Here's another story of a homeowner who didn't pay the subscription fee for fire protection, believing that, if he had a fire, the fire department would come anyway.

He was wrong.

This follows the same line of thinking of districts who shut down their departments, believing that, if they needed fire protection, they could rely on mutual aid.

What is wrong with that thinking?

Read the story from Tennessee: http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Firefighters-watch-as-home-bur...

 

TCSS.

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"The root of the discussion is what kind of community and society we wish to live in - one of mutual obligation, or one of extreme individualism.  This is inherently political."

 

That's a false dilemma, Daniel - a classic logical fallacy. 

 

You painit this as if there are only two extreme, polar-opposite choices for community and society.  There are many other options that are in between, mixes, or simply different.  Your statement is inherently illogical.

Ya harshen my buzz Chief was just warming up to this here chit chat.

No, Daniel, it isn't.  Libertarians believe in Night Watchman government - public safety is the FIRST obligation of government.

 

Obion County's choice to have no tax-supported fire protection is anti-libertarian.

Exactly right, Jack.

If your sidewalk ordinance analogy is to fit the situation under discussion, tell me how you enforce your municipality's sidewalk ordinance in an unincorporated neighboring jurisdiction that doesn't have sidewalks.

He's not a libertarian, he's just trying to game the system.

 

He lost.

me too.  nothing like a friendly debate eh Doc?

Libertarians advocate a fully privatized, fee-based system such as the one on display here. No payment, no protection. Fox News' John Stossel's response - "let 'er burn" - is the logical conclusion of this position.

 

The logical extreme of this model is one in which the wealthy completely opt out of public fire districts, and pay premiums high enough to enjoy the services of private firefighting companies employed by insurers  - services like Firebreak. The less wealthy would rely on volunteers or go without.

 

Taking cheapskate libertarian models even further, technology places us on the cusp of this world: automated dispatch computers receive calls, plot property values against actuarial tables, and decide which houses need an offensive attack, which should be allowed to burn at the conclusion of search & rescue, and dispatch the absolute minimum resources required.

Dan:

At no time during Stossel's interview did he say "let er burn".

Daniel,

 

You keep pounding your attack on Tennessee as supposedly libertarian as if that were the case.  It is not.

 

Example: The Tennessee Valley Authority - a huge federal bureaucracy that employs more than a few Tennesseans.

 

Example: The many Democratic Governors Tennessee has had.

Tennessee has had a grand total of three - count 'em - three Republican Governors in the past 40 years.  Current Tennessee Governor Phil Breseden is a Democrat.

 

Example: Five of the nine current Tennessee Congressmen are Democrats.

 

Example: TennCare (Tennessee's Medicaid program) is the only 100% managed health care program among the 50 states.  It's author - former Governor Ned McWhorter, a Democrat.

 

I'm guessing you've never even visited Tennessee...right?

Ralph,

   We are there, there are many places in the country that do not have a government fire department. They have a subsciption department. If you do not pay they do not come. It is just they way it is. The people that live in these situations must not want to pay taxes for a fire department. Their choice.

Heather, This is America, capitalism rules not socialist fire service. What were you thinking?

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