I think that during these tight time, local government is closing libraries, parks and cutting back education to rile-up the soccer moms with children.

I tend to agree with you. They politicos are playing a brinksmanship game. Notice how they are also scaling down the fire departments? There a difference between the ‘engines’ and the ‘ladder’ trucks at a fire station. The number of active ‘engines’ is being reduced, but not the other equipment.

What is the difference? The ‘engine’ in a fire station carries the high volume water pumps, several hundred feet of hose including several tens of feet of large feed hose (3 inch and above) as well as having about 100 to 500 gallons of water on board. Its kind of critical when trying to put out fires…