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Shelly
She's 7!!!
Member since 8/05 14624 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
I have to agree with the crew against the race car. Tax dollars should go to benefiting the FD and the community it serves- and that includes trucks, firestations, even entertainment in the firestations. But a race car for 55k?? Have a fundraiser to raise money for that- sure. But not from tax dollars. I'm all for bonding and letting off some steam, but I'm sure there are cheaper ways to have bonding experiences.
I have not been to one of those events, but I don't see how it can change anything. I'm sure its wonderful, but I believe that tax dollars should benefit the community. I just don't see how a race car does that.
I also believe that the FD should NOT be volunteer. They deserve to be paid. But that is another issue all together.
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Posted 10/13/06 1:42 PM  |
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SweetestOfPeas
J'taime Paris!
Member since 3/06 32345 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by MrsPorkChop
HOWEVER what they do takes a certain person. a dedicated and brave person. i think they deserve ALOT so the spending doesnt really bother me...and/or i just block it out. i think they deserve it.
I agree that it does take a very special and brave person to be in the FD, or PD for that matter. it's on the same caliber IMO as military.
BUT - Police & Military get paid, so why don't the Firemen on LI?  that makes ZERO sense to me! they need to get on a payroll and these extra perks need to stop, IMO.
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| Posted 10/13/06 1:52 PM |
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SweetTooth
I'm a tired mommy!
Member since 12/05 20105 total posts
Name:
Lauren
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
OK
$55,000
to replace a district
racing car
$260,000
to renovate the recreation rooms in the district's two fire stations
$12,000 pay raise
(to $42,000) for a maintenance mechanic who is the son of one commissioner, the stepson of another and the godson of a third
327,000 out of 2.9 million..... this is only a SMALL fraction of the districts budget. Why doesn't newsday tell us what the other 2.3 million dollars will be spent on? They like to overexaggerate things to make them seem so horrible.
And also, how do we know that the 55 thousand for the racecar is not coming out of the fundraising money? Don't believe everything you read, esp. in newsday.
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| Posted 10/13/06 1:56 PM |
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SweetestOfPeas
J'taime Paris!
Member since 3/06 32345 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by SweetTooth
OK
$55,000
to replace a district
racing car
$260,000
to renovate the recreation rooms in the district's two fire stations
$12,000 pay raise
(to $42,000) for a maintenance mechanic who is the son of one commissioner, the stepson of another and the godson of a third
327,000 out of 2.9 million..... this is only a SMALL fraction of the districts budget. Why doesn't newsday tell us what the other 2.3 million dollars will be spent on? They like to overexaggerate things to make them seem so horrible.
And also, how do we know that the 55 thousand for the racecar is not coming out of the fundraising money? Don't believe everything you read, esp. in newsday.
they can be sued for slander if they report false info.
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:00 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by SweetestOfPeas
BUT - Police & Military get paid, so why don't the Firemen on LI? that makes ZERO sense to me! they need to get on a payroll and these extra perks need to stop, IMO.
There are towns that have paid, or both volunteer and paid. Long Beach is one of them. Taxes in LB are out of control. (I'm not saying that's the only reason, but it doesn't help)
You can't have your cake and eat it too. If they're paid, your taxes are going up. Way up.
The certifications are the same, no matter whether you're getting paid or not. Just because the people are being paid, doesn't mean you're getting better service.
I read a news story a while back of a paid fire department that stood back and watched someone's garage burn because the homeowner didn't pay their "dues". Thus they were not covered by the FD and had to put the fire out themselves. 
Message edited 10/13/2006 2:03:35 PM.
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:02 PM |
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SweetestOfPeas
J'taime Paris!
Member since 3/06 32345 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by greenfreak
Posted by SweetestOfPeas
BUT - Police & Military get paid, so why don't the Firemen on LI? that makes ZERO sense to me! they need to get on a payroll and these extra perks need to stop, IMO.
There are towns that have paid, or both volunteer and paid. Long Beach is one of them. Taxes in LB are out of control. (I'm not saying that's the only reason, but it doesn't help)
You can't have your cake and eat it too. If they're paid, your taxes are going up. Way up.
The certifications are the same, no matter whether you're getting paid or not. Just because the people are being paid, doesn't mean you're getting better service.
I read a news story a while back of a paid fire department that stood back and watched someone's garage burn because the homeowner didn't pay their "dues". Thus they were not covered by the FD and had to put the fire out themselves.
well that is just SICK and wrong!
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:07 PM |
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Shelly
She's 7!!!
Member since 8/05 14624 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
I'm sure that, if its true, it was an isolated incident by a few bad apples. The FD, just like every other organization, has a few bad guys. I don't think this is typical.
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:14 PM |
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Hi-Fi55
12 years...wow....
Member since 2/06 2984 total posts
Name:
Dianne
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Do you know how many fire departments we have? Every town has one. Why do we need all these nice shiny trucks when they are hardly ever used??? No offense, but it's so not necessary. If we had paid firefighters and actually used normal trucks and had the average joe firehouses, maybe then I would actually donate money to "your drinking fund" but until then, you can take money from my taxes but you're not getting one cent more from me.
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:16 PM |
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Hi-Fi55
12 years...wow....
Member since 2/06 2984 total posts
Name:
Dianne
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by Shellyesq
I'm sure that, if its true, it was an isolated incident by a few bad apples. The FD, just like every other organization, has a few bad guys. I don't think this is typical.
What fire department was it that stuck signs on their trucks because they were upset about not getting dues or something like that?? I think it was last year???
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:17 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by Shellyesq
I'm sure that, if its true, it was an isolated incident by a few bad apples. The FD, just like every other organization, has a few bad guys. I don't think this is typical.
It was FD policy, I believe, check it out:
Google search results for Monett Fire Department
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| Posted 10/13/06 2:50 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by Hi-Fi55
Do you know how many fire departments we have? Every town has one.
Are you insinuating that every town doesn't need a firehouse? Where do you start picking and choosing which ones don't get fire protection? Your town, for example?
Why do we need all these nice shiny trucks when they are hardly ever used???
Do you actually know how many calls they respond to in a year? Or are you just basing this on how many times you notice them?
No offense, but it's so not necessary.
You might reconsider if your house was burning to the ground or someone you loved was having a heart attack.
If we had paid firefighters and actually used normal trucks and had the average joe firehouses
Can you give me examples of the extravagant fire trucks in your town versus the normal trucks you're talking about? What's missing from the trucks to make them normal? Are they allowed to be shiny, or is taking pride in keeping the trucks clean and waxed forbidden? Have you ever stepped foot inside a firehouse that wasn't "average joe"? What makes them special?
maybe then I would actually donate money to "your drinking fund" but until then, you can take money from my taxes but you're not getting one cent more from me.
In my years of trying to raise funds for my own department, I heard this a lot.
In my experience, it was usually just an excuse people said so they could keep a death-grip on their pocketbooks. It had absolutely nothing to do with any real knowledge of what goes on in the departments that covered their town.
Until they actually NEEDED help, their opinion was that all firemen were beer guzzling lazy slobs who were taking their towns for all that they could.
But if your observations are based on actual experiences and information, I'd love to hear it.
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:12 PM |
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Shelly
She's 7!!!
Member since 8/05 14624 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by greenfreak
Posted by Shellyesq
I'm sure that, if its true, it was an isolated incident by a few bad apples. The FD, just like every other organization, has a few bad guys. I don't think this is typical.
It was FD policy, I believe, check it out:
Google search results for Monett Fire Department
This is in Missouri. I didn't realize that sort of stuff went on in LI. Its pretty shocking if its true 
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:18 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
I'm not saying it happened on Long Island!
I'm just saying it happened elsewhere, that's all. It was an aside. 
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:19 PM |
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DRMom
Two in Blue
Member since 5/05 20223 total posts
Name:
Melissa
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by greenfreak
Posted by Hi-Fi55
Do you know how many fire departments we have? Every town has one.
Are you insinuating that every town doesn't need a firehouse? Where do you start picking and choosing which ones don't get fire protection? Your town, for example?
Why do we need all these nice shiny trucks when they are hardly ever used???
Do you actually know how many calls they respond to in a year? Or are you just basing this on how many times you notice them?
No offense, but it's so not necessary.
You might reconsider if your house was burning to the ground or someone you loved was having a heart attack.
If we had paid firefighters and actually used normal trucks and had the average joe firehouses
Can you give me examples of the extravagant fire trucks in your town versus the normal trucks you're talking about? What's missing from the trucks to make them normal? Are they allowed to be shiny, or is taking pride in keeping the trucks clean and waxed forbidden? Have you ever stepped foot inside a firehouse that wasn't "average joe"? What makes them special?
maybe then I would actually donate money to "your drinking fund" but until then, you can take money from my taxes but you're not getting one cent more from me.
In my years of trying to raise funds for my own department, I heard this a lot.
In my experience, it was usually just an excuse people said so they could keep a death-grip on their pocketbooks. It had absolutely nothing to do with any real knowledge of what goes on in the departments that covered their town.
Until they actually NEEDED help, their opinion was that all firemen were beer guzzling lazy slobs who were taking their towns for all that they could.
But if your observations are based on actual experiences and information, I'd love to hear it.
Wow! I just want to let the 1st poster know that I had a fire at my house in March. We had been using a dryer left by the old homeowner. We cleaned the vent and pipes religiously. Unknown to us-lint had collected on the inside of the machine(you would have to take all the metal off just to see it and cleanit out) My husband and two dogs were home at the time. My DH was sitting in the den when he saw smoke coming out of the outlet. He went to our steel fire door and felt it. It felt cool so he opned it.
When he opened the door he heard a roar and saw the laundry room engulfed in flames-this room also acted as a storage room for us since we had no basement. We lost everything in our garage and laundry room including christmas ornaments form when DH and i were kids, tons of clothing, extra place settings, etc.
The volunteer fire dept which is located at the end of my block had members there within 4 minutes. They SAVED MY HOUSE! PLease please do not make judgements if you have not had dealings with volunteer firefighters-although I'm sure some are in it for the fun-they are risking their lives to save us and our posessions.
Message edited 10/13/2006 3:24:44 PM.
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:23 PM |
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Shelly
She's 7!!!
Member since 8/05 14624 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
To get back on the subject...
Posted by melijane
PLease please do not make judgements if you have not had dealings with volunteer firefighters-although I'm sure some are in it for the fun-they are risking their lives to save us and our posessions.
I don't think anyone is judguing the Fire Department. I think overall most people believe that thier services are valuable and they should be paid, not volunteer.
That being said, I still don't think tax $ should go to a race car.
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:27 PM |
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unknown1
****
Member since 5/05 2771 total posts
Name:
lisa
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
The volunteer fire dept which is located at the end of my block had members there within 4 minutes. They SAVED MY HOUSE! PLease please do not make judgements if you have not had dealings with volunteer firefighters-although I'm sure some are in it for the fun-they are risking
I hope it only took 4 minutes that were at the end of your block... We are not talking about response time we are talking about SPENDING TAX Dollars .. on a RACE CAR.. that they do not take to get to the fire..... I lived In Massapequa we had 3 fire departments all were great but they are not entitled to a 55,000 Race CAR!
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:44 PM |
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Hi-Fi55
12 years...wow....
Member since 2/06 2984 total posts
Name:
Dianne
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by Shellyesq
To get back on the subject...
Posted by melijane
PLease please do not make judgements if you have not had dealings with volunteer firefighters-although I'm sure some are in it for the fun-they are risking their lives to save us and our posessions.
I don't think anyone is judguing the Fire Department. I think overall most people believe that thier services are valuable and they should be paid, not volunteer.
That being said, I still don't think tax $ should go to a race car.
Just to let you know I think what the do is extremely valuable. But I just think they deserve to be paid and I think LI is out of hand and too extravagant with things. In my old town we have 2 fire house. I have one of the smallest towns on LI. So yeah, go ahead and take one away.
From Newsday: "New York City owns one heavy rescue truck with specialized rescue tools for each of its five boroughs, plus a single spare for use citywide. Fully equipped, each can cost $750,000 or more.
Long Island fire departments have 146 of them."
Are things like this really necessary?
As for having first hand experience with them. I have experience with paid NYFD. And while they have extra benefits and fun things to do, they have nothing like this.
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:47 PM |
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Redhead
You Live, You Learn
Member since 5/05 31871 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
wow i must say...i didn't expect this much response to the thread
interesting thoughts all around 
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:51 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by Hi-Fi55
From Newsday: "New York City owns one heavy rescue truck with specialized rescue tools for each of its five boroughs, plus a single spare for use citywide. Fully equipped, each can cost $750,000 or more.
Long Island fire departments have 146 of them."
Are things like this really necessary?
As for having first hand experience with them. I have experience with paid NYFD. And while they have extra benefits and fun things to do, they have nothing like this.
Heavy rescue trucks mostly get used in car accidents - I believe they carry Hurst tools (to cut the car), those huge lights to illuminate the scene, hydraulics for stabilizing a vehicle that's not on all four wheels, etc.
I'd say that's necessary. I've been in and responded to quite a few mva's myself and those trucks are a Godsend.
I'd be very surprised if FDNY doesn't have scores of heavy rescue vehicles.
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| Posted 10/13/06 3:59 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by Hi-Fi55
Just to let you know I think what the do is extremely valuable. But I just think they deserve to be paid and I think LI is out of hand and too extravagant with things. In my old town we have 2 fire house. I have one of the smallest towns on LI. So yeah, go ahead and take one away.
I forgot to address this...
What do you consider extravagant, specifically? What town did you live in? Do you know if there was an engine, ladder, pumper and heavy rescue in both firehouses? Or were they divvied up because one garage wasn't big enough?
Listen, I'm just saying, you don't have all the details. You don't know why there are two, there may be a really good reason for it.
I just hate hearing the FD or VAC's get bashed with no real information behind it. There's so much more to it than average people see. And they do so much more for the community than people consider. Stand-by's, toys for tots, Santa giving out candy canes from the back of a firetruck... Just to name a few.
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| Posted 10/13/06 4:06 PM |
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SweetestOfPeas
J'taime Paris!
Member since 3/06 32345 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
just wanted to add one more thing - firemen are civil servants. just like cops, military and teachers. they are funded by US tax dollars, so YES, everything they spend money on is public info and SHOULD BE! Just like some SD’s have been in the news for spending too much or embezzling funds, other civil servants should be scrutinized as well. It does NOT go to say that they are not appreciated, it’s just common sense. Especially in a place like LI where the taxes are through the roof.
Message edited 10/13/2006 4:12:43 PM.
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| Posted 10/13/06 4:12 PM |
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oakslady
LIF Adult
Member since 8/05 969 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by MrsNaunie
Posted by oakslady
take the money from the d*mn school districts.
Wow- really? This statement blows my mind. What do you mean? Do we not get as much service from the public school system as we do from the volunteer firefighters?
My father was FDNY, my mother served on the school board, so I like to think that I may be on both sides of this fence. But I can't imagine at all what you might be talking about.
A 55K sports car, for volunteer firefighters, is more important than after school sports, or music activities for the communities children?
i'm talking about taxes. i mean why are people so concerned with the couple of hundred dollars they are spending on the fire department when they are spending thousands upon thousands on the school districts. i feel the schools get to much money. i think the fire departments should get more of the money and the schools should get less. our fire department does alot of stuff for the community. i know anything we put into the district will come back to us ten fold.
i dont feel the same way about the school district. ( i'm not going to get into why i feel that way.)
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| Posted 10/13/06 6:05 PM |
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oakslady
LIF Adult
Member since 8/05 969 total posts
Name:
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
look don’t roll your eyes at me .. i fathom it just fine - it doesn’t mean i cant get ticked off because people are worried about something that is such a small part of the tax bill as if it is the major contributor to taxes.
if you want people to understand you have your opinion then understand i have mine. don’t roll your eyes at me or be condescending.
you wanted people's thoughts and opinons well you got mine.
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| Posted 10/13/06 6:10 PM |
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MABLE03
I <3 SATC
Member since 6/06 4563 total posts
Name:
Fabulous
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Image Attachment(s):
Message edited 10/13/2006 6:20:42 PM.
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| Posted 10/13/06 6:19 PM |
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Redhead
You Live, You Learn
Member since 5/05 31871 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: Fire Department on LI (long)
Posted by oakslady
look don’t roll your eyes at me .. i fathom it just fine - it doesn’t mean i cant get ticked off because people are worried about something that is such a small part of the tax bill as if it is the major contributor to taxes.
if you want people to understand you have your opinion then understand i have mine. don’t roll your eyes at me or be condescending.
you wanted people's thoughts and opinons well you got mine.
i wil roll my eyes at anything i want Hun
And i do understand and UNDERSTOOD your OPINION..
DIDN"T understand why you are "this thread has now pizzed you off"
hence the rolly eyes..
ETA...no condescension either deary
Message edited 10/13/2006 6:30:14 PM.
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| Posted 10/13/06 6:22 PM |
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