I am a firefighter with the Osseo Fire Department (outer-ring northwest suburbs). We have applied for and received similar grants in the past. While I feel it is appropriate to apply for such grants when available -- in order to recoup some of the money sent into the various government black holes -- I do NOT think that this is a legitimate function of government.

First off, there is nothing in the enumerated powers (Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution) that grants the federal government the authority to establish or fund a Department of Homeland Security.

Second, there is similarly no authority for granting aid to local fire departments.

Third, these federal grants always come with many onerous strings attached, mandating compliance to all sorts of federal whims.

Fourth, it is incredibly wasteful -- not to mention immoral, unjust, and unconstitutional -- to collect money through taxes (at the point of a gun), shuffle it around in the government, accept applications, pay a legion of bureaucrats to manage it, and then dole it out to the best boot-lickers.

Finally, if governments at all levels would simply stop taxing, inflating, and regulating us all to the brink of oblivion, we could fund-raise and save our way to having self-sufficient, equipped, professional, efficient fire departments.

Let us do our jobs. Get off our backs and out of our way.