Minyin Bison

[Hasbinbad]

Originally Posted by M.Bison [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Agreed.

I also agree with you on the fact that any shift to an AC model would cause complete chaos until all the hiccups were hammered out. To me personally (and im sure not all of you) i would view this as a temporary necessary evil if it meant no 'one'(or one group) had a monopoly on a so-called "legal" use of violence.

Once again, just my personal views.

Well if you can stand up and say that your grandmother being raped by a large group of thugs with AIDs is a necessary evil, then I can't really debate you. For me, some things are unacceptable.

You paint a picture of a nightmare world. The wild west + global criminalization, and the ready availability of weapons of mass destruction. Would there be any humanity left when the hiccups were hammered out?

You never did answer about global criminals. Would there be some kind of international union of PDA's which shared information, resources, and boundries? Resources are obviously assets, but so is information and land right? If they all share, isn't that socialism (lol)?

One last nitpick about your free market police system. CitizenA (rich) would have to have a reasonable expectation that CitizenB (poor) will eventually win some form of monetary damages. Since petty and violent criminals are presumably more often motivated by economic, rather than other factors, wouldn't it stand to reason that those individuals who would owe damages are also those least likely to be able to pay them? Why would CitizenA plop down 5% for his neighbor if he didn't think CitizenB would ever actually see the check which theoretically exists? Wouldn't that be economically unsound, or is that part of an "economic good?" At what point does it quit becoming an economic good? At your counties border? At the end of the state? The country? What about the people in the in-betweens? Fuck em? That seems to be OK with you..

*shiver*

Scary that people who actually have a lot of the views you've espoused here are coming into some modicum of power in the US Govt. right now.

SCARY SHIT MAN

Personally, I like roads being public. I like public school. I like not having to pay my firemen to protect my home. I like the police when they aren't being cunts. I like knowing that some areas of the place where I live have been set aside for wildlife. I like the fact that the things that I eat and take for headaches are mostly safe. Do I like the way the US Govt. is right now? Fucking no, but I sure like those things. I think we could learn a lot from other governments who are doing quite well with socialist democracies. I think we could learn a lot from ourselves in the late 1940's and the 1950's. The greatest period of innovation and progress in this nation was during the era of some of the highest mean tax percentages this country has ever known. Sure, a very few people were able to make that ALL ABOUT THEM with their corporations and their dividends, but tell me, did we go to the moon because of dividends? Did we build the freeway system because of dividends? Well, yes we did, but it's because Uncle Sam got his fucking cut. Uncle Sam gives you a Constitution, a Bill of fucking Rights, fresh cross country blacktop so you can cruise your big block, the best military force the world has ever known by far, a fresh gallon of milk for around $2.50, and you cut him out of the fucking deal? Are you kidding me?

My folks had a better deal.

Rednecks are ruining this fucking country.

[Trademaster]

Re: Your link regarding the Firefighters for hire story Hasinbad.

The location of "victim's" home is outside of any fire protection district. That means the rednecks in that area voted at some point in time to not have their property taxes increased to get a fire station set up complete with fire trucks and fire fighters. A neighboring fire protection district offered to expand their territory, but only if the residents paid an annual $75.00 fee. In essence an annual "tax" if you will, to provide fire protection services for the residents in the area.

The ex home-owner states that he forgot to pay the annual fee, and therefore was not covered within the fire department's district as per the contract.

I guess the guy should look on the bright side, in that he didn't forget to pay his homeowner's insurance, even if he wasn't adequately covered. Because if you think the fire department was mean for not covering the gent who was ten months late in paying his fire department insurance, imagine what it would be like if he was 10 months late in paying his homeowner's insurance. (even though he was under insured, as your article states.)

The difference between this guy and homeowners within fire protection districts is that this homeowner
a) knew exactly how much it would cost to have fire protection for his home
b) had a choice as to weather or not to pay the fee.

I don't have the choice as to weather or not to pay for my fire protection, my fire protection fees are rolled up in my property taxes.

I also pay for public schools, and I don't have the option to not pay for them. I don't have any children, I am not going to have any children, and at my age, I am not going to enrolling in any public schools. Yet I still pay my portion of of the cost to educate my neighbors' kids.

The news article shows this poor redneck's situation as a travesty because tragedy sells and the slant they used fit the political slant of the web site. Another source might cover this tidbit differently, instead of portraying the homeowner as just some poor sap that just got chewed up by a wholly unethical and corrupt system, but rather portraying him as a tightwad looking for some way to job the system.

[Hasbinbad]

Originally Posted by Trademaster [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Re: Your link regarding the Firefighters for hire story Hasinbad.

The location of "victim's" home is outside of any fire protection district. That means the rednecks in that area voted at some point in time to not have their property taxes increased to get a fire station set up complete with fire trucks and fire fighters. A neighboring fire protection district offered to expand their territory, but only if the residents paid an annual $75.00 fee. In essence an annual "tax" if you will, to provide fire protection services for the residents in the area.

The ex home-owner states that he forgot to pay the annual fee, and therefore was not covered within the fire department's district as per the contract.

I guess the guy should look on the bright side, in that he didn't forget to pay his homeowner's insurance, even if he wasn't adequately covered. Because if you think the fire department was mean for not covering the gent who was ten months late in paying his fire department insurance, imagine what it would be like if he was 10 months late in paying his homeowner's insurance. (even though he was under insured, as your article states.)

The difference between this guy and homeowners within fire protection districts is that this homeowner
a) knew exactly how much it would cost to have fire protection for his home
b) had a choice as to weather or not to pay the fee.

I don't have the choice as to weather or not to pay for my fire protection, my fire protection fees are rolled up in my property taxes.

I also pay for public schools, and I don't have the option to not pay for them. I don't have any children, I am not going to have any children, and at my age, I am not going to enrolling in any public schools. Yet I still pay my portion of of the cost to educate my neighbors' kids.

The news article shows this poor redneck's situation as a travesty because tragedy sells and the slant they used fit the political slant of the web site. Another source might cover this tidbit differently, instead of portraying the homeowner as just some poor sap that just got chewed up by a wholly unethical and corrupt system, but rather portraying him as a tightwad looking for some way to job the system.

You're a dick.

[purist]

And this Everquest nerd decreed; let us rise against the tyranny of America's socialist fire departments! How dare they keep America safe at the taxpayer's expense! Nay! *pushes glasses up to bridge of nose* Let the fire departments watch homes all over the nation burn to a cinder over $75 fees!

[Snigel]

Originally Posted by Hasbinbad [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think we could learn a lot from other governments who are doing quite well with socialist democracies.

Yes indeed, like working the year's first 150 days for someone else and the residual 100 for your own sake. (assuming 250 working days in a year with a 60% effective tax rate)


Enjoy Sweden

[Asher]

Originally Posted by Snigel [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yes indeed, like working the year's first 150 days for someone else and the residual 100 for your own sake. (assuming 250 working days in a year with a 60% effective tax rate)


Enjoy Sweden

oddly enough they are happier and healthier. I think I would enjoy Sweden.

Yitro - 47 Wizard

[Snigel]

Originally Posted by Asher [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

oddly enough they are happier and healthier. I think I would enjoy Sweden.

Yitro - 47 Wizard

Healthier than who, americans? There are lots of countries where you can achieve that without having to support lazy red necks, hippies, immigrants and general slackers.

[Zagtor]

Originally Posted by Hasbinbad [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Personally, I like roads being public. I like public school. I like not having to pay my firemen to protect my home. .

Hasbinbad
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Vallejo, CA

Fat pensions spell doom for many cities June 3, 2008

Originally Posted by Article

But the real nail in Vallejo's coffin was the city's labor costs. Under the current labor agreement, the average police officer walking the beat in Vallejo will be paid $122,000 this year before overtime, according to city documents. An average sergeant will make $151,000; a captain, $231,000. The average firefighter, meanwhile, will bring in $130,000 before overtime.

That's just the salaries, though. The final budget-crusher was the city's pension plan. Thanks to retroactive benefit enhancements approved by the city council in 2000, police officers and firefighters can now retire at age 50 and receive an annual pension equal to 90% of their final pay (assuming 30 years on the job), an amount that gets increased every year to help keep pace with inflation. The old plan had given the workers a pension equal to 60% of their final pay at age 50.

So a Vallejo police sergeant making $150,000 a year can now retire at age 50 and receive an annual pension of $135,000, increased each year for inflation. To put that amount in context, you would need to amass a retirement nest egg equal to about $3.5 million to produce a similar retirement income on your own.

I applaud your dedication to not paying your firemen to protect your home.