Fighting The Fires On $14 An Hour And NO HEALTH INSURANCE

When you see the smoke of a forest fire remember the firefighters on that line facing danger and crowning fires make $14 and hour as SEASONAL workers. There is a full time work force, but many firefighters are "seasonal workers". What is most amazing is that they are NOT covered by health insurance, whether it be federal or other wise. They have to buy their own if they need it.

If they get hurt on the line they can get workman's compensation which usually takes a long time to kick in. Many of these workers suffer later consequences with things like chronic bronchitis and other respiratory ailments. They are essentially government employees without benefits.

Now these firefighters make a lot of their money on overtime pay that the GOP wants to end altogether. These fire fighters do not get unemployment out of season because they are "seasonal" employees. Many are young and college age, but many are not because this job pays more than most in the USA right now.

It is a fact that these fires occur where there are mostly "trophy homes". And the areas where many fires occur are in GOP territory in that these folks are mostly GOP. And the GOP wants to fire government employees who "MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY".

I would not put myself on that line for $14 an hour unless I were desperate for money. It is a pity that we have become a country where people are fighting fires for such a paltry wage which is NOT really a living wage with NO BENEFITS. It smacks of desperation for some of those firefighters. I am sure a number of them love to do that kind of work breathing ashes and sweating dirt while they are on the line. And when it comes to meal time I wonder if they get "filet mignon" or hot dogs.

And I will bet that none of those home owners with "trophy homes' for the most part work for $14 an hour. So the next time I hear one of those REPUBLICANS complain about government employees I am going to be tempted to shove a shovel right us their ass.

When I read this information in the Denver Post I was really surprised by what I saw. What have we become as a country when we are willing to say that people who provide the most vital of services should work for shit wages to protect and serve because many citizens say we pay them too much now. It says a lot about how far we have deteriorated as a country when these firefighters and our other firefighters and police are not entitled to decent pay and should get no pensions after years of service when a number of them will not be able to work by the time they are in their 50's.