Here we go again. After 9/11 we called people (most typically paid to do exactly what they did) heroes. The majority of them were not. Some were injured, 343 died but that is the risk they knowlingly accepted upon entering a highly paid profession. Even volunteer firefighters (I am no longer a volunteer but had been for fifteen years) follow the same OSHA requirements and are equipped with the same personal protective equipment mandated by IFSTA and OSHA. And, some volunteer operations pay volunteers a small amount and provide other benefits. I have offered often as an example, the comparison of the over-paid firefighter, wearing $15,000 in protective equipment, pulling a guy out of a burning car on the freeway saying he is not a hero. The guy or gal driving along, seeing the burning car, pulls the guy out while he (the "hero") is wearing a t-shirt and Bermuda shorts is a hero.
Any individual who is currently in a profession, either as a paid individual or as a volunteer, that is tending to COVID patients has the freedom in our society to quit that profession and I bet any individual who was, say, "guaranteed" to catch COVID probably would quit. We call that "self-preservation. There are some genuinely caring, selfless people involved in the transport and care of COVID patience but there is no doubt in my mind that most stick with the work believing they will NOT catch the virus. The pay and benefits are worth the gamble. After 9/11 in Spokane, Washington I recall the union stickers on the fire engines (that in itself is a travesty) were shown over the U.S. flag. Boy if nothing else made them heroes that sure did, eh? Unions and other interested parties rode 9/11 to the bank. Cities, counties, states and then the Feds were not willing to risk being "mean" to our heroes by denying usurious labor contracts and benefits.
What does this all mean? It means we can see future congressional give-aways. Did you know that the last legislation of giveaways resulting from 9/11 does not expire until 2050? If a New York City firefighter was injured in 9/11, we can assume he was at least 18 years old. This legislation means that the individual or his family will be collecting benefits until he is 65, long after he has retired and would be on disability or pension anyway. I can't prove it but suspect some are collecting salaries and disability checks currently.
Call the first responders "heroes" if you want but don't give them any money unless the are indisputably injured on the job.
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