# Chapter 347

There are often sirens wailing in the background here because our home is located near the Ladder 19 company house. So it is no surprise that we heard the fire and ladder trucks when they pull out and fire up their sirens and flashers. What is surprising is how often we heard these sirens. I think we hear ladder 19 trucks and sirens more than all the emergency vehicles combined in our Eastern European home and that was a city of nearly one million people! The frequency of use in the USA versus Eastern Europe is very very noticeable and intriguing contrast.

What does that say about us as a people and a nation? Hahaha, that is far too philosophical a question for me to answer on my best day, much less this morning. But it does give us clues about about what we value. The mere fact of how frequently Ladder 19 is called out of the station says that we aren’t one bit hesitant to call out all possibly needed tools to any and every situation. (I am hearing them again right at this moment!) In other words we see these trucks and the people who operate them as far more versatile and flexible than how the Eastern Europeans utilize their fire trucks. And people here are clearly far more willing to use their tax contributions for these protections - and less interested in having their streets repaired - and generally don’t complain about taxes. Whereas my experience in Eastern Europe clearly shows a pattern of paying no taxes and getting no services. Decide what you value.