Published: September 06, 2007 02:58 pm at Derry News.com  

Editorial: Fill the Boot off the streets

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is a worthy charity. It was gratifying to witness the generosity of people who poured $64 million to the fight against the disease during the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon this past weekend.

But, all that said, allowing firefighters to hold up traffic at various intersections all around the region with their Fill the Boot toll to collect money, even for a good cause, is not a good way to do it.

There are numerous worthy charities. Should the advocates for Little League, for midget football, for the fight against breast cancer or any kind of cancer, for heart disease, for diabetes, for those in impoverished countries, for Hurricane Katrina victims, for the troops, for the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts — the list could go on and on — be granted the same access to slow and stop traffic at intersections?

If local officials are to be evenhanded, based on the precedent they have set, the answer is yes. That means there could easily be traffic tie-ups for various artificial tolls every weekend of the year.

And that is why the answer — for everybody — ought to be no. It sets a terrible precedent. Just because they are public safety employees and the MDA is a good cause does not mean firefighters should be able to commandeer public streets to solicit money. It is likely that if every other group wanted street time, local officials would start expressing concerns about traffic safety. They ought to worry about it in this case as well.

Firefighters should be commended for their efforts in behalf of MDA. But they should do their fundraising like everybody else — hold a walk or a ride, call their friends and neighbors (it is, after all, a telethon), or set up booths at any number of municipal greens or parks.

Public streets are not the place to raise money.