Wildfire Tests Police Force in Colorado Anti-Tax Movement’s Home

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) As Colorado Springs battles a rash of burglaries after a wildfire that still licks at its boundaries, it does so with fewer police and firefighters.

The city where the Waldo Canyon fire destroyed 346 homes and forced more than 34,000 residents to evacuate turned off one-third of its streetlights two years ago, halted park maintenance and cut services to close a $28 million budget gap after sales-tax revenue plummeted and voters rejected a property-tax increase.

The municipality, at 416,000 the state’s second-largest, auctioned both its police helicopters and shrank public-safety ranks through attrition by about 8 percent; it has 50 fewer police and 39 fewer firefighters than five years ago. More than 180 National Guard troops have been mobilized to secure the city after the state’s most destructive fire. At least 32 evacuated homes were burglarized and dozens of evacuees’ cars were broken into, said Police Chief Pete Carey.

“It has impacted the response,” said Karin White, a 54- year-old accountant, who returned home June 28 to a looted and vandalized house, with a treasured, century-old family heirloom smashed. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-02/wildfire-tests-police-force-in-colorado-anti-tax-movement-s-home.html

[librechik]

1. same community that decided last year not to pay for streetlights. Too expensive.

they are another breed entirely here.

[HiPointDem]

2. it would be interesting to know if anyone is having second thoughts, or if the cutbacks impeded

fire-fighting efforts.

[nanabugg]

10. This is where the MSM falls down on its job and helps the RW nuts. It should be pointed out

every time one of these RW communities or area that are against taxes, teachers, firemen, police, and any other kind of public service that they are "freeloading" on the rest of us every time they need to call on responders from other states and localities where we pay our taxes without bitching and where we try to fight for union wages and benefits for our public servants. It's not much different from the "free riders" in health insurance.

[Turbineguy]

3. At least they saved some money on taxes!

And now that they have some loss experience the insurance companies can jack up their premiums. But at least that's in a good cause: profits.

I don't think these people deserved what they got, but there are easier ways to learn. And those who did not vote to reduce taxes, got it too.

[xchrom]

5. I should think the insurance companies would jack up

Their premiums.

That was their own stupid - stupid you should have to pay for.

[malaise]

4. Maybe they'll have a rethink

on why we pay taxes and why we need police and firefighters

[Egalitarian Thug]

6. Looks like the lesson still has not been learned. K&R n/t

[TheMastersNemesis]

7. Just Like I Said

It is hard to know if you should feel sorry for their losses or not. Granted there are probably Democrats and progressives in the burn area, but by and large I would bet that there are a lot of teabaggers and Republicans in the area that support Romney and the GOP agenda which includes supporting policies that leaves millions of Americans without health care coverage. And if the GOP gets its way 50 million without health care will be small compared to the millions more who will be thrown out in the cold if they trash Medicaid and voucherize Medicare as the say the WILL do.

The latest is that it will cost $8 million or more to fight these fires. In fact I believe that is only ONE fire. Many homes were saved but sadly many more were lost including some lives. I personally would not really deny these people the protection we all deserve. But I have a hard time when they support an agenda that denies others who are just as deserving of federal help.

I was much criticized about my attitude early on when the fires started in the Fort Collins area. That area elected Corey Gardner in 2010 and tossed a conservative Democrat. He voted against funds for firefighting. In Colorado Springs they elected Teabagger Lambourn who I understand also voted against firefighting funds and was against hearings regarding beetle killed trees. The latest is that both candidates are likely to be voted in again. Surely they cannot be that stupid, but I guess they are.

The polemics that I was playing is what the GOP does just about every single time on every single issue they are against when it comes to federal or state help. If is it not for one of them or one of theirs then they are against it. I do not want to let them have it both ways.

Even though I was criticized for being childish for my stance on the fire what I said was a reflection of what Republicans I hear say about first responders, fire fighters, policemen and public servants. They make too much money. They should NOT have any pensions. They need to be privatized and compete for their cushy secure jobs. When a person has such an ungrateful and sadistic attitude toward me if I were in one of those occupations, what reason would I have to rescue any of them when they believe that I should work for peanuts or even be out in the street.

For those posters on DU who chastise me, you are entitled to your criticism and your point of view. I took note of that. Your attitude does show a real caring conscience. And that stance is laudable. My question is when many these same people will likely vote for Romney and the GOP because they hate Obama so much that they support destroying everything that even supports you and yours, what is your answer when they have NO change of heart or are just as hateful and sadistic as they were before the fires. ?

The point of my posts was to see how the same polemics they use played back to them sounds. Progressives can play the same game they do. And for our own self defense we should consider such an option as distastful as it is because liberals are not like that.

[Skittles]

8. as with offshore, you get what you pay for

[intheflow]

9. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R - Co Springs) wants to chop federal disaster response funds.

Here's his proposal:

http://lamborn.house.gov/budget-for-disasters-act-hr-4386/

Cannot believe he's still shilling this even after the fires! Asshat!