Allrule Decides:
Where There's Smoke
The Issue
Allrule's fire protection department has long been criticised for being slow, inefficient, and underfunded. A number of ideas have been proposed on how to deal with the problem.
The Debate
1. "See here, buddy," says Jean-Paul Dredd, putting a friendly arm around your shoulder. "Your country needs fire protection, but you don't want to pay for it yourself. What do you say me and some of the boys here open up a few fire stations of our own and let the custome- citizens pay US instead of YOU paying THEM. It's not like we won't put out the fires if they don't have anything on them, we'll just bill them and their children and their children's children until we get all our money."
2. "Woah, woah, woah!" Says liberal activist, Buy Mistletoe. "I don't want my rescuers to be putting less effort into their jobs because I don't have a credit card or live in a slum. Do you know when you're at your worst, financially? WHEN YOUR HOUSE JUST BURNT DOWN. This is a victimisation of the poor! The government should be in charge of the emergency services and they should treat everyone equally. It's only fair."
3. "Not only that, but we need to prevent fires from happening in the first place," says Roxanne Li, your Minister of Safety, carefully turning off the wall sockets in your office. "And if that means sending free smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and informative pamphlets to every household in Allrule so be it! Damn the expenses, Chancellor Julie Clark, lives are at stake!"
4. "I think that sounds kinda... socialist," says Roxanne Longfellow with a disgusted grimace. "The government should keep out of this if you ask me. The only reason fires happen is because people are stupid and they know a fire engine will come racing down the street to save them. Take away that safety blanket and I think you'll find they wise up quite quickly! We don't need any tax-consuming fire service! If idiots and their families go up in flames they'll have no one to blame but themselves."
The Government Position
The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.
If you wish, you may:
Ugh. See, I'm trying to be socialist...but at the same time, I'm trying to cut my fucking taxes. I'm prioritizing the cuts, so which should I go with?
I'm thinkin' number 1.