#1 DEBATE QUESTION TO ASK RICK PERRY

[Skittles]

You cut Texas state funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from wildfires by 75%, and held a stadium "Prayer Event" for a "Nation in Crisis". How has that worked out?

[TexasTowelie]

1. Like anything else involving Rick Perry

it turns into a pile of crap. He has so much explaining to do on so many subjects that I'm sure he will trip up on something tonight.

I always enjoyed driving through the Lost Pines near Bastrop--it looks like I'll be avoiding that area for about a decade. You can look at the highway and see that a spark would set the grass ablaze.

[Skittles]

22. he won't be held accountable

bush was never held accountable for being a moron either

[GTurck]

2. That is a very...

scarey picture. We live about 2 hours north of Bastrop on the edge of a cedar brake forest. They are so dry you can almost hear them wanting to explode. Mixed in with the living trees are the deadwood from the floods of 2007. We are primed, as is most of Texas, and Perry cuts fire fighters funding!
God how to stop him here is a big question for many many Texans and now he wants to bring his ideology to the rest of the country. We all need to wake up to these jerks.

[ananda]

7. It's hard to stop a Reep who gets 234 million dollars from

a few rich donors and pays them all back in kind.

[GTurck]

27. Yeah...

money in politics sucks. We are not going to be calling ourselves a nation much longer I'm afraid.

[Bob Loblaw]

3. Ask him if...

he carries an umbrella when he recommends that people pray for rain, then follow up with, "Why not?"

[Vinca]

4. I swear I'm going to email this to Bachmann.

:rofl:

[Hepburn]

8. If you don't, I will! n/t

[workinclasszero]

5. I'm sure Perry and his dominonist pals can just

pray away the fires with zero help from the evvvil Feds eh?

I mean it worked so well for Perry with the drought right?

Oh wait....

[kag]

6. I grew up in Texas.

There are now fires burning outside Austin where I was born, and outside Longview, where I grew up. A facebook friend put out a DESPERATE plea for at least 25 fire fighters needed IMMEDIATELY. Such a helpless feeling.

[paparush]

9. When is Shelly Bachman going to deep throat a microphone and ask, "Why does God hate Texas?"

[S_E_Fudd]

10. I'm sure the American people will listen to his explanation with...

All the deliberation and attention it deser....


SQUIRREL

[treestar]

11. Scary photo

Perry can have Texas pull itself up by its bootstraps.

[Enrique]

12. even without the smoke,

that photo is depressing.

[Overseas]

13. Or just -- Do you regret cutting funding for the fire department by 75%? -- simple question

to see if he does the macho bluster of No Regrets, or sneers about hindsight being 20/20 or something.

Maybe he'll say he's got $50 million in private funding to help with the damages.

[sweetapogee]

14. I'm a volunteer firefighter

I'm going to be a little negative.

And I'm a member of PA forestry crew so I get to put out wildfires and actually while I get no compensation for my work with my local fire co, I do get $3.25/hour with forestry. Be that as it may, no one is going to ask the OP question because it is mainly irrelevant to the situation at hand because little or none of that money is going to buy wildfire tools. The local vollie's are not the main force working this fire. As far as homes that burn as a result of the wildfires, it is the responsibility of the local government and citizens to provide that service. And it's not by any means the largest wildfire even when budgets were not an issue.

I have to say that I'm not defending the pukes one bit but here on DU it's only when some shit can be thrown at the pukes does anyone care about volunteer firefighters, which are usually thought of as beer drinking rednecks who joy ride in the red trucks and keep food off the table of city career firefighters. If I seem annoyed it is because I am. The several posts on this subject come off as childish arguements, sorry if that offends and if it gets me in trouble with the mods so be it because I have a lot of passion for the volunteer fire service and I have a lot of time and energy invested in it and it really pisses me off when dems or pukes play politics with this most noble enterprise. end of rant, I feel better.

on edit: while it makes for good anti puke drama and I'm all for anti pukeish activity, but if my state cut off all of my fire co money, we wouldn't miss it one bit because we don't get anything from the state except firemen's relief which is money that comes from homeowners insurance (not the general state fund) and is very limited as to what we can use that money for and cannot be withheld by the state legislature or the governor. My beef is with the lack of understanding on how fire service is funded, believe me I think the best repuke on his best day is at best a jerk.

[BeFree]

19. Sorry, but you make no sense at all with..

""....if my state cut off all of my fire co money, we wouldn't miss it one bit...""

Just because you can somehow make it without added money means jack shit for these Texas fires.

Perry and the rest of the repuglycans have been cutting away at firefighting budgets and now they don't have enough people or equipment to put these fires out. They don't even have the money to hire you to go help. If they did, what would you charge?

[sweetapogee]

24. I'm a volunteer

Volunteer means no-charge. My labor is free.

[BeFree]

25. You're off to Texas then?

Why not? They need firefighters. Especially free ones. With their free equipment and free hotels and free dinners. Texas won't pay you, so it is good you are free, right?

[sweetapogee]

26. no you don't understand

My friend, we cannot freelance, we have to be called, dispatched, asked, invited, whatever. There are considerations such as workman's comp, personnel accountability, you have to show that you have the training and so forth. This fire is a huge operation and those in charge have to abide by federal NIMS guidelines with respect to resources, human and material. It is a large logistical operation. People cannot just come in willy-nilly and start doing their thing. Volunteer is not a code word for unprofessional or untrained. Check out the FF death reports on NIOSH, half of the approx 100 deaths annually are wildland firefighters. It is very dangerous so the people in charge have to make sure they know who is in the field.

Last year I slipped on the ice while loading a patient into an ambulance and broke my left tib/fib. While I'm a volunteer EMT, I still had to be covered by the boro Workman's comp otherwise I would have had to pay out literally 10s of thousands of dollars for surgery with 2 plates, 13 screws/pins and 6 months of PT. I'm on your side and if you happen to be in my area and need fire or EMS I just might be the one who comes to your aid. I don't check the political views or social/economical situation of the 911 caller before I respond. I'm on your side simply trying to explain how the system works and you want to eat my lunch. I really don't understand why?

Try this, next time there is a house fire in your neighborhood, offer your services to the FD and see how far you get. The liability laws limit how and when we respond to even minor things. I keep a trauma bag, AED/suction, c-spine collars and so forth in my PV because I respond to QRS in my twp. but outside of my twp. I can do very little if I just happen to stumble upon an emergency because unless I'm dispatched I have no legal right to be there and can actually be cited or sued if something beyond my control goes wrong. If I get injured and I'm not invited to be there I have no insurance to pay for treatment and the responding organization and or local government is open to all kinds of legal troubles. As a Firefighter/EMT/SAR/Rescue tech I have to be dispatched, otherwise I'm on very thin legal ice.

BTW, I always keep a min. of two weeks vacation in the can and money for just such an event. If they call me, I'm going. I have answered the call out of state several times. Not just WF, but floods also because I'm a water rescue tech. I'm not yelling at you just trying to inform. Take care.

[Botany]

15. And Rick's answer would be 2 words:

YEEE HAW!

[noel711]

16. That photo looks like armageddon...

And the people of Texas do not deserve that,
nor do they deserve the like of Rick Perry,
and all that his policies have wrought on Texas...

Of course that question won't be asked...
its just too obvious, and the Republicans are nothing
if not masters of denial.

No... but I wouldn't be surprised if one of the
numskulls on that dais find some way to blame the
president for the catastrophe that is Texas...

yeah, it's all Obama's fault...

[bigwillq]

17. Wow, scary pic.

Great question. :thumbsup:

[ladywnch]

18. my question for Perry:

"Gov. Perry, your first response to Texas' problems was to seceed from the very union you now want to run. Your second response was, 'Texas' problems are TOO HARD for mere humans to address and that we need to pray to Jesus to solve our problems.'. Given these two approaches; 1) quit and run away, and 2) throw your hands up and have Jesus fix it all. You yourself have said you can't handle one state's worth of issues, but the entire country you can fix. So, my question is: “Why should we elect you to a quarter million dollar a year position you yourself have publicly acknowledged, you are incapable of performing? “

[ellisonz]

20. +2012

[FloriTexan]

21. Yep....that's a hell of a picturen/t

[Brigid]

23. Governor Perry,

Do you still think secession is a great idea?

[Blue_Roses]

28. no shit...

we have all kinds of "fun" in this here state of Texas:eyes: