http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021448188Oh my.
nadinbrzezinski (109,344 posts) Mon Oct 1, 2012, 07:34 PM
On what we want and what we are willing to pay
We had a somewhat large wild fire here last week... So I went yesterday to a local parade and struck a conversation with a former firefighter
He insists that hand crews have nothing to do with putting out a fire. (I will disagree, mightily so) But he also does not realize why LEGALLY we cannot just tap the military every time we have a major fire. (And let's not even go into flight times for crews from the coast to the inland valleys... CAL Fire is based inland for a reason). It is because of Posse Comitatus, and yes, in order to get military help, there are a few trees that need to die... and things have to be dire, and a request has to formally be put in from your State Gov to the feds. It is greatly facilitated when you have an emergency Dec. But those, have thresholds too.
But here is the problem, he went, you think San Diego Pensions are right?
I countered, San Diego Pensions were funded up to 105%, and then my city council raided it... and now they have taken them away from people who have nothing to do with that raiding, but hey, we got a stadium.
Kind of hard to try to convince a reporter who's beat happens to be THAT city council of how evil our muni workers are.
Finally I made the argument, that we want all these goods and services, and if CAL Fire is not as effective it could be in the back county is because of the cuts. (They used to man trucks with four man crews, now it is three man crews, but you still need 12 FF to man a strike team... what do you think it is more efficient, moving three trucks or four trucks?)
At least we left in amicable terms and I gave him SOME FOOD for thought.
By the way, what he'd like to see is a version of Mexico's DN-III-E plan, which I am intimately familiar with, for some odd reason... in that plan the Army takes lead in any disaster and the rest play by army rules. Yup, I can see how that can go wrong. Mostly, in some cases it has shined and in others, it's been a problem.
NYC_SKP (43,737 posts) Mon Oct 1, 2012, 07:45 PM
1. Here in flood country, we're forced to pay taxes (well, encouraged) for living in flood plain.
I feel that part of the solution is that people in high fire risk areas may need to pay more in taxes for prevention and for services that might need to be rendered.
On the plus side here, new homes in the plain often have to be built on a man made hill to be above the 100 year flood level, but other build by developers with friends in high places get away with less careful preparations (Natomas).
San Diego could use some changes in building code, a ban on use of shake shingle roofs, fines for unkempt yards and underbrush, a campaign to remove dead wood, control fires, whatever makes sense.
I don't think making the US Army the problem solver makes as much sense as holding property owners responsible for the true cost of living where they live and how they live (or rent to others).
You own property, you should pay the price for the local conditions.
Well then, primitives living in blue cities should have to pay for all the additional law-enforcement that demands, rather than we who live in red areas with low crime, too. I don't think I should have to pay for the protection of primitives.
And as for this "property ownership" bit, in case the primitives don't understand, even if one rents, one pays the property taxes, as figured into the total rent. The ultimate consumer pays all taxes.
So I think Taverner
et al. should pay for his own cops, without me having to chip in.
nadinbrzezinski (109,344 posts) Mon Oct 1, 2012, 07:54 PM
2. a lot of that already has been done
shake shingle roofs these days are made of non flammable materials, or rather flammable resistant materials.
Also as of 2005 the 30 foot clear area was increased by law to 100 feet, or property line.
What san diego needs is a county fire department. That is the truth... a county fire department would start seeing efficiencies of scale that are mostly achieved with the mutual aide agreements (mexico is part of it), but when you tell back country people, or even residents in Urban San Diego, we need money for fire and police services... nope that ain't gonna happen, I do not have the money... hell, when you tell them we need money to fill potholes, nope, you ain't gonna tax me either.
It is the culture really, and one that will break only when this libertarian paradise collapse.
After which the usual "fire departments are socialism" shit.
