brushed off

First, the good news. I won't be gone every weekend until the middle of November this year. And that is good news. I like sleeping in on Saturday morning, and hanging out with my family, and not working a seven day work week.

The bad news is that the Fire College cancelled it's whole northern calendar for the rest of 2010. And that is bad news. I need the extra cash, and the volunteers won't get the training. The supposed reasons for the cut-back ranged from low attendance to revamping certain courses, but the real cause looks more like an empty budget.

Here's where I go into a tirade of kicking and screaming and sarcasm about imbecile governments that blow a billion dollars on a G8/G20 party (that accomplished who knows what), while an essential service is thrown to the wind like dust brushed off Stephen Harper's thousand dollar suit.

In fairness, I don't know how much Stephen Harper's suits cost. Neither can I honestly state that I know what our prime minister cares about. I do know that he doesn't care much about the dust he brushes off his suit. And it is equally as certain that small volunteer fire departments have been brushed off by our government.

Again in fairness, I can't blame the brush-off entirely on Stephen Harper. Provincial and municipal governments share responsibility as well. But look at it this way: at a fire scene, if a captain or a firefighter screws up while I'm in command, the blame lands in my lap, fair or not. I didn't make those rules, and I definitely don't like them (yet another matter for me to fix when I become King of the World) but for now, that is the way the game is played.

It's okay though. Our calendar launch is Saturday, and MP John Rafferty has agreed to take a turn in the dunk tank wearing a Stephen Harper mask. Revenge will be sweet and mostly futile.

It won't be entirely futile though. We will make a little money to supplement the lack of government support. And if the NDP comes to power before Rafferty's suit dries, we firefighters should get better treatment. Wet dust is hard to brush off.