Re: Happy Independence Day....... in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18870872 en Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:22:46 EDT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:22:46 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18984256 nozzer : Dont cry about poor police officers either. Round here some made more than ANY other public official, and twice the pay of the governer (262K to be precise). 45% of Boston cops made 6 figures last year.

Gotta love MA's crazy "police officer at EVERY worksite" laws.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18984256 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:23:46 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18928331 anon : IMO, heroes and brave men and women are people that do extraordinary things when they were not required to, simply having a job in the military or as a firefighter, police person or paramedic does not qualify you as a hero or brave man or women in my book, your getting paid to do a job and you knew the risks associated with that job when you signed up.

In the U.S. we often refer to our military as a volunteer military, which I think may be somewhat confusing to some, they currently don't have to join, but they do get paid and it is a job and they did know the risks of the job when they signed up.

As a veteran myself I personally get sick and tired of the whole hero thing as do many currently enlisted soldiers and many other veterans, whom I've spoken too about this, so please, stop thinking us and stop calling us heroes, we are/were doing our job and this is our country too, we wanted to help protect it and we got a job doing it. They actually have medals and other such awards for people preforming above and beyond the call of duty, A.K.A. heroes or brave persons.

Nothing is sicker to me than seeing someone's relative on T.V. crying and whining because little Johnny is at war now, sure it was fine for him to draw his pay and enjoy going to college on the G.I. bill, just as long as he didn't have to actually do anything, news flash, that's what little Johnny has been trained for and paid for and again, he and his relative knew the potential risks. In fact IMO anyone that would actually enjoy being thanked for doing what they are suppose to do and are getting paid to do or being called a hero or brave for doing their job is nothing more than an arrogant, egotistical, opportunist.

My point is quite simple really...

In my book, if your a police person and you take down an armed and dangerous suspect, your not a hero, nor considered brave, but if you did it when you didn't have to, for example your supervisor was advising you against it or told you to wait for backup but you seen a grave need to act immediately even against that, that's a hero, that's a brave person.

Doing your job is only normal and expected behavior and thus only makes you a normal person.

There are many dangerous jobs out in the world and guess what, the positions mentioned in this post are not at the top of the most dangerous jobs list and the persons performing the most dangerous jobs are never called a hero or a brave person, in fact they are hardly ever noticed, ever thanked and often most people would just as soon spit on them as give them the time of day.

Short version, Comcast nor anyone else owes them anything and now that the law has changed they have every right to disconnect those services, just be thankful that they are leaving the other services on out of the kindness of their heart.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18928331 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:22:09 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18903520 CableTool : I married one. And she STILL didnt enter education thinking her life would be on the line.
Metal detector at the doors, security gaurds and three students of hers killed last school year.
In any event.. this has nothing to do with little ole franchise reform. :D
--
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18903520 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 22:48:23 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18903223 moonpuppy :
said by CableTool See Profile :

Teachers that entered the field knowing that they would be putting thier lives on the line while educating children.
0%
Try telling that to teachers that work in inner city schools. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18903223 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:49:08 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18898348 CableTool : Teachers that entered the field knowing that they would be putting thier lives on the line while educating children.
0%
Police officers entering the field knowing they would be putting their lives on the line while protecting the streets?
100%
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18898348 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:06:54 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18895876 ret369 :
said by TraumaJunkie See Profile :

said by ret369 See Profile :

Teachers around here (Bucks County, Pa) average 70K per year, Firemen are volunteers and police get 45K. So don't go crying about poor teachers to me, how many of them get shot while they are working?????? and yes I;m a retired Law Enforcement Officer who got shoot in the line of duty and is now disabled from it
Ask the widow of the teachers at Columbine. LaFollette, Tennessee. VA Tech, other locations where teachers have been shot by students.

Yeah....try your next best argument because that one just crashed and burned!
Police Officers in the US Total Line of Duty Deaths: 117 in 2007

Teachers about 10

Let me see now who has the most dangerous job??]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18895876 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:39:12 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18892935 marigolds : I suspect Comcast is going to go deep with the rates because this is not about money. The whole point of this maneuver is to draw attention to the loopholes in state cable franchising. Charging hundreds of dollars per month will help make the point that the telcos are not providing emergency alert interconnects at all.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18892935 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:23:46 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18892375 fiberguy : Even if its billed at commercial rates, where are you coming up with this $583 to $1,666 per month fee?

If the drop is there for the residence use, it's a residential service. If it's in the business end of is, aka, private office (not for public viewing) I can tell you that comcast, in many cases, has eased the rules and put in typical residential rated service.

(You're talking to someone that used to work commercial)

I think you're going a bit off the deep end on your figures.. but, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.. I could care less, but interesting only because I think those that are crying so much foul here will see that their efforts were misguided by the BBR spin.
--
"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18892375 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:29:59 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18890834 Dude : Of the estimated 1,078,300 firefighters, 784,700 were volunteer. ... statistics show that the percentage of volunteer firefighters is now more than 80 percent. ...
www.nvfc.org

said by fiberguy See Profile :

70% of all fire departments are volunteer? where do you get those facts. But... why don't you look at the number of fireman that are volunteer.

Major metros pay their fireman.. They also have larger staffs. Larger cities have larger crews. Boonie departments have far fewer people in the station and there are many of those.. sure, your numbers may work in your favor.. 70%? doubt it. Count the number of paid, .. your figures are off.

You quoted my entire post.. and the question still hasn't been answered.

Why doesn't verizon, qwest, at&t, et all, give away free phone service. Why isn't satellite stepping up to the plate to support the communities in which they take the money from. Why isn't gas and electric free to the stations? Why are the stations not built for free??

Shall I go on?

This whole thread is a BBR attempt to bash the cable company which they often love to do.

So how about it?? How about the "Telephone doesn't give first responders free phones! How dare they!" topic?

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(sig was too long)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18890834 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:32:01 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18890790 CableTool : All great things that should have been taken into account when the statewide franchise was on the table. :uhh:
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18890790 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:25:41 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18890608 marigolds :
said by fiberguy See Profile :

Even if comcast stops providing free cable, the city can flip the bill from the very fees they collect.

[...]
Again, this is such a silly story because if you table the cable bills of the fire houses in each franchise area, the bill is not that much for the city to pay. The fact it's "firemen" just sensationalized and "outrages" people when they read it.
The city cannot really do this. There are restrictions on how franchise fees can be used, and in most cities these restrictions prevent moving franchise fees into capital funds or into police/fire funds. For many regions, the police/sheriff/fire are separate entities from the city or county and are only connected by the assessors office.

As I have mentioned a few times, this is not small dollar amounts either. At the commercial rates Comcast is going to charge, you are talking $7k to $20k+ per station per year; and many stations are required to have the cable drops because of their current plans filed with FEMA. The cost of redoing those plans are skyhigh too.
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said by fiberguy See Profile :

To be honest, I don't see the need.
turn. Fair is fair.
[...]
In many areas, they aren't having a problem getting fireman, and if $60 per month for cable TV is too much for the city to pay, then I've got a problem with that.
As mentioned in the article, it is going to be commercial rates, not residential rates. And that will include the two-way services. So, we are talking more like $600-$1000/month per station rather than $60/month.
If the stations have FEMA authorized local emergency alert insertion, it is going to be even more than that.
In those cases too, service is not going to be an option. The FEMA requirements will mean that the fire stations will have to continue to pay for service or lose local emergency alerts.
--
ISCABBS - the oldest and largest BBS on the Internet
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Professional Geographer
Geographic Information Science researcher]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18890580 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:56:47 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885498 Granddaddy : I have yet to see a police officer get three months of paid vacation per year. Most don't belong to unions, either.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885498 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:20:36 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885216 moonpuppy :
said by fiberguy See Profile :

Ok.. I hear what you say, but I have a question about your last comment:

"So much for maintaining goodwill with the local governments."

What does Government give in return for the goodwill? The answer is nothing.
At one time, it was prime consideration for renewal of those same exclusive franchise agreements that cable companies loved. No competition in a large, densely populated urban area equals easy money. Now, even though the exclusive agreements are no longer allowed by law, goodwill still goes both ways. If Comcast decides to play hardball with local municipalities, whose to say their friends in state government won't step in in subtle ways. ;) Political BS but it still has to be dealt with.

said by fiberguy See Profile :

Cable has to pay the franchise fee (which should be used by the city to pay for these stations cable service - which makes the most sense) cable has to provide either a bulk of or all of the local access studio money/facilities, give services away for free to government buildings, and allow the government to tell cable when they can and can't upgrade their own plant AND dictate how these upgrade will be done.
When they were going for an "exclusive" agreement, they had to fight to get in. It was a bidding war and the prize was exclusive access to a large market. If Comcast didn't like the terms, they should have never gone in. They specifically gave away connections to police and fire stations as a bonus to get those local agreements. If the price was too high, then why did they do it?

said by fiberguy See Profile :

Extortion if you ask me. Cable is paying fees as required and further having their business be used as a personal network by the government. To gain a franchise, you should pay the fee and build to code - everything else is government greed.
The same could be said for the rising costs in cable rates. ;)

said by fiberguy See Profile :

Government has loved acting as if they own the cable plant that the cable company built and runs with their own bank accounts, and to me, that's wrong.
I think it is wrong to allow cable companies exclusive rights to an area only to not wire it up. Baltimore City's agreement was to have 100% of the city wired up for cable TV in 4 years. United Cable agreed to this and still was at 95% 4 years later. They didn't want to do the rest. It took a few lawsuits to make them fulfill the agreement. Do you think cable companies should be able to say one thing and do another? ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885216 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:57:26 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885147 Medic63 :
said by r81984 See Profile :

Please tell me the district because working in one of the riches areas in Indiana only pays around 30,000.

For what position? Lunch-lady? :D
Seriously, I live in a middle-class area in Pennsylvania and our teachers start at around 40K a year, with the average salary being around 65K. Yet they still whine about not being paid enough...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885147 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:27:07 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885136 Medic63 : It's actually more than 70%
quote:
Of the estimated 1,078,300 firefighters, 784,700 were volunteer. ... statistics show that the percentage of volunteer firefighters is now more than 80 percent. ...
www.nvfc.org


That's a quote from a study done a few years ago, but from the reading I've done, the ratio of paid vs. volunteer is still roughly the same.

There's also an article in Wikipedia, if you give them any credence. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_···partment]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18885136 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:21:26 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18884446 fiberguy : 70% of all fire departments are volunteer? where do you get those facts. But... why don't you look at the number of fireman that are volunteer.

Major metros pay their fireman.. They also have larger staffs. Larger cities have larger crews. Boonie departments have far fewer people in the station and there are many of those.. sure, your numbers may work in your favor.. 70%? doubt it. Count the number of paid, .. your figures are off.

You quoted my entire post.. and the question still hasn't been answered.

Why doesn't verizon, qwest, at&t, et all, give away free phone service. Why isn't satellite stepping up to the plate to support the communities in which they take the money from. Why isn't gas and electric free to the stations? Why are the stations not built for free??

Shall I go on?

This whole thread is a BBR attempt to bash the cable company which they often love to do.

So how about it?? How about the "Telephone doesn't give first responders free phones! How dare they!" topic?
--
"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18884446 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:18:32 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18883899 Dude :
said by MoJeeper See Profile :

Well to be fair I'm a member of an all volunteer Department and we receive free basic cable from Mediacom.

Suppose you lived in my District and you called 911 and nobody showed up to bail your ass out of your predicament. No loss to me hopefully you have home, fire, automobile, health insurance.

We pay our bills just like every other business, private citizen.

You should think about the men and women who come rushing to aid you or your loved ones as we all are not paid and will risk our lives to save you and your property.

FYI: there are more unpaid Volunteer Firefighters in this country than there are Paid Firefighters.

We don't live in the station but it sure helps to have cable to keep track of approaching weather conditions.

JM2C
well said]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18883899 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:31:51 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18883887 Dude : A Paycheck???? I was a volunteer Over 70 percent of fire departments are

said by fiberguy See Profile :

They/you get paychecks for putting your lives on the line.

You didn't answer the question. "Why should CABLE COMPANIES bear the burden ..? Does Qwest? AT&T? Verizon? for phone? Do they offer DSL service for free? Answer - no. Know it for a fact.. it's not a standard.

Cable companies pay franchise fees. That's it! Cable is not an entity for the city to rape and abuse and it's own desire. If the city wants free cable for it's infrustructure, I want it for mine too.

As for free food or reduced rates.. discounts and goodies. That's not a law or an ordinance. That is done at the good will of the individual business to offer that.

And, before you jump all over me.. I'd put a number on it that 70% of my family is either fire, EMT, or police. When I was 18, I went through the fire academy as well.

And, it's a fact of life that not everyone views police as the good guys even those that don't break laws. In our city, the cops are often as*es and I am sure there are plenty of people in L.A. who aren't friends of the police either. Not everyone has a great relationship with police and not everyone feels that they need to give free to a public funded service.

NONE of my post here is to say my feelings towards fire and police, however, many will assume because I point out the other ugly side/facts to this argument.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18883887 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:29:47 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18883867 Dude :
At the town I worked in the town franchoise agreemen t was free cable for the fd pd and schools. By the way I am a first responder I dont expect ti be rewarded but when you take something you gave us forever we gonna bitch when its taken away.

said by mocycler See Profile :

Well, to be fair...why should the cable companies bear the burden of "rewarding" first responders with free service?

What do you do for a living? Are you willing to provide free goods/services to police and fire departments?

Why not also demand local businesses supply them with free car washes, pizza, haircuts, oil changes, etc....

It's a legitimate expense of running an important public service, so let them keep their cable and bill the taxpayers.

mocycler


]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18883867 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:27:32 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18882544 exocet_cm :
said by TraumaJunkie See Profile :

said by exocet_cm See Profile :



quote:
What do you do for a living? Are you willing to provide free goods/services to police and fire departments?


I am a police officer. Yes.

So you are saying you are willing to be a police officer for free? WooHoo! Take that to your HR tomorrow and ask them to hold the paychecks because you are doing it for NOTHING!
Lol, yeah right! No, I provide PC repair to PD/FD for no cost. When I'm not doing PC repair (as a hobby) I work PD.
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said by ret369 See Profile :

Teachers around here (Bucks County, Pa) average 70K per year, Firemen are volunteers and police get 45K. So don't go crying about poor teachers to me, how many of them get shot while they are working?????? and yes I;m a retired Law Enforcement Officer who got shoot in the line of duty and is now disabled from it
Ask the widow of the teachers at Columbine. LaFollette, Tennessee. VA Tech, other locations where teachers have been shot by students.

Yeah....try your next best argument because that one just crashed and burned!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18882346 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:50:16 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18882333 TraumaJunkie :
said by exocet_cm See Profile :



quote:
What do you do for a living? Are you willing to provide free goods/services to police and fire departments?


I am a police officer. Yes.

So you are saying you are willing to be a police officer for free? WooHoo! Take that to your HR tomorrow and ask them to hold the paychecks because you are doing it for NOTHING!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18882333 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:48:32 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18881736 fiberguy : Ok.. I hear what you say, but I have a question about your last comment:

"So much for maintaining goodwill with the local governments."

What does Government give in return for the goodwill? The answer is nothing.

Cable has to pay the franchise fee (which should be used by the city to pay for these stations cable service - which makes the most sense) cable has to provide either a bulk of or all of the local access studio money/facilities, give services away for free to government buildings, and allow the government to tell cable when they can and can't upgrade their own plant AND dictate how these upgrade will be done.

Extortion if you ask me. Cable is paying fees as required and further having their business be used as a personal network by the government. To gain a franchise, you should pay the fee and build to code - everything else is government greed.

Government has loved acting as if they own the cable plant that the cable company built and runs with their own bank accounts, and to me, that's wrong.
--
"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18881736 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:16:47 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880994 N3OGH : WOW, wish I lived there.

I get free nothing in my town for being a cop, and no one gives me a discount on rent or anything.

Did I mention I also get $14/hr and had to buy my own gun, cuffs, magazines, etc?

And yes, I work 2 jobs...
--
Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power…]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880994 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:42:04 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880897 CableTool : 212]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880897 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:28:56 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880888 r81984 : Please tell me the district because working in one of the riches areas in Indiana only pays around 30,000.

--
»www.ryanoneill.us]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880888 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:28:07 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880707 moonpuppy :
said by fiberguy See Profile :

MP..

First off, no, this wasn't the reason they got an exclusive franchise. They got the exclusive franchise because they wanted it. The city didn't have to give it to them, but they did. It could have been a number of reasons and no two franchise agreements are 100% the same. You're trying to make it out like every franchise authority goes to their local office depot and buys the stock "franchise agreement" form for $6.95 off the shelf. ;)
The cable companies put all kinds of things on the table to make local governments sign with them. If you have multiple cable companies looking for an exclusive franchise, then you best bet someone is going to add free service for police and fire stations along with a bunch of other community programs just to get in the door. It's give and take on both sides. United Cable (the one who got the original agreement with Baltimore City) put all kinds of stuff in for the city. So, in short, they did this to themselves.

said by fiberguy See Profile :

Also, what does pulling free cable have to do with reducing your rate?
If it costs money to supply free cable, then removing it should be a savings. Since they no longer have to pay for those connections, the public doesn't need to subsidize the service. This becomes a savings to the cable company.

said by fiberguy See Profile :

Again.. I love the emotional topics here - mention first responders and we have a burden to give them everything free. Charity is just that.. and it's volunteer, it's not forced. EVERYTHING can be negotiated... blame the franchise authority for not negotiating hard enough to keep free cable for the firehouses... these contracts are two sided negotiations.
And the cable companies still cry about the exclusive agreements they can no longer get. Talk about emotion. :uhh:

said by fiberguy See Profile :

Just because cable did it in the past doesn't mean they need to continue doing it. Pick an activity that you do on your own now.. if you want to stop doing it, should you have to continue because you've done it in the past? or do you retain the right to quit?
So much for maintaining goodwill with the local governments. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880707 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:04:17 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880202 CableTool :
said by r81984 See Profile :

Teacher get 70,000 a year????? What???

Are you talking about a teacher with 25 years of service?

My sister is a new teacher who has worked 2 years, teachers start between 25,000 to 35,000 a year depending on the area and cost of living.

Please tell me the name of the school that pays 70,000 a year?
Change her district or move. My wife is a teacher and actually makes over that. She is 32. And she teaches in a district where the average home is probalby 70-120K. If that.
--
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]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18880202 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:58:15 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18879538 ret369 : In my school district, our teachers' new average salary of $75,000 is the same as the county's household average income and one-third of our teachers earn nearly $90,000. Yet the teachers still hit the picket lines for 21 days because they did not want to make a token contribution toward healthcare premiums of 6-9 percent and they didn't like the drug plan. (link »educationpa.blogspot.com/2006_03···ive.html

By contrast, in 2000 the median salary in a Bucks County Pennsylvania school district was reported to be $85,395, above $70,000 in some other Pennsylvania districts. The national average was approaching $50,000. (LINK »www.buckeyeinstitute.org/article/81]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18879538 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:20:17 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18877541 fiberguy : MP..

First off, no, this wasn't the reason they got an exclusive franchise. They got the exclusive franchise because they wanted it. The city didn't have to give it to them, but they did. It could have been a number of reasons and no two franchise agreements are 100% the same. You're trying to make it out like every franchise authority goes to their local office depot and buys the stock "franchise agreement" form for $6.95 off the shelf. ;)

Also, what does pulling free cable have to do with reducing your rate?

Again.. I love the emotional topics here - mention first responders and we have a burden to give them everything free. Charity is just that.. and it's volunteer, it's not forced. EVERYTHING can be negotiated... blame the franchise authority for not negotiating hard enough to keep free cable for the firehouses... these contracts are two sided negotiations.

Even if comcast stops providing free cable, the city can flip the bill from the very fees they collect.

If firemen aren't being paid enough as many are VERY much under paid, then that is something worth raising taxes for to give them a fair salary. It doesn't take much of a tax increase to double the 35K salary that many of them make.

Also, the argument that people make that "were rushing to save your lives".. the moment someone makes that argument, you're no longer doing it for the goodness out their hearts.. now it's a self fulfilled reason. In MANY of these areas, there is not a shortage of fireman. I have many friends in the first responder area looking for jobs but there are no openings... People do these jobs because they want to and that is VERY admirable. But seriously, someone else above posted that "how would you like it if we didn't show up.. better have insurance.. etc".. or what ever they said.. as far as I'm concerned, those first responders should seek other work.

Just because cable did it in the past doesn't mean they need to continue doing it. Pick an activity that you do on your own now.. if you want to stop doing it, should you have to continue because you've done it in the past? or do you retain the right to quit?

Again, this is such a silly story because if you table the cable bills of the fire houses in each franchise area, the bill is not that much for the city to pay. The fact it's "firemen" just sensationalized and "outrages" people when they read it.

Bravo!
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"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18877541 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:21:14 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18877529 fiberguy : They/you get paychecks for putting your lives on the line.

You didn't answer the question. "Why should CABLE COMPANIES bear the burden ..? Does Qwest? AT&T? Verizon? for phone? Do they offer DSL service for free? Answer - no. Know it for a fact.. it's not a standard.

Cable companies pay franchise fees. That's it! Cable is not an entity for the city to rape and abuse and it's own desire. If the city wants free cable for it's infrustructure, I want it for mine too.

As for free food or reduced rates.. discounts and goodies. That's not a law or an ordinance. That is done at the good will of the individual business to offer that.

And, before you jump all over me.. I'd put a number on it that 70% of my family is either fire, EMT, or police. When I was 18, I went through the fire academy as well.

And, it's a fact of life that not everyone views police as the good guys even those that don't break laws. In our city, the cops are often as*es and I am sure there are plenty of people in L.A. who aren't friends of the police either. Not everyone has a great relationship with police and not everyone feels that they need to give free to a public funded service.

NONE of my post here is to say my feelings towards fire and police, however, many will assume because I point out the other ugly side/facts to this argument.
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"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18877529 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:09:12 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18877524 fiberguy : To be honest, I don't see the need.

The community already collects the franchise fees from the consumer/provider so they can pay the bills from the city infrustructure in return. Fair is fair.

And to what Moonpuppy said about that they are no longer getting exclusive agreements - sour grapes.. etc. I agree too. However, if Comcast is no longer the exclusive provider, why should THEY be the one to provide the free service? Devils advocate you know.

What's happening with this story is that, like anything today, people try to make things worse and "an outrage" by exploiting the topic. In this case, it's "first responders".. We also would have accepted abused women, children/orphans, the sick, schools, injured, etc.

Today, it's open season on making others look bad in the name of certain groups. I'm sorry to sound like a prude, but firefighters make a salary like the rest of us. In many areas, they aren't having a problem getting fireman, and if $60 per month for cable TV is too much for the city to pay, then I've got a problem with that. ESPECIALLY when, in my area, my city pays over a million dollars to set off fireworks ever August to celebrate some 'thing' that a few of the town folk show up for.

I don't care for what ever reason cable doesn't want to provide free service for any more to the fire departments, I personally could care less. I am not going to get involved in the emotional debate over this because it's not a right. I could care less if Comcast is being stingy and I could care less if the fire department feels abused.

Charity should NEVER be forced.
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"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18877524 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:02:53 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18875730 r81984 : Teacher get 70,000 a year????? What???

Are you talking about a teacher with 25 years of service?

My sister is a new teacher who has worked 2 years, teachers start between 25,000 to 35,000 a year depending on the area and cost of living.
The only way teachers would average 70,000 a year is if the average price of the smallest one room house in your area is over 500,000 a year. Your cost of living would have to be very very high.

Please tell me the name of the school that pays 70,000 a year?
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»www.ryanoneill.us]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18875730 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:33:42 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18873193 moonpuppy : Once again you miss the point.

Cable companies did this themselves as a condition of getting their exclusive franchise agreements. If they didn;t want to do it then they should not have done it in the first place.

However, now that they want to pull it, maybe it is time to pull cable out of the classrooms and let the telcos do that and take the tax break for it. And since the cable companies won't be giving out free cable anymore, where is my price reduction. :uhh:

Try again. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18873193 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:49:08 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18872971 MoJeeper : Well to be fair I'm a member of an all volunteer Department and we receive free basic cable from Mediacom.

Suppose you lived in my District and you called 911 and nobody showed up to bail your ass out of your predicament. No loss to me hopefully you have home, fire, automobile, health insurance.

We pay our bills just like every other business, private citizen.

You should think about the men and women who come rushing to aid you or your loved ones as we all are not paid and will risk our lives to save you and your property.

FYI: there are more unpaid Volunteer Firefighters in this country than there are Paid Firefighters.

We don't live in the station but it sure helps to have cable to keep track of approaching weather conditions.

JM2C]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18872971 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:18:58 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18872319 mocycler : For those of you who donate time/services, how would you feel if you were required or expected to do so?

I assume you give because you want to and can stop any time you want, right? Shouldn't the cable company likewise be given the the same option you expect for yourself?

Forced charity isn't charity. And don't compare occasionally fixing a PC or doing some other personal favor to 24x7 operation of a complex cable network that in most cases serves several if not dozens of municipal buildings.

This reminds me of the of the lady in my office that shakes us down for every fundraiser and pet project that comes down the pike...then lays a guilt trip on those who don't go along.

I still say it should be charged to the taxpayers. Or, anyone who feels so indebted can always open their checkbook and pay the firehouse cable bill themselves.

mocycler

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18872319 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:56:00 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18871756 ret369 : Teachers around here (Bucks County, Pa) average 70K per year, Firemen are volunteers and police get 45K. So don't go crying about poor teachers to me, how many of them get shot while they are working?????? and yes I;m a retired Law Enforcement Officer who got shoot in the line of duty and is now disabled from it]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18871756 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:45:50 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870954 r81984 : In my area police officers do get free car washes from a car washing business, they get free haircuts, they get free use of both gyms in my town, they get discount on oil changes, they get discount on food at all fast food places, they get discounts at walgreens, they get discounts on renting apartments ($50 a month for a $800 a month apt if they park their squad car in the parking lot), and probably many more discounts I do not know about.
Also all the town workers get free nextel cell phones for unlimited use, because they allowed nextel to lease town land to erect a cell tower.

There is nothing wrong with that as they get around 30,000 a year to risk their lives.

Now only if teachers who make around 30,000 a year could get those same benefits as they are just as important.
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»www.ryanoneill.us]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870954 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:44:04 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870916 exocet_cm :
quote:
Well, to be fair...why should the cable companies bear the burden of "rewarding" first responders with free service?


I dunno, maybe because THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE as their NORMAL day to day job?

quote:
What do you do for a living? Are you willing to provide free goods/services to police and fire departments?


I am a police officer. Yes.

quote:
Don't know about you , but around here , they get free food or reduced rates , reduce rates on cleaning as well as services. said by BosstonesOwn See Profile


Same here too.
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"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons..." - T.S Eliot
Check Out the Tech Bench »johnball.wordpress.com/tech-bench/
Ma blog: »www.johndball.com]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870916 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:39:29 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870872 BosstonesOwn : Don't know about you , but around here , they get free food or reduced rates , reduce rates on cleaning as well as services.

I actually fix pcs at cost for local first responders. They get paid but in my opinion they should get paid much more, they are often in the line of danger.

Comcast should offer reduced rates as well. I love corporations when they get greedy. Makes it way easier to cancel the service.
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"It's always funny until someone gets hurt......and then it's absolutely friggin' hysterical!"]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870872 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:31:50 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870755 moonpuppy : Comcast did this as a goodwill gesture to get their franchise agreements and as a tool to get firefighters to sign up for the service at home. Now that the exclusive franchise agreements are no longer around, they don't feel the need to promote the goodwill like before.

Around here, people volunteer to work the phones at police stations during the Christmas holidays so one more officer can go home to his family. The volunteers aren't out on the streets but they help out where they can.

I do computer technical work and I have helped out schools and other non-profits on my own time.

Again, cable companies did this to get their exclusive rights and now they are playing sour grapes. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870755 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:12:45 EDT Re: Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870731 mocycler : Well, to be fair...why should the cable companies bear the burden of "rewarding" first responders with free service?

What do you do for a living? Are you willing to provide free goods/services to police and fire departments?

Why not also demand local businesses supply them with free car washes, pizza, haircuts, oil changes, etc....

It's a legitimate expense of running an important public service, so let them keep their cable and bill the taxpayers.

mocycler

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870731 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:07:01 EDT Happy Independence Day....... http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870631 moonpuppy : ......and to reward you brave men and women who protect us and keep us safe, we're cutting off your cable. :D

Now if you sign up for triple play, we might be able to work out a deal. ;)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18870631 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:46:19 EDT