[scottb]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upsho...e-fire-sparks-conservative-ideological-debate

 

[twstdcain]

no sympathy here. I mean it sucks that the house burned to theground and Im sure some kind of arrangement could have been worked out to billthe idiot after the fire was put out, but the homeowner knew that losing hishouse was a possibility when he refused to pay the $75.
Stupid should hurt!

 

[Gossamer]

this story was just on the local news. I find it stupid they'd let the house sit and burn when they could've stopped it, than again I pay insurance every year and never have used it. However on the chance I may someday need it I'll keep paying it.

 

[phoenix9]

And if they had put out the fire then next year NO ONE would pay the $75, and the south Fulton Fire Department would have to lay off firefighters. I don't blame them.
In my area I have to pay for fire protection as well, but my annual cost is around $6-800 because it is a county island and it is not built into my property taxes....which are extremely cheap.
I don't feel sorry for this cheapskate.

 

[FishWitch]

It's just wrong that they sat there and watched!

I think Jo Blow should have been a Volunteer Fire Dept Member if their town has no fire department to speak of.

The men & women who are fire fighters risk their lives to save and protect us all.

Same with the Police.

I'm flat broke but if that was the difference between having fire protection or not $75 is cheap!

I hope his Homeowners calls him on this and says Sorry Cheap Azz!! Next time SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FIRE DEPT.

 

[BLININGER]

I hate to be a hard azz here but I don't feel sorry for him either.
He came across as someone who uses the system. Let everyone else pay for maintaining it and keeping it running, I'll only pay for it when/if I need it, my money is more important to me than yours is to you. That's not fair to the rest. He even says that he still expected them to put it out even though he knew he didn't pay. Didn't he ever read the story of the grasshopper and the ant as a kid? Plan ahead.
You get what you pay for; he paid for nothing so he got nothing (and ended up with even less). But hey, he should have an extra $75 in his pocket.
And in the end it's not even about the money. It's about the principle of the situation and setting a standard. Phoenix9 is dead on; if they would have put out that fire then NO ONE would ever pay again unless they needed it right then and there.

 

[Keith Grey]

no sympathy here. I mean it sucks that the house burned to theground and Im sure some kind of arrangement could have been worked out to billthe idiot after the fire was put out, but the homeowner knew that losing hishouse was a possibility when he refused to pay the $75.
Stupid should hurt!

+1 He admitted he knew about the fee and didn't pay because he thought they would put it out anyway.
Although I believe the law shouldrequire them to provide service if they believe there is a human life in danger, it would be balanced if they could also put a workman's lien on the property to have that mandatory life-saving service paid for.
There is a difference between compassionate charity for those who can't do for themselves and handouts for cheapskates and bums.

 

[randysfishing]

I wounder if he has home insurance. If so how does that work? Would the insurance company pay him for not paying the 75 bucks so it was not a full loss.
Stupid not to pay

 

[SofaKingBlue]

It would be like wrecking your car, then pay for a weeks worth of insuranceto have it fixed [it kinda sounds like Obamacare].

 

[tsdavis]

Smart(+dishonest) move for the dumb guy would have been to tell the fire department that he 'thinks' someone might be inside.

They would surely put it out to save a life. Wrong? Yes! .....but it would have worked.

I find the message in this whole story fascinating.

Pay up or BURN!!!

I bet they collect all of the other unpaid fees....today.

 

[CVI-Cowboy]

I wish I could opt out of all of the other government services that they rape me for. I prefer not to have a $1.3million "Sanitation Station" for bums to take showers. I want to opt out of that.

I also want to opt out of the once "voluntary" Social Security System.

I like the idea that people can shop for the government services they want. It would force the government to offer good services at a fare market price. Having said that, I would have payed $150 (a year in advance) to make sure my service never lapsed.

 

[mjw930]

Initial gut reaction is "How could they stand there and let it burn" but once you step back it's no different than not buying insurance then crying about how your life is ruined because your house burned down or your car was totaled and you can't replace it.

They made a conscious decision not to pay, they are now the victims of that decision, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[satxron]

Unless you have below room temperature IQ you know the risk of fire. $75.00 fee for the year to have the neighboring fire company come out is a really good number.

I feel sorry for the poor fireman who had to stand their ground while folks gave them a hard time. Don't feel sorry one bit for the cheapskate. He knew the risk.

 

[dsjr70]

So as the token Libertarian here I am shocked. Forget this guys situation for a second... If the fire department didnt call on the area that would be one thing, but since they do they have a sworn duty to protect all that they serve. I understand people saying well, it's like buying insurance after the accident. Which is true I agree with that, but take my town for an example. We have over 10,000 residences that have not paid their property tax thus not paying the fire deparment, police department, garbageor the school system. Do our fire fighters pick and choose who they respond to? Do our cops not respond? Do the garbage men leave your garbage? Do your kids not get to go to school? No, they do the job they were hired for just like the hospital that gives you service even though you have no insurance and no means to pay.

 

[OneThumb]

Just like to old days, you either bought business protection from the Mafia or your were hit in one of many different ways.

 

[dsjr70]

+1 -- Only paper pushing bureaucrates get caught up in the trival. Obviously some folks have never been on hard times or can appreciate that not everyone has the means to pay. The cost to your community for not putting out the fire may well be higher. Are fire departments privately owned profit generating organizations or do they serve the greater public good? Do our warriors go off to war for their country or just for the paid up tax payer? Do our children, students, unemployed, welfare recipients and very rich not owe our warriors respect because after all they aren't doing it for them? They aren't paying taxes or fees. My children no longer go to school but my neighbours kids do and I'm happy to contribute to the good of my community, all my community.

Dont get me wrong, I am pretty firm in my Libertarian ideals but there are methods to deal with issues like this. What we do in my area is lien your house then after a certain amount of time they auction it off. You will still lose your house if you dont pay for the services provided but to sit there and watch a house burn is IMHO immoral.

 

[BLININGER]

What we do in my area is lien your house then after a certain amount of time they auction it off.

I like this as an option. I think the person(s) should also have to pay back with interest the community for all of the years that they lived there and skipped out on paying for the service. That I could live with.

I've been around a lot of people who purposely use and abuse the system and I can't stand it. There are tons of people out there who can't afford services and things like this and I understand that but that's not how this guy came across to me. He came out and said he didn't pay but still expected service and when they did come out he said he had the money to pay for the service and any other expenses. This isn't a case of someone who couldn't afford it. So to me he was blatantly ignoring the community so I don't fell bad for them ignoring him.