I can think of no more stirring symbol of man's humanity to man than a fire engine. ~Kurt Vonnegut
This same thing happened a year ago, and now it is deja vu all over again! Why people do not understand the immense damage that republican rule, especially the far right republican rule has on America and it's citizens is beyond me. The proof is an almost daily occurrence and it happened once again in deep red Tennessee's rural Obion County.
When fire broke out in her mobile home in Tennessee's rural Obion County Monday morning, Vicky Bell called 911. The fire department from nearby South Fulton arrived, and then just watched as the home burned to the ground because Bell had not paid the $75 annual fee for fire protection.
Bell and her boyfriend, Brian Gilbert, escaped the fire without injury, but lost everything. "We have no idea where we will go from here," Bell told KFVS-TV. "We are very lucky it was minutes from getting us."
For $75 %#*@* dollars the fire department let these poor fellow Americans house burn to the ground! This shows the difference between being a progressive American or a right wing american. It is the difference of if we live in a "WE" society or a "ME" society. Right now we are living in a "ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME" society(thanks tea partiers)! Think I am exaggerating? Let's check back in with some of the players of this tragedy!
This kind of government makes the right wing columnists and pundits salivate:
Obion County Mayor Benny McGuire tells the WPSD-TV "To me, it's not an issue. To me it's like car insurance. If you have a car, you pay insurance. If you want protection, you pay the price."
South Fulton Mayor David Crocker says if the fire department responded to homes where people failed to pay the fee there would be no reason for anyone to subscribe to the service. "There's no way to go to every fire and keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department (without the fee)," he told the Tennessean.
And, for their trouble, the South Fulton fire department is being treated as though it has done something wrong, rather than having gone out of its way to make services available to people who did not have them before. The world is full of jerks, freeloaders, and ingrates — and the problems they create for themselves are their own. These free-riders have no more right to South Fulton’s firefighting services than people in Muleshoe, Texas, have to those of NYPD detectives.Let's check in with the attempted freeloader Ms. Bell( in the biggest case of Stockholm syndrome I have ever seen).
Bell told KFVS-TV she didn't pay the fee because she didn't have insurance, which she told the station is a requirement in order to subscribe to the firefighting service. "I'm not mad at the city, I understand," said Bell.So she understands that her whole life possessions and almost her life are gone because she did not pay a $75 "fire fee"? We watch fellow Americans lives burn for $75 and cheer? In America? Our Founders would be sickened!
The station reported Bell told them most of her neighbors in the trailer park did not have insurance because they are not eligible.
Bell says she's more concerned about how she's going to put her life back together now that she and her boyfriend, Brian Gilbert have lost everything.
"We have no idea where we will go from here," said Bell. "We are very lucky it was minutes from getting us."
For the "tea partiers" and right wing extremists like Benny Mcguire and David Crocker should have been paying attention in grade school:
Wow. Their taxes must be REALLY low.
ReplyDeleteOn a brighter note, it looks like the WE society members outsmarted the "ME" society in Troy, Michigan with a brilliant reverse psychology campaign...
ReplyDeleteyoutube.com/watch?v=nw3zNN…
You have not paid for the fire department, so it's every bit your fault. Obama keeps his fundraising money, and didn't give it to the fire department; so it's his fault.
ReplyDeleteJust applying your logic.
"From each according to his ability. To each according to his need."
ReplyDeleteYou have the ability to pay. She needed the money.
Why didn't you pay?
or is it that you want someone else to pay, just not her and especially not you?
ReplyDeleteWell forthwith- I expect you to pay for everyone who has financial needs. You personally. Quit your posing, and do what you're demanding of others. Or be exposed as a lame hypocrite.
Too late.
Seeing as you lack reading comprehension, she clearly stated she could not pay the fee because she had no home owner's insurance. Which was a requirement to pay the fee to get fire response.
DeleteIf you are going to criticize, genius, at least try and actually understand the entire picture first. Teabaggers are the epitome of stupidity, I swear....
Hey Sofa,
DeleteCan I refuse to pay for these constant and needless foreign wars that our government forces on us?
I'd rather pay for fire departments that serve everybody rather than foreign wars that do me absolutely no damn good. The fire departments (along with schools, decently-paid public employees, etc.) are far cheaper than foreign wars.
Sofa,
DeleteDo you drive on streets or highways? Do you have those streets plowed in the winter? Is there a law enforcement agency in your community that keeps you safe? Is there a court system to protect your rights? Have you ever walked down the sidewalk?
And did you pay for all those roads, plowings, sidewalks, etc. in their entirety, all by yourself? Please show your receipt.
What? You have no receipt? Well, then you owe the State of Wisconsin, the United States and your county and municipal governments a lot of money.
Or are you just a conservative hypocrite?
So...
ReplyDeleteHow does this work? She doesn't pay the fire fee because she can't afford insurance. With this setup, I assume at least some of her neighbors either can't afford the fee and/or insurance, or choose not to pay one or either.
Insurance companies factor in all sorts of things when they determine rates - would the percentage of the population of a community that chooses not to participate in basic fire protection affect rates in the area, or the state, or the country?
If your near neighbors can't or won't take care of their own protection, your home is at greater statistical risk. You might get to pay higher insurance rates due to your neighbor's decision, because insurance companies aren't in the business of making your life cheaper or easier.
Home value is something that the wealthy in society hold up as a status symbol.
DeleteThe middle class have long mirrored this life style, although most are nowhere near it.
The latest housing boom really exemplified "value."
Properties that were once listed at around $50,000 were at that time listed at $500,000!
Today, those same properties that didn't sell, are now listed in the high $30's to mid $40,000 range.
And they are not selling.
People who bought into the inflated value got screwed. Some made out okay, but at the expense of others.
Now, who in the insurance industry, an industry which is simply a gambling industry, that we expect to have it pay out if we need it,
What insurance company really values a trailer?
A low-class form of housing, which has no real value compared to all the other homes tossed up in the latest housing boom?
Sheer class-ism, if anything, but essentially.
There is a reason I included the preAmble Sofa, you should have watched it. We do not Piecemeal the commons, we ALL pay for them. WHen we pay taxes what is included in those taxes is fire/police and school.
ReplyDeleteHow come i cant be charged $75 or we dont go to Iraq? $75 or we do not approve medicare part D. If we dont pay we can actually negotiate the price of our prescription drugs??? How about I can opt out of paying $75 and the widow hendricks actually has to pay taxes? We pay for the fire department within our taxes...that is how it works that is how it has always worked, that is how the Founders set it up! Please NEVER pretend that the Tea party has any of the same values of our Founding Fathers again!
What do you think that Jefferson would say when Erik Prince goes from Bankrupt to a billionaire, then leaves the country to avoid taxes and we let Vicky Bell's house burn because she didnt pay $75.
These people who think this is great sicken me!!!!
ANON i couldnt get your link to work!
There is a fee for fire protection, all your neighbors paid but you figure bullshit I am not going to I won't have a fire and if I do they will put it pout even if I did not pay.
ReplyDeleteFault for home burning to ground is?
1. Neighbors for paying the fee
2. Fire Dept for not being paid
3. Home Owner
If you are a progressive you say 1 and 2, its always someone else fault, no personal responsibility.
For everyone else who actually have brains they pick #3
The fault is the idiots that thought public safety only belongs to some of us.
DeleteThis same logic applies to ambulance service.
DeleteI hope you paid ahead of time, I don't resuscitate Republicans any more unless they show me a receipt showing exacty what and how much they paid before I got there.
If your passed out and can't provide this simple proof, well, too bad.
I am in the private rescue business.
If you people here could be honest just once, read the story it says, "The city issued a statement saying the policy has been in place since 1990." that is LONG before the Tea Party was around, and where does it say it was Republicans are responsible for the law only. STOP LYING JEFF.
ReplyDeleteOoh, the spastic cap lock comment. Watch out, he's serious folks. Still wrong, but serious.
DeleteNewt Gingrich and his camp were on their rise of conservative power at this time.
DeleteRemember how it got crappy in the economy in those first years of the '90s?
Thank Bush!
So you set up a situation where the poorest among you cannot afford the most basic protections, then you blame them when they lose everything.
ReplyDeleteI always thought the world looked up to us for a reason, and this isn't it, folks.
Like I said, I would like to know how insurance companies adjust their rates in a situation like this to cover their greater statistical risk.
That's about it.
DeleteThe lesser human should do without.
The upper classes are more elite, and therefore should have more.
Sorry WATF the 'tea party" has been around forever it just had different brand names. The monied billionaires of the far right have been yanking your chains for years and years!
ReplyDeleteThe same vein that produces them all is constantly evolving.
DeleteJohn Birch Society remains the same game after all these years.