[Publius6961]

Sometimes in the noise of the news there will be a single item that pops out with clarity. That happened when I heard about Tracy, California, which is charging $300 every time the fire department answers an emergency call that doesn't involve a fire.

There is arrogant stupidity, and then there's monumental arrogant stupidity.

Elect the ignorant to any position of political leadership and power, from City Council to President, and you always eventually get a government of expediency and oppression.

The perfect example is the progression of the loss of personal freedom and individual choice over our own lives : you cannot smoke without paying enormous tribute to the State. Which is legally justified by arguing, quite logically, that if the state is obligated to try to keep you alive, it's only fair to non-smoking taxpayers to force smokers to pay enormous amounts for the privilege.

Sounds great, and "fair," until you stop and ask yourself, "Wait a minute... who decided that the State is obligated to keep the smoker alive when she gets cancer?

Why... the State decided.

Moving right along...
Who decided that fire engines must always respond to all medical emergencies?

I'll let the reader figure that one out.

[Tolsti2]

I hope you read the whole thing, which segues from 911 calls to a marxist dialectic argument for full communism, more or less. He particularly attacks ‘unearned income’. He's very, very near about talking about surplus value and other marxist terms in this one.

[ReignOfError]

Who decided that fire engines must always respond to all medical emergencies?

In most places, the protocol is to dispatch whomever can get there first. There are more fire engines than there are ambulances. Firefighters are trained as first responders -- they can evaluate and stabilize, and treat some injuries, but can't administer drugs, start an IV or transport patients to the hospital.

The idea is to get someone trained on site as soon as possible. In many cases, the firefighter can handle the situation without the paramedics; if not, they have a head start when the ambulance arrives.