Yes, You Can Stop City Hall!
A History of Ambulance Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the Coulee Region
by
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The absurdity went on as the city withdrew its resolution
for an
In an almost a side splitting routine, Johnsrud also said that Doyle’s plan was a departure from what the camps had agreed upon in months of mediation.7 Maybe, just maybe, if the city were honest, it would not have continued the delusion about agreements that never were. As Strather Martin’s character wryly observed in the film, Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
The Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), February 2008, reported on a 200-city survey. It is their desire that instead of just reporting data as they have been over the last 25 years, that they would highlight what would be ideal and redirect attention to the potential of
Some of the highlights noted are:
1. “Government agency operating budgets have almost $3 for every $1 a of non-governmental agency budget.”
2. “There’s an 18.3% increase in tax subsidy for
governmental agencies and a 7.2% decrease for
non-governmental agencies in comparison with
last year’s data.”
3. The Journal goes into great detail regarding
response times. They are measured in
various ways, and if the data is not properly
used, erroneous conclusions will be drawn.
That problem developed in
Tri-State and the Fire Department used different
methods to determine response times. Probably
without being aware of the standards,
methods used by the local Fire Department
favored them rather than using the standards
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About the Book
“People of knowledge shouldn’t be the decision-makers on the body.” The Mayor of La Crosse, Mark Johnsrud, in a public meeting at which the city and county were discussing how an Emergency Medical Service Commission was to be staffed, made the above statement. In doing so he got the biggest laugh of the night but didn’t seem to recognize the incredulity what he had just said.
The incidents leading up to the approval of the petition to stop the city were in some cases humorous while in other situations were frustrating with time lost and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
As you can see by the letters from other communities, such thinking is not limited to a single area, but it is common for the elected to think they can do something better or in the worst case, more profitably for their electorate than private industry. The national debate over nationalizing health care is another example where government should have very limited involvement.
Members of our local Citizens for Responsible Government led the activities and we all learned much about democracy in action. I can’t emphasize enough the dedication of the men and women who spent many hours and much shoe leather gathering those needed signatures for the petition. In all there were 76 circulators who talked to their friends, neighbors, and anyone who would stop long enough to listen so they could explain the need to, “
About the Author
Growing up on a farm in western
The Navy gave him opportunities to learn leadership and he retired as a LCDR. His work in sales for most of his career exposed him to the knowledge of how private business will outperform government in most areas. When a group of concerned and interested parties felt there was a need for a conservative watchdog voice in the
He is married, has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. He is active in his church, plays golf as often as he can, and plays and teaches bridge, the greatest card game ever invented. He and his wife of more than 45 years enjoy traveling and being with the grandchildren.