General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThink about it:
You wake up in the middle of the night to thick smoke...you call 911...nobody comes or, more likely, the operator tells you to get yourself, your kids, your elderly mother and your pets out of the house because responders are spread so thin that they can't get to you for 30 minutes.
You wake up in the middle of the night and realize that someone is in your house... you call 911...the operator puts you on hold.
You wake up in the middle of the night with chest pains...you call 911...EMT's are on a call elsewhere and there is no coverage.
Your kid comes home from school and tells you that he hasn't been called on in months because his class is so big...says he hasn't had a word with his overwhelmed teacher since the beginning of the school year.
Now, Mitt Romney "resides" in Belmont, Massachusetts, one of the wealthest towns in the state and probably in the country. They will fund all the police and firefighters they want because they have the money. It does not matter if other less well off communities are bleeding. And when they rush Mitt to one of the Boston hospitals, there will be no waiting for hours to be seen like the rest of us.
Oh, and schools...even the wealthy Belmont public school system wasn't good enough for Mitt's kids. He sent them to the Belmont Hill School, a private school about a block from his home...know for its small classes and personal attention.
Mitt, you supercillious empty suit...you know NOTHING, NOTHING about the lives of real Americans.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)Both police forces and fire companies can be supported by individual subscription. As long as your payments are up to date, the firemen & cops will come.
(Pleas, please tell me I don't need the sarcasm thingie for this.)
Raven
(13,891 posts)Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)I think you always have to include it.
I'd provide a list, but apparently we can't do that here.
K&R
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)"Insurance number? Um... er....
"I'm sorry, ma'am. We cannot dispatch firefighters without a valid fire insurance number. (click)"
eridani
(51,907 posts)Do you let your kids play with matches?
Do you store oily rags in the basement?
Are you always careful where you put lit cigarettes?
YellowRubberDuckie
(19,736 posts)...most of our fire and police are supported by sales taxes and property taxes. Need an ambulance ride? There's a $1 per month surcharge on your water bill.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)YellowRubberDuckie
(19,736 posts)...and even we revere cops and firemen. We are at least decent to our public servants.
BillyJack
(819 posts)Yes, but for 'how much longer will that be true"....
YellowRubberDuckie
(19,736 posts)But as we know, that is probably crazy talk.
eridani
(51,907 posts)Karl Marx wrote it's business model "From each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs." The more your property is worth, the higher your property taxes. And they won't send a truck out unless you have a fire or other emergency.
Just pointing out that in a very loose sloppy sense, all public goods are "socialist." Not that the wingers have a clue what the word means--it's just a snarl word for them.