And pays, and pays, and pays. The worse the forest gets, the more we pay. The more Federal bureaucrats get involved the slower they get. The slower and more ineffective the firefighters are, the more money they make. That's just how the motivational architecture works. Did you read that link I put op on the other thread about the Winter Fire?
I do know that in the pioneer days, often one town with taxpayer resources would refuse to send another town (or anybody outside the town's tax grab) to help with taxpayers' superior firefighting resources.
Ever heard of a cooperative contract?
Then, there are the cases where everybody pitched in to help on the fire (or even to build a barn in the aftermath). Is that socialist too?
Not at all. Volantarism has nothing to do with socialism. Of course, today the wood for the barn would come from Siberia because the charred poles on FEDERAL land a half mile away would be off-limits because the courts let them rot before deciding what to do (besides, the sawmill is long gone). Then the brush comes up and together with the residual fuels you get an even hotter fire a decade or so later.
Great system. At least the lawyers are making money.
I don't think you read the Douglas Gantenbein
pieces, Carrie.
Here: http://slate.msn.com/id/2066948
and http://slate.msn.com/id/2090573
I try not to get into great, huge ideological
discussions.
One thing's clear. You have no safe large air
tankers (from private industry) and you are left
with government ones alone for this season.
When you, whatever your political stripe, attempt
to shut down a thread concerning 1st responder,
lifesaving methods, you seem confused.