Is your house worth $75.00 ?
 

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local...104052668.html

OBION COUNTY, Tenn. - Imagine your home catches fire but the local fire department won't respond, then watches it burn. That's exactly what happened to a local family tonight.

A local neighborhood is furious after firefighters watched as an Obion County, Tennessee, home burned to the ground.

The homeowner, Gene Cranick, said he offered to pay whatever it would take for firefighters to put out the flames, but was told it was too late. They wouldn't do anything to stop his house from burning.

Each year, Obion County residents must pay $75 if they want fire protection from the city of South Fulton. But the Cranicks did not pay.

The mayor said if homeowners don't pay, they're out of luck.

This fire went on for hours because garden hoses just wouldn't put it out. It wasn't until that fire spread to a neighbor's property, that anyone would respond.

Turns out, the neighbor had paid the fee.

"I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong," said Gene Cranick.

Because of that, not much is left of Cranick's house.

They called 911 several times, and initially the South Fulton Fire Department would not come.

The Cranicks told 9-1-1 they would pay firefighters, whatever the cost, to stop the fire before it spread to their house.

"When I called I told them that. My grandson had already called there and he thought that when I got here I could get something done, I couldn't," Paulette Cranick.

It was only when a neighbor's field caught fire, a neighbor who had paid the county fire service fee, that the department responded. Gene Cranick asked the fire chief to make an exception and save his home, the chief wouldn't.

We asked him why.

He wouldn't talk to us and called police to have us escorted off the property. Police never came but firefighters quickly left the scene. Meanwhile, the Cranick home continued to burn.

We asked the mayor of South Fulton if the chief could have made an exception.

"Anybody that's not in the city of South Fulton, it's a service we offer, either they accept it or they don't," Mayor David Crocker said.

Friends and neighbors said it's a cruel and dangerous city policy but the Cranicks don't blame the firefighters themselves. They blame the people in charge.

"They're doing their job," Paulette Cranick said of the firefighters. "They're doing what they are told to do. It's not their fault."

To give you an idea of just how intense the feelings got in this situation, soon after the fire department returned to the station, the Obion County Sheriff's Department said someone went there and assaulted one of the firefighters.
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You can thank The Gipper for the proliferation of "user fees" in lieu of taxes. It allows politicians to keep taxes seemingly low, but still collect the necessary revenue while not looking like "tax and spenders." The Fire Dep't isn't guilty here.

It's the disingenuous politicians that perpetuate this BS. These "deficit hawks" succeed in saving you $75 in (tax-deductible) local taxes, while nailing you with a non-deductible fee while you and your neighbor's house goes up in flames.

Link is now blank ( or they removed the story ) so I dug up another one covering the same story. All I can say is thats a damn shame. I see no excuse for the fire dept standing there watchin a family lose their home. It isn't like that here, a couple hours east of there.


http://www.topix.net/city/south-fult...bscription-fee

My question is, how can these firefighters live with themselves knowing that these people may be their neighbor or friend. I know it's not their fault, but I don't know if I could live with myself.

Yeh, but they have the satisfaction of knowing that their local leaders cut taxes (while instituting these silly fees). The majority obviously voted for the people who instituted these policies. It seems to me that they got what they paid for.:o

I couldn't either.

You know, we live 4 miles out of town in the sticks ( the little town is in the sticks too ) and they will still come out from town and put a house fire out. There's no yearly fee's and our taxes are super cheap but even though, the town of 700 still has a volunteer fire dept on call 24/7 and will risk their lives to save your family and/or home.

We've been here before. Before firefighting became the responsibility of local government, most fire fighting was done by private companies, and such things were commonplace. If you didn't have a firefighting contract on your house, you'd better hope it doesn't catch fire. You and your neighbors (hopefully) would be trying to douse it with buckets. It seems in cases such as the one sanse posted, things are coming full circle. Still a local government, but if the fee wasn't paid, you're screwed.

It's insane, they way they are going about it. I would think they would put the fire out, then send you a bill if they're going to charge a fee.

Dave

Sorry all, this is a good example of why the rights mantra of I'll take care of myself is hog shi%. They don't need health insurance till they get sick, they don't need oSHA until they are injured, they don't need the FDA until they are poisoned, they don't need social security until they get old...


They remind me of little children. They think they are invincible. They can't understand that if you live long enough the other guy will be you and the tools you have that make you think you are strong independently can be cut out from under you by circumstance.

I totally agree !!

So who exactly is the moron in this story?

Pete

the system first the fire department second

the people in that fire house who would not respond will likely be in church this Sunday with a clear conscience because they were led like sheep to believe not responding to a crisis is OK because in America cash is king. Frankly I would consider it a criminal act, it is certainly immoral or unethical.

The true question is "Is your house worth $75.00 every year", it is not a one time payment. In the twenties and thirties this was called the protection racket.

The people who voted for the morons who instituted this silly system. They were probably thrilled that their tax bill was reduced $75 (at the same time a $75 fee was imposed.) :confused:

It will be interesting to see if they discontinue the fee system and reinstitute paying for it with property taxes as they should. You can bet that any politician who runs on the platform of raising taxes $75 (in lieu of the $75 fee) will have no chance of getting elected. Taxes are evil, user fees came from God (i.e., Reagan). Simple really, until your house burns down.

Someone has to pay for early retirement age and gold plated dental for government union employees you know.

So, if this genius had actually paid the $75, but not his insurance, and his insurance denied his claim, would that be his neighbors fault too?

Pete

Thank You!

I have never heard it put better.

Dave

Why don't we just eliminate insurance in all forms? What the hell, why not? That way none of cheapskates on the right never have to worry about paying anything out that benefits anyone else, ever again. Then when your house catches fire I can just grab a cold one out the fridge, plop down in the chaise and watch you try to put it out with a friggin garden hose.

'Cuz after all, it aint MY house, why should I have to sweat putting it out. Take care of your own shit, Pete.

Dave

As a republican, I'm smart enough to both pay my city fees and my fire insurance :p

Pete

so if he had not paid his insurace we should let him die?

Oh my God, YOU SOCIALIST! What are you doing giving money to people who were too stupid to fireproof their homes?

Dave

Nobody died.

Actually, he we have a great example of what the left makes the tea partiers out to be: folks demanding services without payment.

Pete

but but but it was only a small match...

Keep in mind that this fire-fighters fee was nothing but a tax in disguise and one does not have the discretion to pick and choose what taxes they wish to pay.

These whole idea put forth by the homeowner that "I was willing to pay the expense of the firefighters if they put out my home fire" is akin to me saying "I'm not paying a dime toward the DoD budget, but when the Huns (or Al Qaeda) arrive at the gate (of my property), I'll pay to have the Special Forces airlifted to my property to fight them off (but until they do, I'm not paying). Sorry, folks. It don't work that way.

maybe the fire department should show up on the scene with contract in hand for a "one time house burning put out" at a reasonable rate?
Given the capitalistic system we live in I would think 5-10 thousand for same minute emergency service would be about right. :D

Precisely. Whether you simply pay the tax, or pay the fee, $75 is $75 dollars.

So why bother with the stupid fee?

It probably cost more to collect and administrate a separate fee than it does to just take it out of public funds.

Amazing, isn't it, Finn?

Dave

Yep, particularly when you consider that if it were a local tax, it would be deductible from your Federal Taxes, rendering a net cost of ~$50. So, in an effort to appear like tax-cutters, the City Fathers cost you ~$25 more annually. F*cking brilliant.

Woo Hoo! I wants to get me some of that kinda savings!

Dave

marketing

substance has no place among our species

If this guy didnt live in the town, how could he have voted for the town reps ?

Much ado about nothing. It was a friggin' trailer.

http://www.newsrunner.com/display-ar...dn%27t+pay+fee

I guess the media succeeded in getting a bunch of people indignant and pissed. Mission accomplished.:rolleyes:

"Why, you....I oughtta....BOINK! Webebebebebe----Ow, dat hoit!"

Dave

Lmao!

Pete

My understanding is that fire departments will not even bother to attempt to put out a trailer firs as they go up like Christmas trees. So if the poor sod had paid the $75 they still would have stood around and watch it burn.

Converting taxes to fees is a favourite Republican trick - "See we lowered taxes" never mind that fees are the most regressive form of taxation.

Come on Rob, municipalities all over the place around here are doing it, no tie to party, they just never met a dollar they didn't like, and folks are dumb.

Pete

The one time it was done here recently was under Bobby Haircut, the dumb Republican, and it is still a regressive tax.