Activist Firemen
link Firefighters union halting federal contributions – Yahoo! News.
The benign image of the affable firefighter who fixes kids’ bicycles, rescues stranded cats in trees and posing for cheesecake calendars when not risking their lives to pull infants from burning buildings is as quaint and passe as the iconic slide pole in the firehouse. Like the brass poles, which have been put to good use and made notorious by another profession, the image of some firefighters are being associated with some iffier elements.
Who knew that collectively they felt compelled to contribute to political parties as part of their jobs? What does supporting Democrats have to do with cats in trees? Most of us have grown up with the image of the fireman as the gallant and selfless hero. They were always considered above the fray of partisan activity. That was left to sleazy businessmen, ambitious politicians and occasionally, the wayward cop. But not firemen. Who doubts the intentions of a fireman?
Alas, that profession has fallen victim to the disease that has fatally affected many professions. The public union. Like the infamous Teachers unions, firefighters’ unions now exert political influence beyond their expected roles in society. You would think that their roles are pretty clear, that is to look after the needs of their local constituents. According to this article however, these unions have been actively supporting national level politicians sympathetic to union interests. How is this different than if janitors and tree pruners banded together to have a national voice? What if they decided that Global warming was a sympathetic cause?
When someone decides on a profession such as firefighter, presumably they do it out of conscious choice. As far as I know, no one goes into it because they were forced into it or that it was a way to make ends meet to support 4 kids. Presumably, they liked the lifestyle and job description; the red trucks and sirens didn’t hurt. Certainly, there is always the element of mortal danger with the job as well and that’s why we have such respect for them. But clearly, some in their ranks find it more lucrative to be climbing up political ladders than those propped next to burning buildings. With the political activism of their unions, it now certainly appears that hooking up their hoses to the public pension system is the end game for them. Their burnished image suffers and they’ll be seen as just another self serving union organization. I’d guess that most of the public isn’t even aware of this. They may be hosed in ways they didn’t expect.