Free Republic

Over last 20 years, annual fires in the US declined by about 50% while career firefighters increased more than 50%? [ Full title ]. while the annual number of fires in the US declined by 47% between 1983 and 2013 (from more than 2.3 million to 1.24 million), the number of paid career firefighters increased by 56.5% (from 226,600 to 354,600), according to data from the National Fire Protection Association here and here. In 1983 there were more than 10 fires in the US per career firefighter, but by 2013 there were fewer than 3.50 fires per paid career firefighter....

Scranton could be headed towards another fiscal crisis like the one that resulted in city workers having their pay cut to minimum wage in 2012... Moody’s warned investors that Scranton could be facing the threat of default or bankruptcy thanks to a $20 million budget gap for the fiscal year that begins Jan. 1. The city is supposed to approve a new budget by Nov. 15, which would have to close that deficit to balance the budget. ... A similar crisis hit the city in July 2012, which lead to Mayor Chris Doherty cutting all city workers’ pay to minimum...