I've resisted the urge to jump in with my .02 until now, but it's late and my resistance is low. ^_^
I would like to submit that every geographical area has different needs and concepts of operation, and that many areas within the same geographical area can also be different for the same reasons. I've read passionate and knowledgable (not that they are exclusive, because they certainly aren't) posts regarding the benefits/pitfalls of private, fire, strictly EMS, law enforcement, union, non-union, volunteer, paid, and many other variations on the above. There is no one system that can work for the entire country; heck, we can't even agree on certification levels between states, let alone which system works the best. Isn't it enough that we can agree that emergency medicine is a noble profession, that providing care is a darn good reason to get out of bed in the morning, and that at the end of the day, the patient really couldn't give a big rat's butt in a whirlwind what the patch on our uniform says? To borrow (and corrupt) a line from a recent song: blood is red, oxygen is good, and sometimes I think we're ALL crazy. Have a good night, folks...