Divemedic

Just because the Democrats are your enemy does not mean that the Republicans are your friend. This is proven by yet another Republican that has turned his back on gun owners once he got their votes.

He says::

To the professional political critics, I simply offer this: volunteer
for the Navy or for the other armed services, successfully go through
SEAL or other special forces training. Then you will be
fully qualified and prepared to fire as many assault weapons with
unlimited high capacity magazines as you desire.

 Just like at the DC Navy Yard.

This is yet another reason why I will NEVER buy another home where there is a HOA.

If you live in the
Turnberry Reserve Neighborhood in Kissimmee, your trash cans and
recycling carts better not be in plain sight or the Home Owners
Association will take them away.
The
HOA ‘s line in the sand came in the form of emails warning residents
that any trash cans and recycling carts in plain view on non-trash days
would be removed.
On
Aug. 28 a landscape crew walked on the property of an estimated 80
residents took them out of the neighborhood and dropped them off about
14 miles away at a St. Cloud recycling plant.

Remember when I told you that I had a girlfriend who was being REQUIRED to go to UNPAID company training sessions in order to maintain her status and position?

The training is still mandatory, still unpaid, and now being given every two weeks. That’s right- she is being required to attend this training on a biweekly basis on her day off, and is not getting any pay.

Tell me again why it is worth it to be a paramedic…

The US government admits to spending $3.7 trillion during FY2012. I say admits, because despite the fact that the government ran a $98 billion budget deficit during the month of July alone, it claims that the debt has been exactly the same for the last 117 days. The ‘facts’ coming out of the Federal government cannot be trusted. None of them. Not the numbers on unemployment, inflation, spending, not one.

With that being said, the government supposedly took in $2.4 trillion in tax revenue, meaning that they are spending about $1.45 for each dollar that is taken in taxes. That extra 45 cents is done through borrowing. As I mentioned earlier, that number is likely much, much higher.

Where does all of this money go? Well, the majority of it goes to so-called ‘mandatory spending’ and interest on the money that we have already borrowed. Mandatory spending includes entitlements like Medicare, Social Security, VA benefits, etc. which are REQUIRED by law to be paid. Interest on the debt must also be paid. The money that must be paid totals about $2.5 trillion a year. You get that? Social Security, interest on the debt, Medicare, and the like already total more than we take in through taxes.

The remainder of what the government does, Welfare, Food Stamps, the Military, the Courts, jails, etc, account for the other $1.3 trillion of spending.

The only way out of this mess is not more taxes. Increasing the taxes of all Americans by a third (133% of last year)
would still require that all government discretionary spending be cut in
half. Spending has GOT to be cut across the board, even mandatory items like Social Security, along with the pet project of the right, the military.

Since we spend more on the military than every other country combined, maintaining a military presence in 150 countries worldwide (75% of the world’s nations), in addition to roaming the world’s oceans playing cop to the world, there is plenty here to cut. South Korea, Japan, the UK, and Germany account for $10 billion in base support costs, plus the cost of the 137,000 personnel in those countries. For example: The German Army has 62,000 troops. There are about 47,000 American troops in that nation. Why are we providing 40% of Germany’s defense? No, we can cut the Army in half, and cut the Air Force, Marines, and Navy budgets by a third, and still outspend our next closest competitor (China) by a margin of 4 to 1. That will save us about $300 billion a year.

Social Security and Medicare are breaking us. An immediate cut to SS disability. One in 20 US adults is collecting disability. I personally know three people who are, and they seem to have no problems riding roller coasters or going out partying. There are lawyers out there that make a living on disability payments for “back injuries” and “fibromyalgia.” Cut that disability in half, save $45 billion. In fact, Social Security and Medicare will have to be cut in half immediately, and phased out over five years, or we are going to eventually be forced into third world nation status.

Food stamps? Gone. Welfare? Gone.

Other steps like legalizing drugs would save the nation $100 billion a year, not to mention removing the funding from criminal gangs and the corresponding reduction in crime.

Real cuts are going to have to be made, or this nation will collapse under the weight of spending. However, I don’t see it happening. No, I think we are going to ride this spending train all the way to the bottom.

Ibragim Todashev was shot to death by the FBI while being questioned on May 22 about his connection to the Boston bombing. His roommate was arrested today, on what police say is an unrelated matter.

One of the comments on the story nails it:

They all … come from the same terrorist region and enter
the country supposedly to go to college. They attend a few months then
drop out. [W]ho knows what they are up to. How long will the US government allow this to continue?

I personally knew more than a dozen firefighters and paramedics that were killed in the line of duty during the 22 years that I was full time.
There was Paul, who died six weeks after breaking his leg in a car accident where he stayed and helped the injured, making sure that he was the last one transported. He was killed in the accident and didn’t even know it. He was 40 years old.
There was Lou, who was run over on the side of the road by a drunk driver.
Lyle had a heart attack while on an EMS call. He was 45. The medic who worked him had just gotten a chewing out from him a week earlier for screwing up a medical call. Lyle had told the medic, “If I ever go down, I wouldn’t want your dumb ass touching me.” That medic still feels bad about that to this day, over a decade later.
Larry died of cancer that he likely got on the job, as firefighters get cancer at double the rate of the general public. He was 56 years old.
John and Dallas were killed in a training accident. John was 32, Dallas was 20.
There was Sean, run over at an accident scene.
John died of a heart attack just an hour after he left work from working a fire, and a heart attack also got Trevor when he was 43.
Bill got pancreatic cancer and died last year. He didn’t smoke or drink. Nothing ever got him excited. Even among long service firefighters that pride themselves on remaining calm under pressure, Bill was a legend. His nickname was “Concrete” because he was so solid that nothing ever moved him. He was a health nut that exercised and drank these health drinks that tasted and smelled like grass clippings. We used to make fun of him for that. I remember that he would eat a handful of vitamins for lunch. Didn’t help, he died at 56 years old.
Dave’s daughter found him in the shower, dead of a heart attack just hours after he got home from working a fire.

Then there are the injuries and illnesses. I know about a dozen guys with hepatitis, another 4 or 5 with cancer, I know three guys who are less than 50 years old that have gotten knee replacements. There are another ten or so with cancer. A few more have tuberculosis. I know my son has a positive TB test, indicating exposure. TB is so widespread in the homeless around here, that most of the paramedics I know test positive for the antibodies. 

I have had surgery to repair an injured leg. I was exposed to chemicals on a call that gave me a serious cardiac dysrhythmia that lasted for three hours when I was only 36 years old.

All in all, a dangerous profession. I am glad that I retired before anything fatal or debilitating happened to me, but I have to say that I am nervous, knowing that my odds of cancer are so high.

The guys in their 50’s who died: they spent their lives serving others. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true. Most of them spent more than three decades running towards what other were running from. I learned something from each and every one of them, even the new guys. I miss some more than others.