Romney wants FEWER firefighters

I saw on Facebook that dozens of new high tech Bombardier firefighting planes could have been bought for what BHO wasted on Solyandra.

Fred,

Citizens could have bought whatever they wanted with that money if it was not taken for Solyandra to use. I find that when people do not agree with public expenditures that it would be best to reallocate that money back to the one that earned it and then request it again for the new public task.

That type of logic only ends with the citizens not making any of their own financial decisions, but you are ok with the mandate, so perhaps I misunderstood your general stance on things.

popcorn eater wrote: Fred,

Citizens could have bought whatever they wanted with that money if it was not taken for Solyandra to use. I find that when people do not agree with public expenditures that it would be best to reallocate that money back to the one that earned it and then request it again for the new public task.

That type of logic only ends with the citizens not making any of their own financial decisions, but you are ok with the mandate, so perhaps I misunderstood your general stance on things.

I tend to be a libertarian but the current system of people receiving emergency medical benefits for free and the people with health insurance essentially paying for it with increased prices and taxes isn't fair. Required insurance is a limiting of my freedom but I can't find a better fix.

archer wrote:

jf1acai wrote: There is a hell of a lot of difference between big city fire departments and wildland firefighters. It is comparing apples and watermelons.

And we need both...along with police and EMS.....

The question becomes, is it my responsibility as a citizen of Colorado to pay for police, EMS and city fire departments for the residents and citizens of a different State than the one in which I am a citizen? Is it my responsibility to help the city of Detroit pay for their police officers, firefighters and EMS staff?

The federal government owns property in nearly all of the 50 States, particularly a lot of forest land. I would agree that I am as responsible as every other citizen of every other State to pay taxes to take care of land that is essentially jointly owned by all, to help maintain the White House and the Capital for instance, or the national forests, but why should I be helping to pay for police, firefighters and EMS staff in other States? Isn't that the responsibility of the citizens of that State to pay for and not the citizens of Colorado? Why should I subsidize the services provided by other governments for their citizens?

Which conveniently ignores all of the federal money given to the states to hire extra teachers, firefighters and police... God, I could watch this for hours...

Democracy4Sale wrote: Which conveniently ignores all of the federal money given to the states to hire extra teachers, firefighters and police... God, I could watch this for hours...

Just because it happens doesn't make it right.

Especially when we Coloradoans are paying for the excessive wages and benefits of California public employees.

Democracy4Sale wrote: Which conveniently ignores all of the federal money given to the states to hire extra teachers, firefighters and police...

No, it doesn't ignore that federal money, it simply questions whether or not the federal government should tax me, and the citizens of the other States, so that Arkansas gets federal money to maintain their police, fire and EMS departments on the dimes of citizens of the rest of the States that belong to the union. I think it a fair question to ask. I wholly understand why I am taxed for the maintenance and protection of property that is essentially jointly owned by all of the States and their citizens, I am questioning why you, and I are taxed for the benefit of the workers of other governments which are foreign to the one which we are citizens of. I am not a citizen of New York, or Arkansas - why then am I taxed to provide funds for the police officers, firefighters and EMS staff of the cities which lie in the States in which I am not a citizen?

That is why we are the United States, not the Several Sovereign States.

FredHayek wrote: I saw on Facebook that dozens of new high tech Bombardier firefighting planes could have been bought for what BHO wasted on Solyandra.

Except that the vast majority of FF aircraft aren't owned by the government.........

I'm in favor of cutting the numbers of firemen, teachers and especially the police. I can tell you that in my district, the schools are overstaffed, and the police are driving up and down main street every 3 minutes.

My experience has been that the teachers did a better job back in the 70's and 80's compared with today, and the school district only had 25% of the money that they have today.

Evergreen now has been changed from a nice little night life kida town into a police state- way too many police and way too much police presence in a town with almost no crime- never has been much crime here.

The firefighters in Evergreen are almost all volunteer- so no problems there, but in many paid districts- they have way too many staff.

If we are ever to cut our government budget- we will need to figure out how to do more with less, and that includes our local government.