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How about if someone is too poor to pay the fee, or is in the hospital for an extended period of time when the due date comes? Would you still support letting his house burn down?
I already stated that from everything that has been said, the man could afford the $75 and chose not to.
In the case of the poor, maybe the county should figure out how to help them afford it. Maybe some way of qualifying residents who can't afford it and figuring out a way to create a fund to help them out.
Do you understand that the city that is offering the coverage is offering it to people who are outside the city? That means they do not pay city taxes. The only way for a small town fire dept to be able to afford to expand its coverage is to increase revenue. That is why they only cover those who pay the rather tiny $75 fee. They have limited resources, limited man power, and limited equipment. If they are out fighting a fire in rural areas, they are leaving the people in the town exposed to a higher risk if they have a fire. They simply cannot run around putting out rural fires and leave the city at a higher risk for free.
Aren't lifeguards volunteers? As are *most* firefighters - especially in small towns. I'm still not sure why they had a $75 fee anyway. I've never heard of such a thing. I hope my house doesn't catch on fire or the regulations of OKC differ b/c I would be royally screwed. I have renter's insurance, but have never paid anything to a fire dept.
Since you are incapable of researching before opining.
1. He lives in a municipality without a fire station.
2. His municipality has an agreement with 8 surrounding municipalities that requires a 75$ fee.
3. He plays no taxes for fire fighting support.
4. Even volunteer fire departments have a certain range on which they will respond to. A lifeguard for a pool, cannot leave the pool, and run over to the ocean 10 miles down the rd, in response to a problem with a swimmer in the ocean.
5. If you had the same arrangement where you lived, you would know because you would have been contacted in 1 way or another.
6. Because you rent, your renter's insurance covers your belongings, the responsibility for insurance on the building is the owner of the property itself.
I'm just glad that most of America doesn't operate this way. It's not the kind of country I would want to live in.
And you don't have to. In a country of 300 million people, you have numerous choices about where to live and what type of services are provided. His choice was to live in a rural area with minimal services. Many people make the same choice because they believe the benefits outweigh the risks. So let them.
You can't, but WHY is this area pretty unique? A subscription fee is NOT the norm in most places. Most rural places have volunteer FD's. Why doesn't the place in question? It's the key question. Do they make more money off of the subscription fee then they would a tax? Something smells wrong with their entire system. Smells like corruption.
It is unique in that rural communities are less able to provide funds for large projects or objectives without becoming oppressive with taxes. Same with school systems leaning heavily on property taxes to provide funding. That's great for a wealthy neighborhood but economic injustice perpetuates itself in places like appalaichia and lower incomes states like Louisianna or Arkansas.
Every attempt wealthier states have made to inject cash into these lesser states to give a hand up seems to get gobbled up by administers pocketing for themselves. Rural pick themselves up by the bootstraps folks, hats off to you, but are you really willing to sit idly by watching the standard of education scrape the bottom ensuring a perpetual cycle of lower standards of living and education for your children? The arguments of states rights to self determine have notoriously been used by thieves robbing the poor of any meaningful help the wealthier states have offered. Too many have been fed the hearsay that city folks hate country folks or treat them with disrespect as if they're inferior human beings. What are any of us supposed to do about that?
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Originally Posted by kentuckydad95
Oh and I also found out that their county commission meetings are held on Monday mornings at 9 AM!!! Now if that doesn't stink of corruption, I dunno what does. They want absolutely no one to have a say.
My home state of NY usually called open forum town meetings that were highly debatable/ contentious in evening sessions that would allow the majority to attend. Perhaps this meeting was intended for leadership to consider all sides of issue from leadership perspective first?
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Originally Posted by AONE
They disgraced themselves on this one. Personally I'd rather have firefighters that had the ability to make better choices... I wonder how safe this community feels?
Yuppers. From a real estate valuation perspective it perpetuates deflated soft market of their home values. I don't want to live there and quite a few of your customers would agree with me. So what are the rest of us supposed to do for south fulton TN if they insist they prefer this method, yet out of the other sides of their mouths claim the rest of their countrymen from other states hates them?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomander
Is this issue one where human life was an issue and they denied? Maybe you could provide us with the contracts to which allows such private agencies to stand by idle when human life is an issue?
I'm glad Peta is involved if animals are involved. I hope they sue the homeowner if his negligence caused the death of these <alleged> animals. Animals are a responsibility as is home ownership and this man burdening his community and neglecting the safety of his pets shouldn't be given free pass just because too many of you only value the life of humans and diminish the lives of animals as worthless. That mentality only feeds sociopaths an entitlement to abuse and neglect animals with social and legal consent. Respect the lives of animals or have none.
1. He did not pay the fee so why is he entitled to the service?
2. If the firefighters had gone on to the property they could have been held liable for a variety of things in a variety of circumstances.
3. If they saved his house what would prevent everyone else from just deciding to free ride the FD.
This clip doesn't say anything about him offering 500 dollars right there on the spot. It does however have a good interview from the fire chief who explains the situation to those who can't stay level headed.
And I specifically said that it wasn't the same clip I'd seen on the news. Call KPSD in Paducah and ask for the clip; what they choose to put on their website isn't up to me. You have the official explaining their lack of compassion; be happy with that. May you never have such a tragedy happen to you.
The homeowner placed a $75.00 bet and he lost. See the 8th paragraph. He was certain even if he did not pay, if there was a fire, he would still get service. He gave thought to his decision to not pay.
Hope he did not extend that bet to the fire insurance on the home and contents.
Sometime the consequences of our decisions can be terrible.
Excellent point.
I have always advocated a user pay system, especially at the city and county levels of government, and since this is the 21st Century and everything is computerized people should be able to apportion their taxes as they see fit.
If people don't want to pay for fire or police services, they shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be forced to do so, but then they can't complain when they need those services and they are unavailable.
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Let me explain,
