Firefighters in El Segundo, CA: Make $210k per year, still shoplift at costco.

Discussion in 'Blazers OT Forum' started by EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011.

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  1. EL PRESIDENTE

    EL PRESIDENTE Username Retired in Honor of Lanny.

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    http://www.laweekly.com/2011-05-26/news/rich-fireman-named-in-shoplifting/

     
    EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011
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  2. 3RA1N1AC

    3RA1N1AC 00110110 00111001

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    hopefully he goes to jail and gets ass raped
     
    3RA1N1AC, May 26, 2011
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  3. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    I don't think that is a good reason to indict firefighters... to indict HIM? Sure. But other people who never need to shoplift seem to do so, and they're not part of a public employees union.

    I will say this, though: I don't understand why I have a firetruck outside of my apartment building every other day. I haven't seen any smoke or fire since I've lived there (over three years) but I swear to effing God they're there three or four times a week.

    There's an old folks' home across one street and a low-income housing unit just down the street... so presumably they're doing paramedic-type work. I fail to see why there needs to be the full firetruck and firefighter contingent, though...

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, May 26, 2011
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  4. EL PRESIDENTE

    EL PRESIDENTE Username Retired in Honor of Lanny.

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    Do you think that they should be paid $210k (average) per year? El Segundo is a safe, small, quiet city. Article says it, 2 fires per year.

    Even by LA standards, its quite excessive...especially since prisons are so overcrowded they're just going to start letting people out.


    200k firefighters and 300k lifeguards. And you wonder why California is broke. But let's close hospitals and prisons! :MARIS61:
     
    EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011
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  5. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    I'm not arguing that they should be paid that. Just that him shoplifting doesn't have anything to do with the underlying issue.

    Based on what California is experiencing, they will have to change quite a bit, and so it seems less pay for firefighters might be a place they need to address. But I really don't know.

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, May 26, 2011
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  6. 3RA1N1AC

    3RA1N1AC 00110110 00111001

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    well instead of closing prisons we could just let out all the weed smokers, save a couple billion
     
    3RA1N1AC, May 26, 2011
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  7. EL PRESIDENTE

    EL PRESIDENTE Username Retired in Honor of Lanny.

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    apparantly he thinks we're not paying him enough.
     
    EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011
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  8. SlyPokerDog

    SlyPokerDog Woof! Staff Member Administrator

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    Poor guy. As a firefighter he's obviously an adrenaline junky. With so few fires to fight he obviously needs an outlet for his pent up adrenaline. Shoplifting is a hell of a rush and a great of a way to burn off adrenaline.
     
    SlyPokerDog, May 26, 2011
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  9. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Lack of income is not the reason that many people shoplift. That's my point.

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, May 26, 2011
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  10. EL PRESIDENTE

    EL PRESIDENTE Username Retired in Honor of Lanny.

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    it could be. maybe he's not making enough and just wanted more shit. Or maybe he's a union junkie that thinks he "deserves" it.
     
    EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011
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  11. Klinky

    Klinky Seal Of Approval

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    No one in the private sector ever steals...

    Private vs Public is not the problem, corruption is. It'd be more useful for people to focus their time on trying to destroy corruption rather than just parroting non-sense about how the private/public sector is killing America...
     
    Klinky, May 26, 2011
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  12. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Corruption is a problem everywhere, but public unions lack the same oversight that private institutions generally do. The only way to curb public union compensation is to do so through government action--where public unions can pump money into the process and then scream bloody murder when their compensation actually IS curbed.

    Private businesses, on the other hand, have to lay workers off regularly and have the omnipresent threat of insolvency/bankruptcy.

    While I don't think that shoplifting has anything to do with anything here, and I agree corruption is something we should always attempt to limit, I think the public/private differences are real, and concerns over public union inertia are valid.

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, May 26, 2011
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  13. EL PRESIDENTE

    EL PRESIDENTE Username Retired in Honor of Lanny.

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    its harder to fire union junkies. they know this, so they are above the law.
     
    EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011
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  14. Klinky

    Klinky Seal Of Approval

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    This is often the same with the private sector. They will do everything they can get away with, even stuff that's illegal...

    Private sector has never pumped money into the political machine to get their way?

    They have to lay off low level workers while usually increasing executive salary in the process. Bankruptcy rarely affects those who are on top & in many cases does not mean the end of the company.

    Public sector & private sector are different in some respects, but they are usually structured in a similar fashion & often the public sector contracts out to the private sector anyways. The concept of a union by itself is not corrupt, just like the concept of free markets or private enterprise is not corrupt. It is people playing the system that causes corruption. Any model can work so long as corruption is void. Greed is a "flaw" in humanity, one that I don't think any ideology or system can escape.

    It's also hard to fire incompetent or law breaking executives. When you do fire them they usually end up getting millions of dollars for their disservice. But they're entitled to it because the private sector is so much more ideologically perfect.
     
    Klinky, May 26, 2011
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  15. EL PRESIDENTE

    EL PRESIDENTE Username Retired in Honor of Lanny.

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    Its not hard to fire executives at all.
     
    EL PRESIDENTE, May 26, 2011
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  16. Klinky

    Klinky Seal Of Approval

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    Not always. E.g. Carly Fiorina @ HP, Isiah Thomas @ New York Knicks...
     
    Klinky, May 26, 2011
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  17. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Sure they do.

    That's not correct. Small businesses go under every day. I have many friends who have lost their jobs because their companies had to shut their doors.

    And to say that "bankruptcy rarely affects those who are on top" ... that's just not reality.

    I don't think that public unions act greedy and I don't think they're corrupt (although I'm some people are greedy and some are corrupt).

    STRUCTURALLY, public unions are different. They get increases when times are good but they don't have the same constraints as the private sector when things get bad.

    It's easy to fire executives. It happens every day.

    And, no, they are not usually getting millions of dollars.

    I think you're confused about the types of businesses that make up the majority of the private sector.

    Ed O.
     
    Ed O, May 26, 2011
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  18. 44Thrilla

    44Thrilla cuatro cuatro

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    if people want to steal from costco, I say let 'em.

    200k a year for a fire fighter is stupid, though.
     
    44Thrilla, May 26, 2011
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  19. MARIS61

    MARIS61 Real American

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    The reason they go to medical emergencies is because there is no other government agency with trained personnel, and they are far better trained than your typical private ambulance company EMTs.

    The reason they all go and take their equipment is so they can respond immediately without having to return to the station first if there is a fire call.

    2 issues here.

    The fact he's a thief has nothing to do with firemen. Firemen are generally some of the finest citizens/people/professionals you will ever meet. They risk their lives to save lives. The councilman should STFU about that isolated person with a shoplifting problem (it's usually a psychological issue, not one of greed). Quick quiz: How many firemen have you heard about committing crimes? How many politicians have you heard about committing crimes?

    The salary issue simply makes the councilman look the weak fool he is. Those salaries are negotiated by the city government. The people elected councilmen, including the one popping off here, to come to an agreement on the salary and they did. Now they blame the firemen?

    As far as worth, I guess it depends on what you personally value. I think most firemen are easily worth at least $200,000 a year, compared to most other occupations which draw that income. A guy who will run INTO a burning building to pull me out is worth more to me than any politician, financier, manager or strategist.
     
    MARIS61, May 26, 2011
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    speeds likes this.
  20. BLAZER PROPHET

    BLAZER PROPHET Well-Known Member

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    Are my eyes deceiving me or have you made a reasonable, rational post?

    I agree with 96% of it.
     
    BLAZER PROPHET, May 27, 2011
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