Firefighters Smack Romney Following Colorado Campaign Swing

[madamesilverspurs]

Wed Jul 11, 2012 at 10:04:41 AM MDT

After GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney made it out of fire-ravaged Colorado yesterday, without having to answer questions about prior campaign-trail statements disparaging calls for "more firefighters," a press release this morning from Aurora firefighters via the Colorado AFL-CIO brings the issue to the fore--hitting both Romney, and Colorado congressional Republicans who have voted to cut firefighting and other public safety funds since 2010.

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more at link http://www.coloradopols.com/diary/18097/...aign-swing

[pappy]

You might say they lit a fire under Romney and tried to put it out with gasoline.

[jaxx]

Good for the firefighters. They have risked their lives for weeks and weeks in the wildfires and Willard wants to do away with many of their jobs. Once again it shows how little Willard knows about the country and it's people.

[Blue_Roses]

Good grief. For the life of me, I just don't understand why the repubs choose these stupid ideas or why any firefighter would vote for these idiots. It defies all logic...

[jaxx]

Just found this article.....love our President!!

Seasonal Firefighters Celebrate As President Obama Does The Right Thing Again
July 11, 2012
By Sovereign Voice

<..> President Barack Obama has ordered his administration to offer health insurance to seasonal firefighters employed by the U.S. government. This order capped a 2-month-old bipartisan electronic petition drive started by firefighter John Lauer, 27-years old that has drawn more than 125,000 signatures. According to a White House Official, a formal announcement of the policy change is forthcoming.

While in Colorado, the President met with town officials whom he complimented on doing a great job in organizing and helping the citizens of the town and surrounding regions. He met with the Red Cross and with city firefighters, but perhaps the best thing to come out of his expedition to the site was that his attention was brought to a matter that directly affects the federal seasonal firefighters who came from all over the United States to help contain the fire.

About 15,000 federal firefighters are on payroll, but about 8,000 of them are considered temporary seasonal workers and have no federal benefits. According to one of these seasonal firefighters, John Lauer, (Hot-Shot Crew Member) seasonal fire-fighters like himself typically work the equivalent of a full-time year-round schedule in the six to seven month period. As Lauer pointed out, if he is injured on the job, he receives Worker’s Compensation (approximately 60% of his pay), but if he gets bronchitis the following winter as a residual effect of inhaling smoke for the preceding 6 months, he has no health coverage.

<..> Although there is sure to be criticism from some (as there was for the President’s tour to view the devastation), let me be the first to say, “It is the right thing to do.”

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/07/11/...ing-again/

[SeattleGirl]

Rachel reported on this on her show tonight. I'm so glad these folks will be getting health insurance! You cannot constantly be around smoke and not have a chance of getting sick at some point from it.