a good laugh at the "dignitaries" kissing their asses up and down ...

States offer perks, they get jobs and revenue. I don't see how much would be different with insurance (other kinds of insurance are sold across state lines now).

to another state physically do so.

You'll notice that the CEOs of credit card companies that "went" to South Dakota didn't move there.