TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 06 October 2010 03:17 |
This is an a great example of how being sticklers for the letter of a law can completely undermine every bit of common sense. Utter BS that they couldn't just have collected the fee retroactively (with a "late fee" penalty as well) on that day from the home owner, and just helped someone in need out, and I'd be willing to be that the home owner would have been the first to pay his annual fee from that day on. When a society puts cash (and a piddling amount at that) way before simple decency, all just to "teach someone a lesson" then you've got a problem. And if that's a "socialist" thought then I'm proud to be a pinko. Reading things like this makes me even prouder of the NYC Fire Dept. than I already was. Best force around.
Best regards, Steve Berson
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I live outside a small town (circa 2k pop) in northeastern California. I live outside of the fire district. In the 26 years we have lived here the local volunteer fire department has been here three times to suppress fires that started due to relatives temporarily living with us who had little clue about wood heat and proper stove operation. The fire fighters were not and are not obligated to save our home. They have done so three times, and they have done so cheerfully. They would be here tonight within ten minutes were any of us to call for help. They have never asked me for a penny.
This is the value of living
in a community. We all know that the shoe can easily wind up on the other foot.
In this valley are people of many viewpoints and beliefs, people whose socio-political-religious values are all over the map and many diametrically opposed. When the chips are down around here nobody gives a crap about that stuff. It's "all shoulders to the wheel and let's get on with it".
In my mind there is nothing "rational" about willfully allowing the destruction of a community member's property. If what goes around comes around, then some bad stuff is going to show up close to "home" for those who believe this kind of behavior is okay. Never mind the seventy-five bucks. The real cost there will exceed that, considerably.