tandm3 wrote:When a union defines the rules of the fire department, the public loses; every time. It's not cost effective for the fire department to expend resources and put out your fire if you haven't paid the union tribute in advance. Kinda sounds like the tax that non-muslims are forced to pay for the "privilege" of living in muslim countries... just sayin'...
Ok. I take extreme offense to this as I am a firefighter and a member of a public safety union. First: The unions DO NOT IN ANY WAY determine who they will or will not help when the bell rings. We. Do. Our. Job. Period.
I don't care if you like unions or hate unions I am there to help and I don't ask how you feel about me or my brother and sister unions members. If you asked the union members how they would have handled this situation most, if not all, would have said: "Hell yes! I am going to put the fire out and let Chiefy worry about the money!"
Second point for you and every other sheeple who has jumped on the "Unions are the reason we are so bad off!" bandwagon: Of ALL the corporations that were "TOO BIG TO FAIL!" (Remember those ominous words the Republican Party and Wall Street were ramming down our throats in '07?) how many were "union" corporations? Lets see....Bear Stearns (NOPE), Citigroup (NOPE), Goldman Sachs (NOPE), Bank of America (NOPE), Morgan Stanley(NOPE), PNC Financial Services(NOPE), AIG (NOPE), JP Morgan Chase (NOPE), Wells Fargo(NOPE) , US Bancorp (NOPE), Capitol One (NOPE), Amex (NOPE), Discover Financial(NOPE), Bank of New York Mellon corp(NOPE)., State Street corp(NOPE), GMAC Financial(NOPE), Chrysler (Yes) and General Motors (YES).
I see TWO corporations that have any large unions presence and BOTH OF THOSE CORPORATIONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR BUSINESS PLAN (WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH THE UNIONS) AND HAVE PAID THE FUNDS BACK. The rest of the recipients (many who were to use the money to help you and I out) are still doing business as they did it prior to the economic crap hit the fan. NONE are union shops. The major banks were to use the funds to help US get loans to make keeping our houses easier. You try to get a loan from them lately?
You can't if you don't have 20 to 40% down and your credit rating is in the high 700's. Hell, even then they are still denying loans!
HOW ARE THE UNIONS, ESPECIALLY THE PUBLIC SAFETY UNIONS, RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT?
You, sir, are just what the politicians and Wall Street were looking for after the TARP bailouts: People willing to look in ANY DIRECTION other than theirs for the economic woes. Their fingers pointed to the unions.
Stop utilizing FOX as your only news source. Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh are sycophantic nitwits. Put down the grape Kool-Aid and open your eyes.
For everybody else I apologize.
Stepping off the soapbox now....