Palin's Mareykan

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Ah, good, grand ol' America. And if the likes of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck ruled it, it would be much worse than what this following story implies. In a way, it is capitalism run amok. Read on.

 

Firefighters let man’s house burn over unpaid fee

 

Marcus Licinius Crassus was once the richest man in ancient Rome. A lot of his money came from real estate, which Crassus amassed in an ingenious way.

 

If a house in Rome caught fire (and they often did), Crassus would rush to the scene with his personal firefighting service in tow. Once there, Crassus began bargaining with the owner and the owners of nearby homes threatened by the flames.

 

If the owner(s) agreed to sell his burning home at a ridiculous discount, the firefighters swung into action to save what was now Crassus’s house. If they balked, the buildings burned to the ground while the firefighters watched.

 

If they still operated this sort of system in present-day Tennessee, Gene Cranick’s house would still be standing.

 

Last week, Cranick’s grandson was burning trash near their home in rural Obion County. The fire began to spread. The Cranicks phoned 911.

 

However, the fire service in nearby South Fulton charges a supplemental $75 fee for fire protection. The Cranicks hadn’t paid the fee. So the firefighters refused to come out.

 

This despite the fact that Cranick offered to pay them anything they wanted.

 

Only when the fire began to threaten the property of a neighbour – who had paid the fee – did the firefighters show up. They put out the secondary fire, while Cranick’s house continued to burn.

 

“They never said nothing to me,” Cranick later told MSNBC. “They just stood out here and watched (the house) burn.”

 

Aside from all of their possessions, the Cranicks lost three dogs and a cat in the fire.

 

Toronto Star

[Chocolate and Honey]

This is insane.