Opinions on Bush's cuts?

[furlofmalta]

IMO this term couldn't end sooner. This guy cuts like a Republican, and spends like a lib. The worst of both worlds.

[Res343cue]

What?

I like a cut bush.

Oops. I don't think I can talk about that here.

[FyredUp]

IMO this term couldn't end sooner. This guy cuts like a Republican, and spends like a lib. The worst of both worlds.

So have you done anything? Like call or e-mail your representatives or the President? I did.

Here is what I sent to my congress person and with a few modifications to one of my senators.

Once again the President's Budget has proposed cuts to the Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Program (FIRE Act) and SAFER programs that directly
benefit fire departments across the nation.

Can you please explain to me why it is that firefighters are tasked with
more and more responsibilities every year by both local and federal
agencies yet the money to do these tasks, as well as the very money needed
to survive for some of the fire departments, is seen as such a low
priority to some in government?

Both of the fire departments I am on, the XXXXXX Bureau of Fire (a
volunteer fire department in your district and where I live) and the
XXXXXXX Fire Department (a suburb of Milwaukee where I work as a full
time firefighter) have benefited from the FIRE Act grant programs. As
have dozens of other fire departments both large and small in Wisconsin.

The facts are simple, fire departments nation wide are understaffed and
under funded and are expected over and over to do more with less. At what
point do we realize that this is a fools game? Why is it that the police
agencies have virtual cart blanche to federal money and the fire service
is treated like a step child to be fed crumbs?

You have been here to XXXXXX. You have seen the good that this program
has done. In this day and age this program needs to get larger and fund
more departments instead of smaller and hurting those departments that
have to wait until next year or the year after to get essential equipment
to help them serve their communities.

Please help your fellow members of Congress understand the importance of
this program and boost its funding to a respectable level. At least back to
the the highs it had of year's past.

Thank you for your continued support of the fire service. It is
appreciated and a topic I am sure to mention to my fellow firefighters at
every opportunity

And here is what I sent to the President.

President George Bush,

I am writing to you to request you fund the FIRE ACT Grant prgram (AFG) and the SAFER program to at least the level that it has been in years past. The fire service of the United States is underfunded and understaffed in much of this country and when you add that to the growing list of responsibilities and mandates added every year it has become a task of Herculean size for some to deal with.

My small volunteer fire department in XXXXXXXX has benefitted from the FIRE Act Grant Program twice and I know personally of virtually dozens of other fire departments that have been able to better serve their communities due to the grants they have been awarded.

Mr President I ask that you revisit this issue and please talk to firefighters across this great nation of ours to get the real perspective of who we are and what we really need to serve our citizens. Mostly what we need is support and not the hollow supprt of words that sing our praises after my Brothers and Sisters perform miracles, but the support that puts needed manpower and equipment at our disposal.

Thank you Mr President,

Not saying these will have any effect but at least I did what I can do.

FyredUp

[furlofmalta]

So have you done anything? Like call or e-mail your representatives or the President? I did.

Here is what I sent to my congress person and with a few modifications to one of my senators.



And here is what I sent to the President.



Not saying these will have any effect but at least I did what I can do.

FyredUp

No I have not. Point well taken. I will write my representative and like you at least I will have "done what I can do."

[FyredUp]

Good for you. Sorry if it came off like I was getting in your face. I didn't mean it that way. I can tell you that our congress person and one of our senators are very receptive to comments and both are very supportive of the fire service. Both are supporters of the FIRE Act Grant program and both have written letters of support for our grant applications.

I think we all need to let the governement know what we are thinking on certain topics.

FyredUp

[BFDNJFF]

IMO would I turn down a grant? NO. But I don't think its the feds job to support local FD's. Thats the local tax payers jobs. I am willing to let cuts in grants go so that money can be spent on other more needy things like Troops (whom are finaly getting a slight raise) and War funding at this present time. I just think priorities are to be taken care of first.

[LtTim556]

What?

I like a cut bush.

Oops. I don't think I can talk about that here.

The DHS suggests to trim the bushes so no one can hide in them.

[doughesson]

What's wrong with cutting the budget?The government is supposed to only tax the citizenry enough to pay for the country's true needs,not pay people not to work or to air comments from people that hate their country and not allow any rebuttal.

[furlofmalta]

What's wrong with cutting the budget?The government is supposed to only tax the citizenry enough to pay for the country's true needs,not pay people not to work or to air comments from people that hate their country and not allow any rebuttal.

"Cutting the budget?"
This is still the largest budget in US history even accounting for inflation. Our troops are still making a measly 15k a year to be in places like Al Anbar, while companies like KBR are collecting absurd amounts of tax payer money for a job (supporting our troops) poorly done so that they can drive escalades through the streets of Baghdad and make 150k a year to do a horrible job washing our troops' laundry.
Is that really necessary.
I'm sorry if I offend anyone but I do not see how cutting infrastracture at home and increasing it abroad is accomplishing anything even remotely productive towards a better future for this country.

[FyredUp]

BFDNJFF: IMO would I turn down a grant? NO. But I don't think its the feds job to support local FD's. Thats the local tax payers jobs. I am willing to let cuts in grants go so that money can be spent on other more needy things like Troops (whom are finaly getting a slight raise) and War funding at this present time. I just think priorities are to be taken care of first.

Okay, can you see the hypocrisy in your post here?

First you say you wouldn't turn down a grant then you proceed to rant on about how it is not the feds job to fund local FD's. So which one is it? If you so strongly believe that the feds shouldn't be funding your FD why did you apply for the grant in the first place?

I am all for paying the troops more. But not at the expense of losing the AFG program. The fire service has long been the red headed bastard step child of funding in this country and it is about time we step up and say NO MORE! At its highest funding level we were still not receivng 1/5th of the money going to police agencies in this country. Yet year after year we are asked and then mandated to do more and more with less resources, less money and less staff. Why do we think we don't deserve to be adequately funded? Honestly I don't care where the money comes from to fund my FD. Federal, state, county or local as long as we have what we truly need to operate safely. Hell, if I thought I could get away with it I would open a strip bar with a Las Vegas style casino and more to fund my local FD.

This grant program is needed and in some places it is the very life blood of some small rural FDs. Open your eyes and look outside your corner of the world. Not everyone comes close to having enough money to operate and some places are using equipment your FD would have tossed decades ago.

FyredUp

[FyredUp]

What's wrong with cutting the budget?The government is supposed to only tax the citizenry enough to pay for the country's true needs,not pay people not to work or to air comments from people that hate their country and not allow any rebuttal.

There is some truth to what you posted here. I am for cutting the federal budget too. BUT, and listen closely now, not at the expense of the fire service. Every year the fire service is on the chopping block. Every year the AFG and the Fire Academy are on that chopping block. I say it is time we stand up and say NO MORE!!

They cut the fire service yet leave crap in like useless studies and useless pork belly projects like bridges to no where. We never seem to hear outrage by the police of this country that the feds are cutting their piece of the pie. Wonder why? I don't, they aren't getting cut. We are the true first responders. We have and will continue to pick up the pieces after fires, natural disasters and terrorists acts. We have mandates shoved down our throats year after year and yet we roll over and play dead when they cut funding...Maybe it is just like that old saying goes "We have met the enemy and he is us." If we don't rise up and say no more for ourselves, who will?

FyredUp

[FyredUp]

"Cutting the budget?"
This is still the largest budget in US history even accounting for inflation. Our troops are still making a measly 15k a year to be in places like Al Anbar, while companies like KBR are collecting absurd amounts of tax payer money for a job (supporting our troops) poorly done so that they can drive escalades through the streets of Baghdad and make 150k a year to do a horrible job washing our troops' laundry.
Is that really necessary.
I'm sorry if I offend anyone but I do not see how cutting infrastracture at home and increasing it abroad is accomplishing anything even remotely productive towards a better future for this country.

I couldn't agree more.

I have the solution for the out right theft committed by these contractors. Time to charge them with TREASON. They are hurting our country as surely as the enemey is by weakening our ability to fund the war effort by stealing funding that is not due to them. Maybe after a few of the heads of these corporate leaders faced a long prison term or even execution for treason their greed may be tempered a bit. Harsh? Absolutely, but no harsher than realizing what they are doing is essentially aiding the enemy.

FyredUp

[distchief60b]

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[doughesson]

I don't believe that federal funding should pay for any local services like police or fire.There would be too much temptation to have national standards or laws that ALL cities had to enact or risk losing funding,for example.
If you're fed up like I am about pork barrel projects,write your congresscritters and let them know what you want.
It doesn't have to be pages and pages of graphs and stats.Just write,"I don't want any further funding cuts for fire departments....."with a short reason why.
The congresscritter's staff just read enough of the letter to see what the subject is and how the voter stands on it and then makes a mark on a tally sheet to let the representative know what issues are big and how the folks back home feel about them.
Like you said,"If we don't rise up and say no more,who will?".Anyone who doesn't at least know HOW to contact their congresscritters probably shouldn't bother voting in my opinion.

There is some truth to what you posted here. I am for cutting the federal budget too. BUT, and listen closely now, not at the expense of the fire service. Every year the fire service is on the chopping block. Every year the AFG and the Fire Academy are on that chopping block. I say it is time we stand up and say NO MORE!!

They cut the fire service yet leave crap in like useless studies and useless pork belly projects like bridges to no where. We never seem to hear outrage by the police of this country that the feds are cutting their piece of the pie.

Maybe it is just like that old saying goes "We have met the enemy and he is us." If we don't rise up and say no more for ourselves, who will?

FyredUp

[BFDNJFF]

Okay, can you see the hypocrisy in your post here?

No , I am not the one who applies for grants. I may not agree in it but would you turn down free money? If it were gone I would not cry over it.