Thread: A GOP view of how society should work?

By msnbc.com staff and WSMV-TV

SOUTH FULTON, Tenn. -- Firefighters stood by and watched a Tennessee house burn to the ground earlier this week because the homeowners didn't pay the annual subscription fee for fire service.

"You could look out my mom's trailer and see the trucks sitting at a distance," Vicky Bell, the homeowner, said.


For Bell, that sight was almost as disturbing as the fire itself.

"We just wished we could've gotten more out," she said.

It's the second time in two years firefighters in the area have watched a house burn because of unpaid fees. Last year, Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in a house fire, along with three dogs and a cat, because the fire fee wasn't paid.


People in the city of South Fulton have fire protection, but those in the surrounding county do not unless they pay a $75 annual fee.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...r-75-fee-again

Can Capitalism work in a society that is so far gone selfish, avaricious, dysfunctional and mean spirited?

I actually saw that article last night..copied and saved it to make a thread about today.....you beat me to it.

But yes, that is THE perfect article to outline how ridiculous some of these conservatard's (DBT, ILC, Mott the Hoople, MRW, etc etc) viewpoint on pay-for-service and privatizing public services when it is applied in real life, instead of merely used as a conservatard talking point.

Granted, fire-suppression is not really a "right"...much of Alaskan rural residential areas have NO fire service whatsoever, or use collectively volunteered equipment and untrained volunteers. But Ak is different than most places in that regard.

The situation in this article, howerever, is FUCKING disgraceful. The fire-trucks were already there...filled with water and equipment and ready to go...and yet they stood by for lack of unpayment of a $75 fee? The trucks were already there....how MUCH does throwing some water on the trailer cost?

This sounds so fucked up it's GOT to be Republican.

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The world doesn't own those people anything. They had the option to purchase the rights to a service, and choose not to. Boo fucking hoo.

Originally Posted by hitek79

The world doesn't own those people anything. They had the option to purchase the rights to a service, and choose not to. Boo fucking hoo.

This is the kind of cancer we need more of!

So, if it was a mistake and they paid, I guess they'll refund the 75.Winning.

Originally Posted by hitek79

The world doesn't own those people anything.

Apparently the world does own these people.....

Originally Posted by hitek79

The world doesn't own those people anything. They had the option to purchase the rights to a service, and choose not to. Boo fucking hoo.

I'm weirdly toward this side, not all the way but...

$75 is pretty cheap insurance and as long as the fire was contained (covered/watched enough by the fire dept to make sure it didn't spread) then??? Presumably they responded for just that reason?

I think that ALL our citizens should be covered by fire depts but if there are people who live willingly outside the jurisdictions what are we all to do? This is kind of like HCR - either go all the way and provide it to everyone or not, but the in-between is sticky!

aside: I wonder if there is an amount they could have ponied up right then and there to spring the FD into action?

Originally Posted by Hugh Conway

This is the kind of cancer we need more of!

Cut the family a check for $75 so it doesn't happen to them next time then.

There was a lot of bitching during Irene for people looking for a handout because they balked on flood insurance (federally subsidized and cheap as fuck) and got burned.

Sorry dont feel bad for you, especially cause you didnt want to pay the 75 bucks. Come on, noone is that broke that owns a house and cant pay that for an entire fucking year.

Originally Posted by jfost

I'm weirdly toward this side, not all the way but...

$75 is pretty cheap insurance and as long as the fire was contained (covered/watched enough by the fire dept to make sure it didn't spread) then??? Presumably they responded for just that reason?

I think that ALL our citizens should be covered by fire depts but if there are people who live willingly outside the jurisdictions what are we all to do? This is kind of like HCR - either go all the way and provide it to everyone or not, but the in-between is sticky!

aside: I wonder if there is an amount they could have ponied up right then and there to spring the FD into action?

What the fire dept. should have done is put out the fire and then bill them for the actual cost of the service, i.e. hourly wages, a fee for the use of the equipment, etc. Same basic idea as when skiers pay the actual cost of an SAR rescue when they get lost.

Aside from proving that they're assholes, the fire dept. standing around and letting the house burn results in all kinds of costs on society that are difficult to define (insurance rates in the area could go up, banks may be hesitant to lend without proof of fire protection, not to mention it was a waste of a perfectly good house). There are lots of good reasons not to stand idly by and watch $100k+ in property damage occur just because they're pissed they didn't get their $75.

100k for a trailer in Tennesee? What the fuck are you smoking?

Originally Posted by toast2266

What the fire dept. should have done is put out the fire and then bill them for the actual cost of the service, i.e. hourly wages, a fee for the use of the equipment, etc. Same basic idea as when skiers pay the actual cost of an SAR rescue when they get lost.

Aside from proving that they're assholes, the fire dept. standing around and letting the house burn results in all kinds of costs on society that are difficult to define (insurance rates in the area could go up, banks may be hesitant to lend without proof of fire protection, not to mention it was a waste of a perfectly good house). There are lots of good reasons not to stand idly by and watch $100k+ in property damage occur just because they're pissed they didn't get their $75.

this is good, I think I mostly agree...

the only thing is what if they aren't covered by their insurance to do anything? It is a cluster-f for sure!

edit: the other thing is skiers are likely to have $ to pay for a rescue, these people may not?!?

Originally Posted by Bunion

three dogs and a cat, because the fire fee wasn't paid.

What kind of heartless cunt stands around and watches animals burn to death over an unpaid $75.

What's the policy for trailers containing, old people, babies, would they douse the house if there was an illegal immigrant inside?

Originally Posted by Bunion

...lost all of their possessions in a house fire, along with three dogs and a cat, because the fire fee wasn't paid.
...

this is presumptuous at best, many times even though the FD responds, the house is a total loss. Also, fires are rarely caused by the fee not being paid. Usually it is electrical or arson, or ignited vapors etc...

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

What kind of heartless cunt stands around and watches animals burn to death over an unpaid $75.

What's the policy for trailers containing, old people, babies, would they douse the house if there was an illegal immigrant inside?

It's weird, it's like the fireman actually expect to get paid for risking their lives. Odd.

Originally Posted by hitek79

Odd.

I bet they got paid just as much to stand and watch....

Our Town in NH not AK also uses volunteers, so does most if not all the surrounding communitys. They work together on bigger stuff. They get lots of free training and like to ride in red fire trucks.

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

What kind of heartless cunt stands around and watches animals burn to death over an unpaid $75.

What's the policy for trailers containing, old people, babies, would they douse the house if there was an illegal immigrant inside?

Wait for it........toss in the uninsured, let em die; toss in gays that give their lives protecting these cunts,....same mindset

Originally Posted by AdironRider

100k for a trailer in Tennesee? What the fuck are you smoking?

Trailer + everything they own + a couple of animals (value them however you want) + additional cost of removing a completely burnt out structure = $100k pretty easily. Could've been more, could've been less. Either way, it's a shitload more than a couple hours worth of work from the local FD.

Time for an education. Get you paper and pencil, sit down and shut the fuck up.

This is the world liberalism created.

The fucking county is so broke paying for all the liberal programs and over the top public union benefits that they can't afford a Fire Dept.

Because there is no money, they have to charge for services. (Can't charge welfare recipients for welfare or union members for their benefits)

The GOP has NOTHING to do with local fire departments. One way or the other.

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

would they douse the house if there was an illegal immigrant inside?

Not if they were brits

Originally Posted by Downbound Train

Time for an education. Get you paper and pencil, sit down and shut the fuck up.

This is the world liberalism created.

However I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.....

Nope, GOP has nothing to do with it. The fact that Obion county is 86% white non-hispanic and overwhelmingly GOP voters has absolutley nothing to do with it.

http://www.city-data.com/county/Obion_County-TN.html

Let me guess, their insurance company has to buy them a new house even if they weren't paying their premiums too. Right?