{insert raspberry noise here}

Home today with the kids whilst Doug is doing his duty and helping the good residents of Columbus with their physical ailments. Or their burning down houses. Which ever.
While I know that we are all very thankful for the jobs that the safety workers in our towns and cities perform, here are just a few reasons not to call 911.
1. Hangnail.
2. Stomach pain that you have had for 5 days, that now, at 3 am, seems unbearable.
3. Rash.
4. Fake chest pain. Really fake any pain, just to secure yourself a ride to the ER and some pain meds.
5. "Pretending" to fall out of your wheelchair in a busy intersection downtown, so that when the medics come to help you up you can toss the contents of your colostomy bag at them. {This one didn't actually happen to Doug, but I did read it in a firefighter's memoir, so it did happen to someone...gag.}
6. Any vague pain that has been happening on and off for three years. This is what physicians are for.

Remember to thank the guys and girls that keep us safe, if you happen to see them. They put up with a lot of BS, just to do their job on the few "good" runs that they take each day.
Oh, and if you happen to live in the City of Columbus and you have the chance to vote on the Income Tax levy that they are putting on the ballot in August, please vote yes to save the jobs of nearly 240 firefighters and 300 police officers. Some of the firefighters that will be laid off have been with the department for more than 10 years, so these aren't just new guys. And a lot of them don't live in the city limits {us, for example} and so they pay the income tax, but don't get a vote. Wait, isn't that taxation without representation? And remember to hate Coleman who is NOT an man of his word, and WILL NOT support a Police and Fire Levy in lieu of the Income Tax levy, so that he can push his agenda and fund his pet projects and continue his conflict of interest brigade and help his buddies get rich on taxpayer dollars. I sure didn't vote for him.