There are some counties which really fuck things up so badly

[Dappleganger]

that IMO they should be dissolved of their charter, taken over by the state and put under conservatorship until they can reorganize their local government. There's a county not far from us which has so much corruption and disfunction that they need to kick them all out and the only way to do it at times is to start over. Big bullies and land-grabbers with their money buy their seats, trade for special favors and completely disrespect the poor and working class. You can't get them out at the voting booth because they are so influential and make deals before election day. They create their own little "piece of the kingdom" and the rest of us are their serfs. This also happens in a lot of towns (think of Sheriff Joe). We used to live in a small town which was filled with northern virginia weekend transplants who came and fucked it all up for the rest of us. They drove up our real estate prices, pushed our small businesses out, took over the councils and mayor positions and stacked the deck. If there aren't enough people to fight there's not a damn thing to do.

All politics is local.

[Lyric]

1. Agreed. I mentioned this last night and it's worth repeating.

Fires are a public safety issue. There is no magic bubble over a house fire to ensure that it ONLY affects the people who didn't pay. Even having firefighters on the scene, ready to fight any peripheral fires, is not a guarantee of safety. Wind-blown sparks and embers can travel a lot faster than fire trucks, and once a forest fire starts, there is no quick, painless way to put it out.

If county governments cannot recognize that universal firefighting services are a necessary public good, then they are too incompetent to govern. They need to be removed and replaced IMMEDIATELY--and if the voters refuse, then it's time for the state to step in. If that means dissolving the county charter and forcibly annexing the land to the neighboring counties who actually have COMPETENT governments...so be it. This kind of danger to public safety should not be left in the hands of voters who have proven themselves too stupid and selfish to handle it.

[catbyte]

2. Wow, AWESOME, Lyric!

[FSogol]

3. It is like letting little kids vote each night over whether they want ice cream or vegetables.

Dissolve the county and start over.