Comment by Found Zero

Entered on: 4/7/2009 10:13:02 AM

The woman and me had this place in Waddell for a while and she was complaining about the fire dept. there who kept calling and sending threatening letters. And I do mean threatening. They were like "you are just outside of our fire district, we're not obliged to help you in any way, but as you notice, you have no fire dept. of your own so if you think your house might ever catch on fire, it behooves you seriously to donate to us and get on our list of houses we will save".

The woman was pretty pissed but I thought it was great. That was true capitalism. If you ask me, fire depts should be free to compete for business. I should get multiple competitive bids for fire insurance from companies in the next town who say "your fire dept. are a bunch of drunken morons, try us next time". I tried to explain how this approach was better than involuntary taxation and how the issue of neighborhood fire supression was a chance to meet the neighbors. It sort of went well. It was mostly a monetary issue for the woman. She just looked at me and said "so I don't have to pay them?"

No baby, that's what this letter is saying. You don't have to pay them.

"But if I don't pay them and the house catches fire?"

Then they won't come baby. Simple as that. See, it goes like this: pay people and they show up. Don't pay them and they don't show up.

It took a while but I think she got it. Eventually.

Comment by Forty Four O Nine

Entered on: 4/7/2009 8:12:48 AM

Did these azzholes just get 1.3 billion from the feds??? There is NO deficit now!

Comment by Powell Gammill

Entered on: 4/7/2009 7:32:38 AM

I heard this on the news last night that the Red Mountain School district was laying off 300 teachers. Since teachers make up only 49% of staff in AZ, I wondered where the other layoffs were. When you realize somewhere around three of every four AZ tax dollars spent by the legiscritters goes to education it is not too hard to understand that when the budget must be cut education will be the hardest hit.