Don’t get in an accident in Prosser:
Ambulance response in three lower Yakima Valley towns may take twice as long if money doesn’t show up soon.
It’s a nice country, Central Washington. I like to visit, but I think the next time I drive out there, it’ll be in a borrowed ambulance. You know, so I don’t die waiting for one of the local ones.
The publicly funded Prosser Memorial Hospital owns Emergency Medical Services, he only ambulance program responding to 911 calls in the Grandview, Prosser, Mabton area. But hospital CEO Jim Tavary says they need public money by March 15 or the ambulance service may be cut back in a business decision.
Nine-one-one: I file it under “government services I don’t use but am glad I pay for,” right along with meat inspectors and the 82nd Airborne.
If there isn’t an influx of money, the hospital plans to reduce services by 70 percent starting May 1 — closing a station in Grandview and laying off employees. That will raise response times in emergencies.
But who cares, right? Like the GOP says, practice some goddamn personal responsibility. If you’re having a coronary, it’s your responsibility to swallow two aspirin and drive yourself the 30 miles to the hospital.
The ambulance program has faced a $425,000 shortfall since 2006 when government Medicare reimbursements were restricted. Voters in the hospital district also rejected a levy increase last November.
Ultimately, if folks don’t vote for the levy, it’s their own damn fault. Sure, their taxes are lower (better business climate!), but what’s that worth to you if you die waiting for emergency help?
Eastern Washington is a wonderful place but its economy is a creation of government (hydro power, irrigation, prisons, universities, nuclear energy). There are more people per capita working for the government or getting government aid in Eastern Washington than in the old Soviet Union. The story in this post is about a local tax, but the rejected levy is the result of the same, bone-headed, knee-jerk, anti tax crap that the GOP has spewed over the last two decades. It is a pathetic argument anywhere, but it is particularly sad in a place that would resemble a wasteland without the help of government.
Check out this video of republican free market forces at work with minimal government intrusion.
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes......ose-fries/
Who cares if the republican idiots die because 911 was slow? Just makes Washington a better place. Let the fuckers scream LESS GOVERNMENT as they lay by the road bleeding while waiting for rescue. Serves em right!
yep. looks like the “War and Deficits” party needs to get their priorities straight.
I used to be a funeral director in Prosser, and a deputy coroner in Bneton County. It’s a very strange place. A fair percentage of the population of Prosser is employed by WSU at the extension service. Many others work at Hanford. Only the troglodytes vote. Go figure.
I would suggest that King County pass a levy and pick up the tab and “force” the district to have the service. The cost would hardly be noticed here, and it would be great PR. Signs could be affixed to the ambulances stating: “Donated by supporters of good and effective government”.
You get more bees with honey.
Proud to be an Ass says:
I would suggest that King County pass a levy and pick up the tab and “force” the district to have the service. The cost would hardly be noticed here, and it would be great PR. Signs could be affixed to the ambulances stating: “Donated by supporters of good and effective government”.
You get more bees with honey.
Maybe you can foot the bill out of your own pocket, besides did you say the state already runs the county with donation from the college(WSU).
John Edwards
Dear Kenneth,
I believe the 2008 elections can truly transform American politics — but only if we have the courage to act. We have to think big again, taking on fundamental issues like poverty and challenging injustice at every turn. And we have to seize every opportunity to move beyond politics as usual.
Today, I’m writing to alert you to 29 such opportunities — that’s the stunning number of Republicans in the House of Representatives who have decided not to run for re-election in 2008.
They’ve stood in our way and now they’re standing down. And we’ve got an incredible chance to replace them with strong Democratic leaders who will help end the war, achieve universal health care, challenge poverty, and reduce global warming.
Now here is another begger asking someone else to foot the bill and peddling lies like a snake oil salesmen. Yep its great when someone else foots the bill for the ambulance but dame if I should have to pay out of my own pocket. Another Socialist Democrat selling himself for another hand out.
Here’s one for you. Sometimes the government is deliberately inefficient when it provides services. Can you give an example?
Will,
I almost thought you were smarter than the average Liberal. Turns out I was deeply mistaken.
Fire, EMS and Police services are routinely used to fill up the coffers of City and County government. Why? Because you are less likely to say No to continuing funding for EMS services than you are to say No to new Space Age Public Toilets.
Next, and this probably has to do with your own ignorance, is you imply that EMS (Emergency Medical Services) will be impacted. I will try to keep this at a 3rd grade level (That way Goldy might understand it too).
Let’s look at Mabton for example. Mabton is serviced by Yakima Fire District 5 which has 20 paid and 200 volunteer personnel. If you have a medical emergency, then Fire Personnel will respond to the location that you give them, to treat you, in a prerequisite amount of time. There are times, even in major Cities, where that time may be longer due to traffic, weather or an influx of emergency calls. When you dial 911, you get the Fire Department.
Also, Ambulance services are used as transporting agencies. And the simple fact is, the vast majority of BLS (Basic Life Support) transports can be done just as easily in your own car. In the State of Washington, if you are seen by Emergency Personnel and request to be transported to a hospital via Ambulance, then you get one. Even if you don’t need an Ambulance (I once had a lady transported to the hospital that was 6 blocks away for a stubbed toe. And you wonder why our Healthcare system is so expensive).
Now, as to my first statement. Even over here, on the West Side you Liberals play games with response times, staffing levels and have even threatened to lay off Seattle Firefighters. What happens? Typically, the Firefighters put together a public campaign, the public gets outraged, and yells at the City/County government. They then point to the new tax (Levy) waiting on the sidelines. It is a terrible cycle, but it is one that LIBERAL DEMOCRATS IN SEATTLE and everywhere else use to fund other projects.
Your welcome for the education Will. Your homework for the evening is to try not to fall in lock step and believe everything that Goldy tells you to believe.
OMG
WTF?
BBQ!
Pithy comment
Don’t get me started!
“The ambulance program has faced a $425,000 shortfall since 2006 when government Medicare reimbursements were restricted.”
I knew it! As soon as I began reading this thread, I knew Bush’s fingerprints were on it somewhere! I was right!
Bush has plenty of taxpayer money for killing Iraqis in their own country or giving more tax breaks to billionaires, but old people with heart conditions in the Yakima Valley can rot as far as he’s concerned.
@1 “Eastern Washington is a wonderful place but its economy is a creation of government (hydro power, irrigation, prisons, universities, nuclear energy). There are more people per capita working for the government or getting government aid in Eastern Washington than in the old Soviet Union.”
And guess where most of our state’s anti-government nuts live? It’s time to post the “Joe Republican” article again:
“Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican
“By John Gray Cincinnati, Ohio
“Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.
“All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
“Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
“Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
“Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.
“Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.
“Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican’s would still be sitting in the dark)
“He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.
“He turns on a radio talk show, the host’s keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, ‘We don’t need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I’m a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have’.”
@6 Won’t work. They’re too proud to take private charity. Only federal subsidies are good enough for their delicate sensibilities. They’d rather die on the highway shoulder than be saved by King County tax dollars. If it doesn’t come from the USDA, Bureau of Reclamation, or Pentagon, they don’t want it.
Comments 7 & 8 are devoid of nutritional content and can be ignored.
@10 So our expert firefighter is telling us that our personal vehicles have the same equipment and personnel as a 911 car, and we should just treat ourselves, because EMS services are merely a liberal plot to extort $$$ from local taxpayers?
Yes, my friend, we know public officials play games by holding popular services hostage for tax increases. But let’s educate YOU about a couple of things. Eyman’s car tab tax repeal gutted county and municipal budgets. There really isn’t a deep pot of cash in the small towns and rural areas of Yakima County. 911 services really do cost money, and the money really does have to come from somewhere.
So, now, explain to us again that it’s all a liberal plot. Yes, it’s just those scheming liberals who run Yakima County and the Prosser Hospital District plotting against the taxpayers again. If only they had Republicans running things over there, the tax rates would be zero and the EMS services would be free.
Well, one government service the Bush administration felt we didn’t need was body armor and armored vehicles for our troops in Iraq. Cripes, I even donated $99 to buy a helmet for an American soldier because the Republicans running our government were too cheap to spend other people’s money to buy helmets for our soldiers, for chrissakes.
This is the first time in American history that Cher has had to raise private donations to buy basic military equipment for American soldiers serving in a combat zone because our own government was too cheap to do it.
And you can be very certain that not a single one of our resident “support the troops” troll hypocrites gave a red cent to Operation Helmet, which btw is still in business.
In fact, according to their web site, “We received donations this week (Jan 15, 2008) from citizens in Italy and France, both wanting to help protect our troops engaged in the global war on terror.” Can you imagine that? The French, whom the righties loathe, are donating money to buy helmets for American soldiers that their own government is too cheap to provide for them.
And not one fucking HA troll has given one fucking cent to Operation Helmet. The French and Italians are stepping up to the plate while HA’s resident troll superpatriots superglue their wallets shut.
http://www.operation-helmet.org/
A good chunk of the reason ambulance service is so frickin’ expensive is that Washington is a binding arbitration state and firefighter/paramedic unions have the arbitrators in their back pocket. That and the big government of Medicare artificially raises rates because they dictate that you have to haul everybody and won’t get fully reimbursed for the cost….which then is spread to other rate payers. Then others want to get free or subsidized ambulance rides and it makes it even worse.
Don’t get me wrong though. Ambulance should be a basic government service and as an R I think it should be reasonably priced, but these Twilight Zone costs are staggering and surreal…..and artificial.
Next time a firefighter tells you they’re underpaid…demand to see a tax statement and ask how much they contribute to their health care. You’ll see this part of civil service is a very lucrative gig.
RE: 17, I also donated $99 two years ago when you liberals in Seattle were donating to Darcy Burners failed campaign. I donated after I saw cher and the founder/inventor on Fox News.
I would think that supplying padding in helmets would be a government responsibility but evidently the democrat controlled congress doesn’t agree. If the inventor would have donated to Patty Murray’s campaign though I am sure he would have had an earmark sent his way, no pay no play with Patty Murray though. She was repsonsible for getting $4 Million dollars worth of boats no one wanted though, after the boat builders donated.
$4.5 million for a boat that nobody wanted
Blame it on Sen. Patty Murray and Congressmen Norm Dicks and Brian Baird. All three exercised their political muscle to slip language into a 2002 spending bill to force the Navy to buy the boat from Edmonds shipbuilder Guardian Marine International.
http://archives.seattletimes.n.....y+earmarks
That $4.5 Million boat that nobody wanted would have paid for 45,455 helmet upgrades. Murray, Dicks and Baird should be tried for their treason.
“@10 So our expert firefighter is telling us that our personal vehicles have the same equipment and personnel as a 911 car”
Hey Roger, there is a difference between what you describe as a 911 car and an ambulance. And yes, actually the vast majority of BLS transports can occur without an ambulance by pov. What did you do during the 70’s when you broke a finger? Drove yourself to the hospital. Now? You get a $500-700 ambulance ride, that you don’t need. What’s changed? Have the finger breaks become that life threatening?
“the vast majority of BLS transports can occur without an ambulance”
Now that is Republican thinking at its finest. Only a minority will die unnecessarily.
I love how Republicans always use a small euphemism like a broken finger to explain why we do not need life saving emergency equipment and modern transport.
But why stop there? We do not need electricity because most of us have candles. We do not need modern plumbing because it rains so much here we could just all have rain barrels.
“That $4.5 Million boat that nobody wanted would have paid for 45,455 helmet upgrades. Murray, Dicks and Baird should be tried for their treason.”
How about those guys who intentionally lied to get the US into and offensive war of choice? They all met at a big White House. How much did they blow unnecessarily?
What should they be tried for, boat boy?
RE: 22, you shouldn’t pay much attention to Roger Rabbit. In the previous thread he was ranting about George W. Bush and his alleged but not proven in any way Cocaine Use. Of course Rabbit didn’t say alleged, he just spoke like Bush’s use of Cocaine was a fact.
Rabbit also stated that “And what can you say about the fools who voted to give the power of the White House to a drunk and cocaine user? Stupidity is their best defense; anything else makes them criminally culpable”
Last week the democrats in the Great State of Washington chose Borak Hussein Obama to be their choice as a candidate for President of the United States.
It seems that Borak Hussein Obama has admitted in one of the books he wrote to being an abuser of Cocaine, Marijuana and Alcohol.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01 /02/AR2007010201359_pf.html
The hypocrisy of the left lives on!
RE: 24, When you can prove someone lied them you can have your democrat controlled congress impeach them. I havn’t seen that happen yet have you?
RE: 24, We can prove that Murray, Dicks and Baird had a boat built that no one wanted in order to get contributions to their campaigns though.
RE: 24, Just so you know who to try, here is the list of the votes from the democrat controlled senate regarding the use of force in Iraq.
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 107th Congress – 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary
Question: On the Joint Resolution (H.J.Res. 114 )
Vote Number: 237 Vote Date: October 11, 2002, 12:50 AM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Joint Resolution Passed
Measure Number: H.J.Res. 114
Measure Title: A joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
Vote Counts: YEAs 77
NAYs 23
Vote Summary By Senator Name By Vote Position By Home State
Alphabetical by Senator Name Akaka (D-HI), Nay
Allard (R-CO), Yea
Allen (R-VA), Yea
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Yea
Biden (D-DE), Yea
Bingaman (D-NM), Nay
Bond (R-MO), Yea
Boxer (D-CA), Nay
Breaux (D-LA), Yea
Brownback (R-KS), Yea
Bunning (R-KY), Yea
Burns (R-MT), Yea
Byrd (D-WV), Nay
Campbell (R-CO), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Carnahan (D-MO), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Chafee (R-RI), Nay
Cleland (D-GA), Yea
Clinton (D-NY), Yea
Cochran (R-MS), Yea
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Nay
Corzine (D-NJ), Nay
Craig (R-ID), Yea
Crapo (R-ID), Yea
Daschle (D-SD), Yea
Dayton (D-MN), Nay
DeWine (R-OH), Yea
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Domenici (R-NM), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Edwards (D-NC), Yea
Ensign (R-NV), Yea
Enzi (R-WY), Yea
Feingold (D-WI), Nay
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Fitzgerald (R-IL), Yea
Frist (R-TN), Yea
Graham (D-FL), Nay
Gramm (R-TX), Yea
Grassley (R-IA), Yea
Gregg (R-NH), Yea
Hagel (R-NE), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Helms (R-NC), Yea
Hollings (D-SC), Yea
Hutchinson (R-AR), Yea
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Jeffords (I-VT), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kennedy (D-MA), Nay
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Yea
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Nay
Lieberman (D-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lott (R-MS), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
McCain (R-AZ), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Miller (D-GA), Yea
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Nay
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nickles (R-OK), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Nay
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Santorum (R-PA), Yea
Sarbanes (D-MD), Nay
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Smith (R-NH), Yea
Smith (R-OR), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Stevens (R-AK), Yea
Thomas (R-WY), Yea
Thompson (R-TN), Yea
Thurmond (R-SC), Yea
Torricelli (D-NJ), Yea
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Warner (R-VA), Yea
Wellstone (D-MN), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Nay
Vote Summary By Senator Name By Vote Position By Home State
Rob: They authorized the use of force in Iraq for a maximum of 90 days. What the Bush crime family has done since then goes far beyond what the Bush Crime Family was authorized to do.
You are an apologist for Republican thieves and murderers.
Here’s what one gold star mother has to say about this situation:
“She said her son Casey, who died in Baghdad in April 2004, was “killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think.
“Casey died for a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed in the next few months while Democrats and Republicans play politics with human lives.
“It is so painful to me to know that I bought into this system for so many years and Casey paid the price for that allegiance. I failed my boy and that hurts the most.”
Ms Sheehan criticised the US anti-war movement for often putting “personal egos” first.
“It is hard to work for peace when the very movement that is named after it has so many divisions.”
She said that one-time allies among the Democratic Party had turned on her when she no longer limited her protests over the Iraq war to the Republican Party.
The US will rapidly descend into “a fascist corporate wasteland,” she said, if “alternatives to this corrupt ‘two’ party system” are not found.” Cindy Sheehan
Re: 29, I just posted the resolution, you are lying when you say it was for 90 days. Posting something from Cindy Sheehan doesn’t help your case. Most moonbats have even tossed her to the curb. She is getting play supporting the people that killed her son though.
Cindy Sheehan in Egypt for Islamists
http://www.breitbart.com/artic....._article=1
RE: 29, seems you have been brainwashed by the Islamic Extremist supporter Cindy Sheehan.
Here is the complete text of the resolution. I couldn’t find anything about your 90 day lie. If you can’t I am sure your help is needed in Egypt
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:2:./temp/~c107uVJTO8::
RE: 29, Are liberals so gullible that they believe everything they are told while sharing a line with Borak Hussein Obama or are they just dumb?
And Rob do you believe Bush has pursued this war in a competitent manner?
Re: 33, Not until recently and I was against the war when is started.
@34 I was as well. I don’t have numbers on this, but anecdotally, I would say that most *conservatives* were against starting this war. The difference, I believe, is that most of us can see the problems with abandoning Iraq at this point. We simply cannot afford, as a nation, to appear to have been defeated, or driven out, of Iraq.
robbed at 25
Do you have any notion of what a “hypocrite” is? I don’t believe so. Barack Obama admitted his drug usage. He has come clean. Has your president? Has he ever admitted any of his faults. Buy a dictionary. Then, turn to the section under “H.”
@36 PL whether you like it or not, he’s *the President*. Not “your” president. At least for another 11 months…
RE: 36, I was referring to roger rabbit’s hypocrisy when he said “And what can you say about the fools who voted to give the power of the White House to a drunk and cocaine user? Stupidity is their best defense; anything else makes them criminally culpable”
As for George W. Bush and Cocaine, I haven’t seen any evidence of that, if you have you can post is here.
RE: 36, Since you had to give you snarky liberal attack, learn how to read and come back and talk to me.
@23
“I love how Republicans always use a small euphemism like a broken finger to explain why we do not need life saving emergency equipment and modern transport.”
I base my statement on about adecade working in the Fire/EMS field. What do you base your statements on? Do some basic research. BLS transporting agencies in the State of Washington transport BLS. You are referring to ALS when you say Life Saving. I didn’t say anything about medics. I referenced only BLS. And the broken finger analogy is an actual BLS response. Look, before you open your mouth, try opening your mind and learning something. Do basic research about the difference between BLS and ALS transport. A broken bone (In most cases) is NOT Life Threatening. Breaking your neck, back or femur are Life Threatening. Having a Panic Attack is not life threatening. Yes, these are real emergencies, and ones that I have and will continue to respond to, giving the highest level of care possible. But they aren’t life threatening. The simple fact is, the vast majority of 911 calls for medical emergencies are at the BLS level. If this was untrue, then Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue would run with more MEDICS rather than EMT’s. No go sit back at the kiddie table Mike, the Grown ups are having a conversation.
Let me be clear, the vast MAJORITY of Public Agencies DO NOT TRANSPORT BLS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Private companies do this. That’s why you get a bill, or in many cases, the taxpayers get a bill for 500 – 700 dollars. The Patient, after being evaluated by Trained Medical Professionals and being told that they do NOT need an Ambulance ride that a cab, private vehicle or bus will suffice, due to the nature of their illness/injury can still require that they be transported by an Ambulance. Note, there is a difference between a Private Ambulance company that shows up at your door with an “AMBULANCE” and the Firefighters that show up with an Engine, Truck or Aid Car.
Maty @19
“A good chunk of the reason ambulance service is so frickin’ expensive is that Washington is a binding arbitration state and firefighter/paramedic unions have the arbitrators in their back pocket.”
Again, that is incorrect. Fire and Medic Agencies typically don’t charge for ALS transport. The BLS AMBULANCE transport is a private company.
“Next time a firefighter tells you they’re underpaid…demand to see a tax statement and ask how much they contribute to their health care. You’ll see this part of civil service is a very lucrative gig.”
I will tell you right now, 350 per month. As a result of my job, I have 10 years taken off of my life expectancy. Have a 33% higher likelihood of Stroke, Heart Attack and many Cancers (Than the average Public). Have a higher rate of divorce. Have been exposed to active TB, Hep C, HIV and MRSA. How about you? Ever had a person with Active TB cough in your face, then tell you he has TB? Ever treat a gunshot patient, only to find out 4 days later that she was HIV positive. Ever seen a gunshot wound? Ever seen the amount of blood? Ever been inside of a burning building? Got Steam burns on your shoulder because some kid decided to play with matches and an old sofa? Yeah, my gig is that Cherry. Look, I love my job, but don’t come at me like I don’t deserve what I get paid.
RE: 36, It does appear that you want to elect a president who is an admitted Cocaine, Marijuana and Alcohol abuser in Borak Hussein Obama. I am just saying go ahead and try.
RE: 36, It does appear that you want to elect a president who is an admitted Cocaine, Marijuana and Alcohol abuser in Borak Hussein Obama. I am just saying go ahead and try.
Hi, I am Borak Hussein Obama, I used cocaine and became president and you can too!
@19 Uh-huh … you think firefighters are overpaid … how about CEOs? Do we have any overpaid CEOs in this country?
Roger Rabbit Quiz
Who gets paid more?
[ ] 1. Firefighters
[ ] 2. CEOs
RE: 44, just the liberal ones.
RE: 45, CEO’s
Funny how Republicans bitch about fire fighters making $60,000 a year (give or take), but don’t say a word about CEOs making millions for losing their shareholders’ money.
Robs Quiz
Who gets paid more?
( ) soldiers
( ) lawyers
Speaking of arbitration, shareholders don’t get any. All you can do is sell your stock for whatever the market will give you when a company overpays its underperforming executives (Washington Mutual comes to mind).
@49 It depends on the rank, but it may surprise you to know that many military officers with a little rank and seniority earn more than many lawyers.
When you figure in housing allowances, combat pay, enlistment bonuses, education benefits, etc., there’s probably a fair number of enlisted men who make more than a fair number of lawyers, too.
RE: 48, Can you name one repbulican bitching about fire fighters salarys?
didn’t think so.
@20 rob, I’ve learned from experience not to believe anything a wingnut says, but I’m going to overlook all that and take you at your word.
Thank you for supporting our troops with your contribution to Operation Helmet. I sincerely mean this.
@22 How do you know it’s only a broken finger and not a severed artery unless someone who knows what he’s doing looks at it?
@25 No one makes you pay ANY attention to Roger Rabbit. So … why do you?
RE: 52, Ok if you say so, you may want to forward that to Hillary Clinton and Borak Hussein Obama. They seem to believe that soldiers are getting pissed on.
John Edwards also had a problem with your take on it but let it be said that according to Roger Rabbit a career in the military more rewarding financially than being a lawyer.
That will be good for recruiting rabbit, the city council of Berkley will have a Fatwah on your ass
.
@28 Just 2 points. First, these senators authorized use of force as a last resort, not first resort. Second, they voted for this authorization in good faith reliance on the Bush administration’s representations that Iraq had WMDs.
They were lied to on both counts. This may make them gullible fools, but it doesn’t make them warmongers. That odium is reserved for those who told the lies.
RE: 56, just pointing out your hypocrisy rabbit, I am doing the job liberals won’t do.
@35 “I would say that most *conservatives* were against starting this war.”
Yeah, sure, and I remember back in 1975 a national poll of Republican voters showed none them ever voted for Nixon.
@37 Actually, I don’t believe he’s ever been the president. I consider him a usurper and an election thief.
RE: 58, Here is the title of the bill rabbit, I am sure even the intellectually challenged democrats could understand the meaning.
Measure Title: A joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
@41 I like our drug users better than your drug users.
@46 Typical.
robbed
Why do you begrudge lawyers their wages but not venture capitalists, mortgage brokers, and yacht salesmen? Without lawyers, idiots like you would not have the right to express your idiocy publicly. And, by the way, I could give a rat’s ass if our next president is someone who used cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol. Mitt Romney never did any of those things, and, well, he really is not human. I like humans. I want a president who is human. I want a president who, when he was young, acted like he was young. So, let me put this delicately, bite me.
@46 OK. A CEO’s job is to run the company profitably so the shareholders make money — can we agree on that? And can we also agree there should be a relationship between a CEO’s pay and his success (or lack thereof) in accomplishing that objective? What does being a “liberal” (or not) have to do with any of this? It doesn’t, it’s irrelevant. You see, rob, this is your whole fucking problem … you don’t know how to focus on what’s important. If you were a baseball pitcher pitching to Ichiro, you would be looking up some gal’s dress in the stands instead of at the plate. That’s why you are, and always will be, a bush leaguer on this blog.
@53 Yes, that would be Matty @19.
rob: You are a waste of human protoplasm. No one will mourn your passing, you mean, blackhearted, little shithead.
@57 They are getting pissed on, all right. Bush wanted to eliminate their combat pay. He refused to buy body armor, armored vehicles, and helmet liners for them. He stuffed their wounded into moldy hospital barracks. He cut veterans benefits. But, worst of all, he ignored his own generals’ advice that it would take 500,000 troops to occupy Iraq and ran the army into the ground instead.
RE: 65, that’s cool, if you want someone who has his right hand on the trigger of the most powerful nuclear armament in the world and his left hand rolling a Benjiman to do another line that’s fine with me. I don’t believe the rest of America will agree with you though.
PL, you leftists have been playing with yourselves till now, we get to get into the game now and we will make sure American moms and dads know who you want to elect.
Hope you understand it isn’t personal. lol
Re: 69, I thought you said they were making more money than lawyers. Are you off your meds again?
RE: 68, Now that is typical liberal bile. Do you have a point to make other than you can’t out debate me?
You should crawl under mother sheehans dress and take care of her.
Hmmm got queit all of sudden, maybe it’s buyer remorse regarding Borak Hussien Obama the drug queen.
Well it’s time for bed girls, I hope I added to your inherent paranoia.
I will be back someday.
Thanks,
Rob
So what’s a soldier worth? Whatever his government is willing to pay him. What’s a lawyer worth? Whatever the market will bear.
Our country has too many lawyers because running law schools is a highly profitable business for colleges, which turn out law graduates with no regard for whether the market can absorb them.
We have had a volunteer army for quite a few years now. The conscripts (and enlistees) who fought in Vietname got shitty pay. Military pay leaped overnight when we went to a volunteer army because that’s what it took to fill the ranks with volunteers after the cheap labor of conscripts became unavailable.
Now let’s look at some actual numbers. In 1968, a new enlistee got $90 a month. Today, he gets $1178.10 in basic pay. That’s a 1,300% increase over 40 years. Hey, I’m not saying that’s great pay, but even after adjusting for inflation he’s doing a lot better than Vietnam-era recruits did.
The typical enlisted grade for am experienced soldier in his first term of enlistment is E-4. His basic pay is $1842.60, plus free room and board, free health care, and other benefits. That’s competitive with many blue collar jobs requiring 2-3 years of experience.
If he stays in the army and gets regular promotions, as an E-8 with 20 years of service he’ll earn basic pay of $4,071.60 per month. That’s more than most new law graduates get, and represents about what an attorney with 5 years of experience can expect to earn in a salaried positon. In private practice, he might or might not earn that much. And the army sergeant also gets additional allowances, free housing, free health care, PX privileges, etc. So, a 40-year-old sergeant’s total pay is comparable with what a lot of 35 to 40 year old attorneys earn — and he didn’t have to shell out $100,000 or more out of his own pocket for his training. And don’t forget, career soldiers also get cash re-enlistment bonuses that can amount to tens of thousands of dollars.
A first lieutenant with 4 years of service gets basic pay of $3774.30, not counting additional allowances and free perks. That’s about equal to or slightly higher than the entry level pay for a deputy prosecuting attorney or assistant attorney general in our state. And, here again, the army officer is getting various allowances, free housing, free health care, and other perks.
A lieutenant colonel with 12 years of service gets basic pay of $6236.10; a full bird with 20 years gets basic pay of $8004.00. The top pay for the vast majority of attorneys at their career peak falls roughly in the same range. A Washington state appeals court judge makes about the same as the basic pay of a 1 or 2 star general. Few officers get to be generals, but then few attorneys get to be appellate judges.
http://www.militaryconnection.com/charts.asp
I’m not saying soldiers aren’t underpaid. It’s a demanding job that involves personal sacrifices, hardships, and danger; they deserve whatever we can afford to pay them. However, since you Republicans like market approaches so much, I think it’s fair to say that because Congress has raised military pay and bonuses to the levels required to fill the ranks, soldiers are getting paid what the market for their services will bear — in other words, their pay is determined the same way as everyone else’s. That wasn’t true when we had a draft and conscripts were forced to serve for whatever Congress felt like paying them, which believe me was far less than the volunteer army gets.
You have to be a college graduate to even apply for law school. About 1 of every 20 who apply is accepted. A significant number of these will not graduate for various reasons — they drop out, run out of money, don’t make grades, etc. Most of those who do graduate will have a fairly large amount of debt. Only about 1% to 2% will be placed in high-paying corporate law firm jobs. Fewer than a third will find salaried positions in law. The rest will either start their own practices, and make little or nothing for several years, or make a living doing something else. It’s not a financially lucrative occupation for most who go into it, even though it typically requires putting in very long hours, requires a very high level of intellectual and people skills, and involves carrying a heavy load of responsibility. In short, it’s a difficult way to make a rather ordinary middle-class living.
I say that because you brought up the comparison between soldiers and lawyers. Society needs both. They are two vastly different occupations, although there certainly are people who have done both, sometimes simultaneously. (The military needs lawyers, too.) In the enlisted ranks, soldiering is a blue-collar occupation. In the officer ranks, it’s a white-collar occupation, and many people correctly consider it a profession with its own academic and professional rigors. In this respect, being a career military officer is somewhat comparable to being a lawyer, and you probably find similar intellect and personal abilities in both groups. And, as I’ve demonstrated with actual pay figures, the compensation is pretty similar, too.
@74 You’re a lightweight, rob. You don’t challenge us very much.
@65 Oh, I don’t know. I think Romney is human. In fact, he’s all too human. We expect our presidents to be a cut above common cloth. Romney is part of a religious group — Mormons — who have many admirable qualities. They have strong families, and a strong church community. They not only preach clean living (no alcohol or smoking), they live it. Romney was successful in business, although having a rich, famous, and powerful father didn’t hurt his prospects. Still, he brought something to the table to get farther than his father did, both financially and politically. Romney’s problem is that he wanted to be president too badly and for the wrong reasons. This turned him into a whore. Instead of anchoring his candidacy in a vision and principles, he said whatever he thought people wanted to hear, and if popular sentiment changed or he misgauged it in the first place, he flip-flopped. Consequently, he stood for nothing and won no one’s trust. You get the feeling he would have been a weak and ineffective president because he didn’t have a compass; he is the kind of man who would be blown every which way by the prevailing winds of public opinion and approval, which can change daily. The public is fickle. Our leaders must not be. The presidency is the wrong job for this generally good and capable man. He should stick to what he knows — being a CEO in private business. The complexities of national-level politics are over his head, as this campaign so clearly demonstrated.
What Romney wanted was to hear the band playing “Hail to the Chief,” see the Marines saluting him as he board Air Force One, hear the staff call him “sir” and see the flags waving and hear the crowds cheering … his ego wanted the pomp and circumstance of high office.
What McCain wants is to defeat the terrorists, which is why he’s going to be the GOP nominee and Romney isn’t.
What Obama and Clinton want is an America that’s respected abroad and provides jobs, education, housing, health care, and other basic needs for all of its citizens, including — especially — the most lowly, those who will live out lives of hard work with no pomp or circumstances of blaring bands or waving flags.
That’s why one of them, and not McCain, is going to be president.
Defeating the terrorists is an important objective of both Repoublicans and Democrats, of course. At this, Dumbya has been a miserable failure. If he hadn’t willfully ignored the warnings and plans that Clinton bequeathed to him, 9/11 might not have happened. His early military strategy in Afghanistan will be studied for years to come for its brilliance. His later military strategy in Afghanistan and his entire military strategy in Iraq will be studied for years to come for its stupidity. The most pressing task facing our next president is getting us out of the quagmire that Bush created. It’s questionable whether anything can be retrieved in terms of objectives. Simply keeping Iraq from becoming a failed state wide open to al Qaeda, other terrorist groups who want to use it as a base of operations, and Iran’s ambitions, will in and of itself be a difficult and perhaps impossible challenge, given the mess that Bush has bequeathed to his successor. Little or nothing that Bush has done as actually made America safer, and much of it has made us less safe, so there are numerous things a Democratic president will be able to do to reduce the threat of future terrorist attacks and to further weaken our terrorist foes, if not completely defeat them. Bush has made such a hash of things that his Democratic successor is unquestionably certain to do better.
@62 You really are as stupid as you present yourself.
@70 “we get to get into the game now”
You’re also oblivious. In case you haven’t noticed all of the relevant polls, you wingnuts are on your way out of the game.
@72 No, he’s stating facts. Can’t out debate you? That takes no effort at all. You’re a fucking joke.
I remember when I was going to EWU, the mayor of Cheney, after the voters rejected a utility tax increase to pay for a shortfall with the Parks department, said she would shutter some of the parks, including the swimming pool. She followed through on that promise! If it were not for EWU selling admission to their pool(which unlike the town pool, was indoors). I have a feeling that things might be different the next time that happens.
Say, did Tacoma ever fix up their other fireboat. I heard that little boathouse fire yesterday, the one they got, they had help from the Unofficial TFD Marine Reserve, Foss Maritime Company. Good thing those tugboats have firefighting gear, and although no longer owned by the FOSS family, they still believe in helping the community that got them started.
ERF:
I’ll ask my cousin and brother-in-law, who both work for the PCFD, about the fireboat(s). Not to mention the shitload of Foss connections that I have in my family…..
Is it too much to hope that the eventual republican nominee for President will spend a great deal of time in Eastern Washington – where – there might be no emergency services to help him in his time of need?
Ahh, the old priorities argument. I’m assuming you’re complaining about the fact that there’s a separate EMS levy? A better way to look at it is that having an EMS levy means that the funding cannot be taken by politicians and spent on something else. It must go entirely to EMS. What’s wrong with that?
I’m not sure this is entirely accurate. It depends on where you live. Most of the Eastside fire departments (Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, etc.) do BLS transport. Renton does BLS transport. Central Pierce and some other Pierce County agencies do the majority of their BLS transport.
Sounds like your beef is with private ambulance companies that are transporting people that don’t need it so they can bleed the feds and insurance companies for $ reimbursement. This has nothing to do with the situation in Yakima County. They have a hospital based ambulance service that the public has decided not to support with a levy, so the service will go away. It’s exactly like what happened in Roy a few years back. The public voted down EMS levies multiple times. So eventually they ran out of money and stopped providing ALS service. Surrounding agencies refused to provide automatic aid for ALS. Why should their taxpayers subsidize Roy?
It meant that private ambulances had to come from Tacoma to provide ALS, if they were available. Response times jumped to approximately an hour or more. Eventually, after the public saw that there was no free lunch, an EMS levy was again approved.
I suspect this is what will happen in Yakima. The service will go away, the anti-tax types will suddenly realize that there’s no free lunch when their friends and relatives die of ailments that the EMS system previously would’ve helped them survive, and then eventually a levy will pass.
They typically don’t charge in KING COUNTY, but in every other county in the state you will generally be charged for transport, even if it’s a fire service or third service public ambulance. But even some agencies in King County are now charging – I believe Bothell and Vashon Island, to name two. And more will soon.
For somebody who holds himself out as an expert in the area, you sure are misinformed about a lot of things.
“It depends on where you live. Most of the Eastside fire departments (Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, etc.) do BLS transport. Renton does BLS transport. Central Pierce and some other Pierce County agencies do the majority of their BLS transport.”
That is why I said Most, and your list doesn’t dispute that. You list a few that may transport, but I bet that they have guidelines for when they don’t have to transport as a part of a patient request. Also, you said most Eastside Departments transport. Thats not even close to 1/4 of the Eastside Departments.
“Sounds like your beef is with private ambulance companies that are transporting people that don’t need it so they can bleed the feds and insurance companies for $ reimbursement.”
No, state law is what requires me to get them an ambulance. And yes, I do have a beef with that. If there is no need for on, why continue to be a drain on taxpayers and their pocketbook?
“They typically don’t charge in KING COUNTY, but in every other county in the state you will generally be charged for transport”
Wow, so now your telling me how my old agency used to run. Sorry, but your just not right on this one. Read my post. Do you need a dictionary? I said TYPICALLY.
“even if it’s a fire service or third service public ambulance”
Well of course, I wouldn’t expect a 3rd Party Ambulance to do it for free. The simple fact remains, that there is a vast difference between a transporting agency providing BLS and an agency providing ALS. Chances are, in this case in Yakima, if the officials chose to get rid of their pet projects, I bet they could find the money. How about getting rid of the 1% for Art? Almost certainly could find the money there. Your argument that EMS levies are being spent only on EMS is fine. I would love that. All taxes broken down on exactly what they can and can’t pay for. You libs have the problem with that.
IS THIS WHY THIS BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS? MORE REVENUE STREAMS? MORE EXCUSES TO TAX US TO DEATH?
Vehicle License Fee Bill SB6900
Hello,
There is a bill that the Washington State Legislature is trying to pass in Olympia that, if successful, will directly add huge costs to our vehicle license fees. Everyone needs to know about so this situation so
that you can contact your representatives and voice your
objection.
The bill is SB 6900 and it adds an ‘engine displacement’ fee to the vehicle license tabs upon renewal.
The fee has a varied amount depending on the size of the
vehicle’s engine:
Engine Size (liters) Rate Schedule
Up to 1.9 $0
2.0 – 2.9 $70
3.0 – 3.9 $225
4.0 –
4.9 $275
5.0 – 5.9 $325
6.0 – 7.9 $400
8.0 or
over $600
The average family is already struggling with the high cost of gasoline, electricity, food and everything else, and
our lawmakers want us to pay more, thinking we have unlimited deep pockets. This will do great damage to the budgets of retirees on fixed incomes as well.
Here’s the web page for the bill where you can read the text:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinf.....;year=2007
When will they figure it out?? We have said NO loud and clear time and time again. Time for Washington State Polictions to get paid for performance and accomplishment, then we’d have a lot more extra tax money with lower paid politions since we all know if they were paid based on performance, MOST would barely make minimum wage! IF we really have a 1.2 bill surplus, where is the ferry we approved 235 mill for in 2005? Oh and where is the 30 mill approved in 03 for the I-5 Chehalis corrider improvements??? That money is missing or spent and now you want more??????
#57 rob says:
The rabbit was a lawyer. He worked for the government for far less than equally skilled lawyers in the private sector. How would the rabbit now how much successful private sector lawyers make? Compared to what the rabbit made, there’s a good chance a career in the military was more rewarding financially.
Why should they? The public just voted, and said that they no longer want the service. So the government should stop providing it. It’s a pretty simple concept.
Who’s saying anybody has a problem with that? Fire Districts can only raise revenue from property taxes. EMS levies are property taxes. It’s very obvious that those sources of revenue go only towards emergency services. “Libs” aren’t the ones trying to cut that funding. Tim Eyman and the GOP is. If you’ve got an issue with emergency services being cut, don’t blame “libs” — put the responsibility where it lies, on the GOP and Tim Eyman.
Bax,
I love how you blame Tim Eyman. All Time Eyman did was propose the initiative. If people weren’t so damn tired of being taxed to death then those initiatives wouldn’t have passed. The fact is, rather than spending money on essential services, City Government spends money on many wastefully things. Then cries about Police Fire and EMS not being funded. You libs always cry about Tim Eyman, but the only way his initiatives pass is through the people. Oh yeah, and I loved how all you Libs and the Queen bent to Timmy last year with your special session. GET A CLUE BAX!!! The people vote for it, because they are tired of being taxed to the extreme!!!!!!
AMEN IAFF Fireman! Read my post 88…..WE ARE SICK OF BEING TAXED TO DEATH! But in this states government even when we tax payers say no the rulers say yes.
re 92: It should be ‘state’s government’, not ‘states government’. If you are that stupid, why should I listen to you?
People pass Tim Eyman initiatives just as much because they think they can get something for nothing than because they’re tired of being taxed to death.
Right. People complain that government doesn’t spend enough money on essential services. So to make sure that they’ll prioritize and spend more money on essential services, we’ll cut funding for essential services. Brilliant logic.
Question for you: what’s the first city in the State to get 4 person staffing on all fire companies? Democratic-run Seattle. What city laid off a bunch of firefighters and closed stations a few years back? GOP run Spokane when West was mayor.
So tell me again: which political party prioritizes essential services? If you want to vote for the GOP, fine. But when they get elected, they don’t put more firefighters and cops on the streets. Democrats do.
“what’s the first city in the State to get 4 person staffing on all fire companies? Democratic-run Seattle.”
Ummmm, do some research. The Seattle Firefighters Union NEGOTIATED for 4 person staffing. They increased their work hours by 3% with a 1% raise. The Democratic runned City Government in Seattle took firefighters OFF of engines in high run volume districts. Creating 3 person ATTACK UNITS. That’s why the UNION and the Actual FIREFIGHTERS stepped up. Nice try though. The politicians didn’t have anything to do with that one. They were the ones decreasing the funding that lead to the Ready 4 Rescue Imitative. By the way, it took until this year to implement that negotiated Contract.
“What city laid off a bunch of firefighters and closed stations a few years back? GOP run Spokane when West was mayor”
The City of Seattle tried to lay off 20 firefighters in 2002. Instead they ended up not hiring firefighters that had retired (Through attrition). Read the papers about E21.
Once again, you are letting your ignorance show. Go sit at the Kiddie table with Bus driver Mike. You obviously don’t know anything you are trying to talk about.
Right. They negotiated. And the city agreed. Voila! Increased staffing on fire companies throughout the city.
Had the city told them to piss off, it wouldn’t have happened. But they didn’t, because they wanted increased emergency services staffing.
Except for approving the contract and providing the funding for the additional bodies, they didn’t have anything to do with that one. Which is to say that they had everything to do with it.
Look, I’m sorry that the facts don’t fit your narrative. It’s unfortunate for you, because it really hurts your argument against democrats. But you can pretty easily compare what happens in a city where democrats are elected: you get increased emergency services staffing. When you look at a place like Spokane, which at the time was run by the GOP, you get layoffs and station closures. And when you look statewide, you have the GOP advocating for policies that reduce funding for fire districts and EMS levies.
The truth hurts.
Bax,
Nobody told you to get up from the Kiddies table.
“Right. They negotiated. And the city agreed. Voila! Increased staffing on fire companies throughout the city. Had the city told them to piss off, it wouldn’t have happened. But they didn’t, because they wanted increased emergency services staffing.”
Obviously you have about as much Union experience as Goldy, which is ZERO!!!!! Why would the Seattle Firefighters Union be forced to negotiate for their own safety and increase the hours of work without a corresponding increase in pay? The City drastically reduced staffing, prior to the negotiated contract. The Union had to negotiate, and the City has to approve when you bargain in good faith. Again, it’s those pesky Union terms. Tell me, are you also a Goldy Cheap Labor Liberal?
“Except for approving the contract and providing the funding for the additional bodies, they didn’t have anything to do with that one. Which is to say that they had everything to do with it. ”
As a part of a negotiated contract they did so. And after reducing staffing levels. Really Bax, what color is the sky in your world? Are you hanging out with LEE to much? Maybe living in a smoke filled room. Come out of the sky, and sober up. If the Union had chosen to let the City continue to REDUCE STAFFING levels, and not to negotiate for staffing, then Seattle wouldn’t be at 4. The City made the Firefighters give up allot in order to reach 4 person staffing. Oh yeah, and the contract wasn’t to popular with the firefighters.
“But you can pretty easily compare what happens in a city where democrats are elected: you get increased emergency services staffing.”
Only when they are forced to do it. Oh yeah, and if Seattle wants more emergency services, then how come they refuse to meet NFPA 1710?