>>Firefighters watch as home burns to the ground. Has the American welfare sunk so low?
>>http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Firefighters-watch-as-home-burns-to-the-ground-104052668.html
>
>Interestingly that's how fire services originated in England - people subscribed to a fire service and only had their home extinguished if they were thus insured.

That's how they started here, too. Benjamin Franklin created the first such fire company on this continent in Philadelphia.

Presumably, eventually, people realized that it was better for everyone to have fire service, since one home burning was likely to have an impact on others.

Tamar