In his May 12, 2008 letter to the editor published in the Republican/American, Pat DeAngelis appears to be resurrecting an old propaganda ploy straight out of the forties. "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Nothing illustrates this more than Mr. DeAngelis’s continuous and ever-inflating claims that the MVFD is sitting on top of and hoarding close to a million dollars.
This is factually inaccurate as addressed months ago in Chief Perrotti’s letter to the editor published by the Republican/American. Click here to read. In spite of the truth, Mr. DeAngelis is relentless with his inaccurate $800,000 mantra, hoping that Middlebury residents will eventually come to believe it. The plain truth is that Mr. DeAngelis assertions are just not true. Mr. DeAngelis should reread the above link.
Another nonfactual stink-bomb Mr. DeAngelis enjoys hurling at our Middlebury Volunteers, is the claim that the Fire Department Ambulance is making a cool $150,000 profit each year.
All money collected from ambulance billing goes directly back to the ambulance service. All equipment, supplies, and maintenance are paid for by ambulance billing funds. In addition this fund saves taxpayers annually over $80,000 in Advance Life Support (ALS) fees, a tab that is traditionally picked up by the taxpayers. The only direct taxpayer contribution to the ambulance is to pay for fuel, insurance, and the firehouse in which it is stored; as the Town does for all other Fire Department apparatus.
What is left with the “surplus” funds at the end of the year? It all goes into an “Ambulance Replacement Fund.” In fact, the MVFD has recently ordered a new ambulance to replace the 17 year old FD12. The price tag, approximately $170,000. This is $170,000 that will NOT come out of our taxpayers pockets.
If Mr. DeAngelis is so concerned about Middlebury finances perhaps he should consider reinbursing the Town for his frivolous FOI requests that have cost the Middlebury Taxpayer in excess of $20,000.
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1 comment:
Anyone with any intelligence can see that DeAngelis is after the MVFD, and, more specifically, Paul Perrotti. Even when he attacks the budget, there is some thinly-veiled reference to the Fire Department, or Paul himself. Well, the bottom line is, the more he keeps up his attacks, the stronger the resolve of the Fire Department is. Pat, if you think there is some kind of wrong-doing, or financial mis-management going on, make your case, if you dare. I think you don't have the guts, because you know there is no wrong-doing, and you're just a gutless, axe-grinding coward, hiding behind half-truths, inaccuracies, and just plain wild fantasies. While I believe the Library is certainly an important institution in our town , I think you should be looking elsewhere in the town budget other than the FD and PD for money for the Library. Grow up, and get over whatever it is that is fueling your axe-grinding. Our town will never get any better with people like you, part of the problem, not the solution.
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