Where firefighters come to talk training

WORTH THE FIGHT

You would have to be living in a very deep h*** not to have noticed the vicious pro vs anti-union rhetoric being slung by everyone from politicians to the old lady walking her dog down the block.This is a nasty and dirty line being drawn in the sand, and one that my state of Ohio will face shortly (if not already with SB-5).

I am not a union member, but watched for many years as my father worked for union and non-union coal mines in Kentucky. I have witnessed first hand what ownership will do without a union holding them accountable for egregious cuts, safety violations, and worker's rights. Unions, be they IAFF or any other are not without fault, but these latest attacks on union rights and the ability to organize, negotiate, maintain current benefits, and secure a safe future for their workers is inexplicably wrong - and I will use the point of my pen to voice this message as loud as I can. There will be more!

I will leave you with this quote from our seventh President, Andrew Jackson. Sadly, it holds as true today (be it Local, State or Federal Gov't) as it did 150 years ago.

"I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office." - President Andrew Jackson

Your thoughts?

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Comment by Art "Chief Reason" Goodrich on February 23, 2011 at 1:06pm: The fire service and particularly the career firefighters who belong to unions need to get an accurate message out.

I'm not fond of discussing my salary publicly, because there are those who would think that I make too much for what I do. Sound familiar?

But, the public is going to see a different picture and form a different opinion as long as they see thousands protesting at their state capitols. It's already spread to Indiana, Ohio and Iowa.

I can disagree with the tactics; however, I support firefighters everywhere.

Paul; have you thought about doing this for a living?

Comment by John K. Murphy on February 22, 2011 at 8:14pm: Right on Paul. Like Bobby, I too have a modest pension based on 32 years of fire department work. Those years have taken a toll on my health with bilateral hip resurfacing surgeries, eye surgery, knee surgery and god only knows what is next. My health insurance doesn't quite cover it all so deep into my retirement pocket I go. If the politicians lived our lives and received our "pensions" they would be singing a different tune. What "monsters" did we elect last year? Again, we are thrown under the bus to balance the budget - a problem created by the politicians free spending and now they want to pay the piper on the backs of hard working Americans who teach their kids, protect their lives and wipe their a**** when they are hospitalized.Can we spell REVOLUTION?

Comment by Ron Ayotte on February 22, 2011 at 2:09pm: Balls on accurate, Paul...balls on accurate!

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