I'm a paid Firefighter/Paramedic in MD and consider myself a staunch Conservative leaning-Libertarian.

Just like any other department or program in government the fire dept has it's share of overspending and reckless use of taxpayer dollars. It is no exception. The first and foremost commitment of the fire service is to provide 911 services for the taxpayers to it's surrounding area. More recently the fire department in my jurisdiction has grown extremely top heavy with the addition of civilian personnel now doing the duties of what firefighters were doing before up in the headquarters office and training divisions to begin with (it was still top heavy before and wasteful). This adds to the ever-growing bureaucracy and inefficiency that plagues our governments.

I can only speak for my fire dept, but I can tell you my county spends almost between 13-20 million dollars for the last couple of fire stations being built, yet neighboring more conservative counties spend no more than 2 or 3 million dollars per firehouse and they're designed way better. Also, I think the fire dept could eliminate the code enforcement bureau and possibly a couple others and privatize them, thus making the department smaller and more efficient, and possibly even placing those firefighters back into the field running 911 calls. I can go on and on and on about what the county wastes it's money on, but it would take too long to explain these things here.

I think that having privatized fire depts may work in some areas of this country, and I'm certainly open to the discussion. But in areas that are more metropolitan the services need to be more readily available to them with the ever increasing call volume. Emergency roadside assistance and pizza delivery services are not the same as having a heart attack and needing to get to the hospital ASAP, or needing to transport someone to a trauma center within the golden hour. Thinking like this is naive and reckless. Ask yourself this question: How about privatizing the military? Or the police dept? It would be just as ridiculous.

As stated in the Preamble of the US Constitution, the most vital responsibility of the US government is to provide for the common defense of it's nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. IMO that parallels to the state and local level with public safety (Police, Fire, and EMS).

The only thing these people will respond to is power and strength. Unleash the power of the military, make the right strategy by not handcuffing our General's with political correctness, and promote a path to WIN this thing for God's sake!

Military is there to do what they were created to do best: Kill the enemy. Period.

Correct, gold and silver is acceptable. But what do they mean by "alternative currency" is the question...

Just wondering, isn't it unconstitutional for a state to develop its own currency? I believe it's somewhere in "Powers Forbidden to the State."

"Another eye-popping number was the percentage of Americans who don’t pay income taxes, which now accounts for nearly half of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, most of that population receives generous federal benefits."

Sounds exactly like redistribution of wealth to me.

This article is absolutely 110% true. Whenever a person works hard and fends for themselves they are always happy and more accomplished.

Freedom and liberty are the best gifts given to us by our Creator.

Any city or metropolitan area is usually staffed by career/paid firefighters and paramedics. In this day and age, with a higher population than there was 40 years ago, its virtually impossible for volunteers to staff fire apparatus 24/7. These busier areas need to rely on paid people because of a much higher call volume and a much higher demand for service.

I'm a career Firefighter/Paramedic in a metropolitan area right outside of Baltimore City. I love my job and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

I do think, however, that we should all have the freedom to completely opt out of the union. Unfortunately though Maryland is not a Right-to-Work state so we still have to pay union dues. Even if we "leave" (as they call it) the union we still pay a huge maintenance fee which is almost the same amount as the union dues.

If you were to poll cops and firefighters individually you will find that most of them are conservative, believe it or not. But the problem is whenever election time rolls around the union uses its usual democratic scare tactics to get it's members to vote the way they want. Usually it's the younger people in the department who fall for the propaganda. But on the other hand there are some firefighters, such as myself, who see right through it all. :)

"Unless you wear the uniform of a branch of the U.S. military, you have NOT dedicated your life to serving this country. You have applied for, and accepted a JOB. You are an employee, like any other employee."

But what about Police and Career Firefighters/Paramedics?

If they're radical jihadists like the ones who have flown airliners into the WTC then I'm fine with that and people associated with them.

I heartily agree with the Patriot Act. That's why the constitution provides for congressional oversight as a check on sweeping powers like the Patriot Act - a necessary tool in order to prevent a dirty/radioactive/nuke bomb being detonated in a US city. It's a risk that Paulbots never acknowledge cause they're foaming out the mouth about a New World Order, the Amero, and Building 7.

I supported it then and still do now. That's the harsh reality we face, ladies and gentlemen. And if they weren't doing everything they can to prevent acts of mass terror against American citizens they would be derelict in their sworn duties...

Have some of you forgotten 9/11 so quickly?

What do people here have to be worried about? As long as a person isn't associated with radical Islam or whatever there is nothing to worry about. I'm a common law-abiding citizen and have nothing to hide. As long as I or no one is being wrongfully accused then I'm fine with the government protecting me by whatever means necessary. That's the first and most important function for the federal government, and that's what we pay them to do.

I go out and about throughout my day the same way as I do now as I did the pre-9/11 days without noticing any spec of liberty being taken away - minus a longer wait at the airport which is obviously necessary.

I agree with a few people on here and believe that the Patriot Act does serve a purpose. Sure, it may not be perfect. But it's certainly effective as an aid to combat terrorism.

All in all what it all comes down to on this issue is common sense. We need to profile people. But the elderly and infant pat-downs need to go.