San Diego Was In No Shape for This Fight

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

This story is a PERFECT example of Republican/Libertarian local rule versus centralized rule and a tale of a large community that wants services but resists paying for them...to wit...they let the LEASE of their SINGLE helicopter ( LA OWNS six) run out one week before this fire started in the HEART of fire season over disputes as to whether the city or county should pay for it...but then Duncan Hunter had the NERVE to blame Gray Davis

SAN DIEGO — Fire protection in San Diego County, where 16 people died this week in massive blazes, lags significantly behind other areas of the state in terms of resources, coordination and equipment.

The deaths and the destruction of more than 1,600 homes have reopened a long-standing debate here over what many officials say is drastic under-funding and poor organization of firefighting efforts.

snip

Examples of the gap between San Diego and other cities include:

• San Diego has no helicopters for dropping water on fires. By contrast, the Los Angeles Fire Department has six, supplemented by additional helicopters belonging to Los Angeles County.

• The San Diego Fire Department has roughly 35% fewer firefighters per 1,000 residents than average for large cities nationally.

• Of the seven largest counties in the state, San Diego is the only one without a unified countywide fire department. Fire protection is provided by 18 cities and more than 20 fire districts.

LA TIMES free registration required

[XanaDUer]

1. And this is their "dream"

for the rest of the country. :(

[Rose Siding]

2. Then the Dem areas get in budget crises

and CONTINUE to lose. Folks are blinded by greed.

Your point is excellent.

[flamingyouth]

3. Yep - Grover Norquist's wet dream

Does he have a home in San Diego County, by chance?! ;-)

[Lindacooks]

4. I think Gray Davis

should file defamation, libel, and slander suits against all of those wingnuts who lied about him grounding firefighting planes out of spite.

Just like the trash Enquirer genre, right wing liars should be forced to go to court and pay for their deliberate deception.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. Unfortunately, those are what are known as SLAPP suits

(defamamtion suits that don't fly) and they are used AGAINST liberal organizations more than ON BEHALF of them. I suppose Davis could prove malice, however. THe right wing is filled with nothing BUT malice.

[candy331]

8. Lindacooks

you have a valid point. I just wonder how many of the lawsuits would make the news though. Well one surely can hope can't they?,

[Noordam]

6. San Diego got what it paid for

and that is OK by me.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Not true my friend. San Diego got 100 times MORE than what they paid

for and NOW our federal taxes ( via Fema grants and loans) will go to people who favored inefficient local control on the cheap . Where's John McCain to call this "pork" when we need him?

[xchrom]

9. all kinds of people in california

live where they shouldn't -- we all subsidize others greed, self-entitled feelings, and dumb luck -- through higher insurance rates and taxes.
these fires are bad -- but can californians genuinely be surprised? large parts burn down damn near every year. we won't get ino beach living.
this is a more dramatic year -- but far too many people live in places that can only be described as one big ''fire zone''.
but we don't wanna talk about that do we?

[joefree1]

10. A vision of things to come

Thank the Gods I live in Democrat controled Los Angeles County.

"It's not over 'till Arnold gropes the fat lady" —Bill Press, on MSNBC

http://www.recallarnoldwatch.org

[David Zephyr]

11. Thank You, NSMA for Helping Keep the Record Straight.

I had a Republican who was illegally "lookie-looing" in my neighborhood at the fire's path of fury yesterday stick her head out of her car window, grin and then say to me as she cruised by that Gray Davis had "forgotten to ask for help". I lifted my cell phone and told her I was reporting her to the police which I did. She sped away.

Can you imagine the nerve? These people are sick!

[loudnclear]

12. The Republicans would sooner see the rest of country like San Diego

cut taxes but demand services. Cut taxes, remove the social safety net, but by all means cut taxes and blame the government for spending taxpayers money on things the taxpayers need. So much for "allowing people to spend their own money means they will make better decisons."