Tuscon Fire Department Receives Federal Grants

Tuscon, Arizona has one of the biggest fire departments in the nation, as this dry area is always at risk of fire. Although they don't have the natural forestland that California does, Arizona is at perpetual risk of fire more than any other state. Their firefighters are some of the bravest men and women on the planet, and they're always ready to answer the call to go help citizens. So it comes as good news that the federal government has earmarked Tuscon fire departments for just over $5 million in federal grants in order to help them get new equipment and other things they need in order to fight fires in the area.

This was announced earlier this week and it's a good bit of news for once. For the past few months in Arizona, most of the news cycle has revolved around the audit of the 2020 Presidential Election, and all the slings, barbs and bickering that goes along with that. Half the state is all for the audit, while the other half is trying to stop it. This has caused it to drag on and on, with no clear resolution in sight. So when it was announced that firefighters in Tuscon would be getting millions in federal grants, it was a welcomed bit of news.

We do not know as of yet which departments will receive money, or in what amounts, or what the money will be spent on, though preliminary reports suggest that many departments need housing upgrades and equipment upgrades through their trucks, suits and other equipment.

A Big-Spending Government

There is an awful lot of debate raging on in today's America about the purpose of government. While the lines aren't necessarily always clear and distinct, it typically breaks down the middle on right-wing people who want limited government and left-wing people who want a larger government that spends money on a variety of government programs. For the past century in America, the left-wing has been in constant power, even if there's been a Republican President. The fact is that America spends trillions of more dollars than it's able to collect in taxes, and this federal money goes all over the planet. Aid to Israel, Pakistan, Australia and other foreign nations, along with paying for the entire defense of multiple countries through NATO. This is just the foreign spending. Domestically, American politicians spend exponentially more, and still find ways to spend.

With all the money that's wasted and never gets into the hands of actual Americans, the perpetual gap between both sides is bridged a little more when government decides to give money directly to citizens who need it. This is especially true for firefighters and other first responders. They're typically supported by both major American political parties, and exceptions are always made when it's time to spend money on them and their programs. However, that $5 million in federal grants still needs to end up in the hands of Tucson's fire department, and historically speaking that is not always the case.

It's a sad fact of America's spending habits, but most of this sort of grant money is never really accounted for. A good example here would be both former President Trump's and current President Biden's big-spending COVID initiatives that sent billions of dollars to states so that they could hand out grant money. In some states like New York, around 90% of all that money is entirely unaccounted for. Even with more fiscally responsible states like Florida, we find that about half the money is either in limbo or nobody knows where it went. The states are claiming the feds never sent it, while the feds are claiming that the states have it. Meanwhile, you, as a regular American reading this article, have probably never heard the mainstream media utter a word about tens of billions of dollars just lost, because America's media is far too busy claiming an insurrection happened on January 6 or that giving COVID vaccinations to pre-schoolers is sound science.

America spends and spends money, hand over fist, but the bulk of it never goes anywhere because the money just comes up missing. In the rare instances the government is called out on this, the government appoints itself to investigate itself, which always leads to the same conclusion: Government did nothing wrong, so let's spend more money.

We're sincerely hoping that Tuscon's firefighters get this money. They need it. While we're also hoping the grant system becomes more reliable, because there are many more people and business that need grant money.