Connecticut
updated
5:21 p.m.
Here’s a type of change I could have believed in: appointing people to federal offices with a proven history of knowing something about the field in which they are chosen to operate. No more Brownies, no more Bernie Keriks. Wouldn’t it be nice. But, at least when it comes to financial regulation, such an outcome [...]...
CT Blue - 5:20 p.m.
Today, Former Bethel First Selectwoman Alice Hutchinson formed an exploratory committee to possibly challenge the ultra-homophobic , hyper-partisan , disgraceful Mike McLachlan for the 24 district state senate seat. As a former First Selectman, I am keenly aware of the needs of local municipalities and how much decreased state funding has burdened the local taxpayers. Most importantly, ...
Hat City - 2:46 p.m.
A few weeks ago, I taped an interview for the local access show "Progressive Soup" where I talked about the state of political blogging in Connecticut, the problems associated with the lack of local media coverage in Danbury, and the future of journalism in general. Here's the first half an hour of the interview. You can watch the second part of the interview by clicking here ...
Hat City - 10:06 a.m.
Let me start out by saying that I do not speak for the Alpert campaign. My only connection, at this point, is that I have made a $50.00 donation and am enthusiastic about Alpert's candidacy. I have been a diarist and commentator here at MLN for about 3 and 1/2 years. There was a discussion here once about the differences, if any, between liberals and progressives. Some took the posi...
My Left Nutmeg - 9:04 a.m. - 2 clicks 
Once in a while you read something that is so thoughtful and well-written that you just have to share it. Nancy Winterbottom’s Op-Ed “Hollowing Out City Schools” from this Sunday’s Hartford Courant is the most recent example. A recently retired Hartford school teacher, Winterbottom makes a compelling case that education “reform” is on the wrong track. [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - 2:26 a.m. - 5 clicks
It is a sad fact that those things to which we pay the most attention often have the least significance. A case in point is Eric Massa, who will not even rate a footnote in history. At the same time, truly significant developments often go unnoticed. It’s only years later that we realize something has [...]...
CT Blue - Mon 4:01 p.m. - 2 clicks
Well, Hellooo World! Finally I've finally got the power again, after losing it on Saturday night in the Treepocalypse that hit Greenwich. Here's a few pics from my neighborhood. These poor folks lost the back of their house - the little white bit sticking out is a mattress - luckily no one was in the bed at the time. On the same street: This poor person got a tree through the roof...
My Left Nutmeg - Mon 1:28 p.m. - 4 clicks
Here's some reading material... Linda McMahon slams Chris Dodd's financial reform bill before understanding the contents of the proposal. According to a report Sunday by The New York Times, Dodd’s proposal will include oversight of payday loans. McMahon wouldn’t comment directly on the payday loan issue. “I don’t really want to speak to any particular aspect...
My Left Nutmeg - Mon 10:03 a.m. - 4 clicks
Sunday the New York Times reported on the textbook curriculum changes that were made to appease the State of Texas special interests. As usual, the changes are both dogmatic and intended to imprint students with ceratin myths that make open-minded learning and thinking difficult. Battles over what to put in science and history books have taken place for years in the 20 states where state boar...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Mon 9:45 a.m.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, I was unable to candidate’s forum yesterday at the LaGrua Center in Stonington. Just about every candidate for statewide office was there, as was Blumenthal and Joe Courtney. I wasn’t there, but a reporter for the Day was, one Patricia Daddona, whose article was part snark, and part flaccid stenography. Now, [...]...
CT Blue - Sun 3:41 p.m. - 5 clicks
We played hooky from politics today, missing the candidate meet and greet in Stonington to get together with some friends in Portland, Maine. As I write this I am in a hotel room in Portland, quite glad that I missed the rain down in Connecticut. This is a great town, by the way, superior to [...]...
CT Blue - Sat 6:22 p.m. - 5 clicks
On his Greenwich Time blog Frank Farricker wrote the following eulogy to his late friend and Greenwich Democratic Town Committee Chairman Dave Roberson, who died tragically in a car accident this week. I thought it was a beautiful tribute to Dave. Given that we Democrats communicate largely through the internet and in this site, I thought it would be fitting for a dedicated Democrat l...
DailyKos (Connecticut) - Sat 5:07 p.m. - 4 clicks
I'll be video streaming LIVE from the Westboro Baptist Chruch counter-protest rally in Brookfield CT today STARTING AT 6:45 TONIGHT! For those who don't know who anything about these anti-gay assholes or why these bigots decided to come to Brookfield today, click here for all the details. UPDATE 8:15PM: The live video stream is over. Well, it seems like the anti-gay hate-group morons ...
Hat City - Sat 3:02 p.m. - 2 clicks
Well, I started out looking for Ray Charles singing Georgia on My Mind, but decided to go with this, a duet with Willie Nelson: That video led me to this one (it was on the sidebar at youtube), Ray Charles singing Ring of Fire on Johnny Cash’s television show: Which put me in mind of this, the [...]...
CT Blue - Fri 3:26 p.m. - 2 clicks
I’m not really very good at remembering the names of the various plants, bushes and other assorted vegetation we have around the house, and at the moment my wife’s not around to lend her expertise. In any event, this is a picture of a pussy willow (is that a generic term for this sort of [...]...
CT Blue - Fri 2:46 p.m.
The New York Times reports that the price of seed is growing like corn in July: During the depths of the economic crisis last year, the prices for many goods held steady or even dropped. But on American farms, the picture was far different, as farmers watched the price they paid for seeds skyrocket. Corn seed [...]...
CT Blue - Fri 2:46 p.m.
It seems like the governor's budget chief wants to empty out Danbury's financial reserves in order to take care of the state's crisis. State government has emptied its savings to reduce the budget deficit, and Gov. M. Jodi Rell's budget chief said this week it's time for cities and towns to do the same. But municipal officials said their budget reserves already have been reduced to compensat...
Hat City - Fri 11:00 a.m. - 6 clicks
Chris Dodd has decided to move forward w/o any Republican support. The Washington Post has the story: Senate banking committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said Thursday that he will move forward next week with sweeping legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, despite failing to resolve key differences with Republicans. Although Dodd said he will continue bipa...
My Left Nutmeg - Fri 9:49 a.m. - 5 clicks
Teacher Mara Perfido and the students at the Western Connecticut Regional Adult Education program (WERACE) prepare care packages for earthquake victims in Haiti. Photo by ctblogger 03.05.10 As the earthquake in Haiti is slowly disappearing from our TV screens, students at the Western Connecticut Regional Adult Education program (WERACE) are doing their part in reminding people tha...
Hat City - Thu 3:01 p.m. - 9 clicks
Middle class families and seniors are struggling with high taxes. In fact, Connecticut has some of the most regressive taxes in the country — the more you make the less you pay. But here’s the dirty little secret big business lobbyists don’t want you to know: some of the biggest corporations in our state pay almost [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Thu 1:23 p.m. - 7 clicks
Sounds good to me. Yesterday, the House of Representatives defeated House Concurrent Resolution 248 offered by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) by a vote of 356 to 65 . The privileged resolution would have directed the President to remove all American troops stationed in Afghanistan in the next 30 days, unless the President deemed such action to be unsafe. Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) voted agains...
My Left Nutmeg - Thu 12:22 p.m. - 2 clicks
There's a John Lennon tune, one of his last with the lyric, "There are no problems - only solutions" . The quality of the solutions America has come to embrace have sucked us into a death spiral. Corporate pranksters with money enough to influence legislators unconscionably tinker with policies that toy with the needs and desires of citizens. Legislators surround themselves with self-serving...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Thu 8:25 a.m.
I just watched Lawrence O’Donnell, on the Keith Olbermann show, ask the head of the House Progressive Caucus if she feared the possibility of the Senate Parliamentarian ruling certain items of the Health Care reconciliation bill out of order, as not fitting subjects for reconciliation. She, of course, with reason did say that the House [...]...
CT Blue - Wed 7:43 p.m. - 3 clicks
Yesterday I wrote a post about a min-controversy involving Merrick Alpert, who was administratively suspended from the practice of law for failing to pay his client security fund fee. Jon Kantrowitz, who posted about the issue on My Left Nutmeg, left a comment to the effect that, in fact, as it turns out, Merrick did [...]...
CT Blue - Wed 4:24 p.m. - 3 clicks
Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie, calls them "moderate" and "fiscally conservative" Democrats. I call them something else entirely, since many of them have consistently stabbed their fellow Democrats in Hartford in the back as they have voted against Democratic initiatives. I won't name names - Christine does that, but I will give you a hint - 2 are from the same town in which I reside. Here's ...
My Left Nutmeg - Wed 1:47 p.m. - 9 clicks
Still reeling from the tragic death of Dave Roberson, but life goes on in Connecticut politics and Dave would have been observing and commenting with the best of them. First of all, there are tributes to Dave here and here. 2. In the "How could anyone possibly #@$$^ up their race so badly" file today, we offer the latest on Susan Bysiewicz who apparently appended "special notes" to her o...
My Left Nutmeg - Wed 10:42 a.m. - 5 clicks
Today's School Boards are presiding over a sea-change in budgeting. Baby-boomer educators are retiring in large numbers and being replaced by the younger generation and boy, this is a good thing in many, many cases. So, in attending Board meetings you'll hear that the school is "saving" money". That's hard to argue with. Saving money means that that money can REDUCE the budget - the taxpayers ...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Wed 7:06 a.m.
Rep. Ernie Hewett appears to be the latest person to catch Martha Coakley disease. Sources tell me it’s spreading rapidly in the halls of the Legislative Office Building. It’s the illness that causes people to act as if they don’t care about ordinary working people who are struggling with economic hardship. In Representative Hewett’s case, those people would [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Wed 6:22 a.m.
I’m not quite sure what to think about this. Over at My Left Nutmeg, Jon Kantrowitz takes severe exception to the fact that Merrick Alpert has not paid his client security fund fee, and was therefore administratively suspended from the practice of law. It appears the non-payment is intentional on Merrick’s part, though it is [...]...
CT Blue - Tue 6:26 p.m. - 7 clicks
Lynn Taborsak calls for unity in her opening remarks as new chairperson of the Democratic Town Committee. Photo by ctblogger, 03.08.10 Yesterday, inside a packed Democratic headquarters, the newly elected members of the DTC committee elected Lynn Taborsak as their chairperson. Since the outcome of the primary , the biggest concern among area Democrats centered around whether or not ...
Hat City - Mar 9 - 6 clicks
Mark Benjamin of Salon is reporting on the details of water-boarding technique used on prisoners in America's custody. It is this meticulous attention to detail that separates us from mere barbarians and it is this culture into which our children will learn their adult civic lessons. Enjoy. Self-proclaimed waterboarding fan Dick Cheney called it a no-brainer in a 2006 radio interview: Terror...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Mar 9 - 3 clicks
I write this in a state of shock and disbelief. I know grief is coming, but I still can't believe Dave is gone, so it hasn't fully hit yet. I just found out from a Greenwich Post breaking news alert that Dave Roberson, the Chairman of our town's DTC, was killed in an auto accident on the way home from the RTM meeting last night. No other cars were involved in the accident and police are investig...
My Left Nutmeg - Mar 9 - 14 clicks
Update: CTBob, who is a much more professional blogger/journalist than I, followed this up with The Alpert campaign - and it's nothing, really - Sorry about that. See comment below. He's completely lost me now - Daniela Altimari has the story on The Capitol Watch Courant blog: According to Judicial Branch records, Alpert is "administratively suspended from the practice of law pursuant to ...
My Left Nutmeg - Mar 9 - 4 clicks
I received a critical comment for my Hitler parody video today on YouTube. It reads: I don't know who created this, but clearly it's a grandstanding person who is trying to curry favor by advocating cuts and fiscal prudence for an already underfunded school. As such, the author appears to be more part of the problem than part of the solution, IMHO. I'm the grandstanding person he's talking a...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Mar 8
Tonight marks the start of the 2010-2012 Danbury Democratic Town Committee. Due to the results of last week's primary, there is a good chance that there will be a more than one individual seeking the chairmanship so tonight's meeting should be rather interesting. (The stream will end after the election of officers is concluded). If you can't make it to DTC headquarters tonight, make sure to chec...
Hat City - Mar 8 - 5 clicks
On Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to the Graduate Club in New Haven and joined in a roundtable discussion on the benefits for women in the health care reform legislation which is currently under intense debate in Congress. Joined by Congressman Rosa DeLauro, Congressman John Larson, and Dr. Carolyn Mazure, Director of Women's Health Research at Yale University, the hour long discus...
My Left Nutmeg - Mar 7 - 8 clicks
That all mythical squishy middle centristy stuff that The Village preschoolers can not read or write beyond? The one that Obama keeps trying to to pander to and live off of while producing medicocre to pure crap legislation, IF he can get anything to pass at all, which is pissing everybody on all political sides off. Needless to say they, not one single one of these bipartisan hacks, just ...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Mar 5
Now that the latest battle in the DTC civil war primary is over, questions regarding the future of the Democratic Town Committee remains somewhat unclear. In fact, a close look at the primary results seems to indicate that the results in the primary did little to mend wounds between supports and critics of the present leadership of the DTC. Here's my take regarding the post-primary breakd...
Hat City - Mar 4 - 3 clicks
Yesterday, Tom Friedman reported a conversation with Intel's CEO Paul Otellini looking for yet another cheap shot criticism of American public schools. Otellini deflected the opportunity. Instead Otellini, offered a series of fairly pedestrian prescriptions that advocated the usual tax break rhetoric one would expect from a corporate lobbyist. But the closing statement in Friedman's column ...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Mar 4
Residents crate a makeshift memorial at the location where the alleged assault of Luis Encalada took place (58 Town Hill Ave). Photo by ctblogger 03.03.10. The Joe DaSilva court case at Danbury Superior Court today lasted all of about 30 seconds. I was on hand in the courtroom today and nothing much happened during the brief proceedings. The only thing of note was a request from the pr...
Hat City - Mar 3 - 3 clicks
Sometimes media reports about the campaign for paid sick days portray an intractable fight with business. But is that really the truth? That businesses will fail or leave the state if they have to offer a basic minimum number of paid sick days? Of course not – in fact many of the best and most profitable [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Mar 3 - 2 clicks
A sad day for the entire Bloggosphere as Al Weisel, AKA Jon Swift, has passed away : The great Jon Swift has died. That's the "blogging" angle to a personal tragedy. In reality, the voice of Jon Swift - the hilarious faux conservative blogger whose talent and passion were evident in every post - belonged to Al Weisel, a sweet and good-natured journalist who happened to be the college roomm...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Mar 3 - 4 clicks
Here's an update on the Democratic Town Committee primary. An automatic recount process is underway in the 1st and 2nd wards. This is due to the close votes between candidates in those wards. 1st Ward: Linda DaSilva: 133 Bobbi Anders 119 Tina Merante 126 Jack Gillotte 124 Warren Levy 157 Jackie McGuire 123 Elefo Furtado 137 Beth Bogues 137 2nd ward: Bernie Gallo 118 Ken Gucker...
Hat City - Mar 3
Jim Hoffer at an NY ABC affiliate is reporting on the covert practices of Police in one NY Precinct. Given the nature of the practice, it is likely a viral practice within all urban police communities and it is symptomatic of the way that society is being micro-managed by the self-appointed government bureaucrats who want to be our jailers. This video is a tribute to the fine art of journalism...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Mar 3 - 2 clicks
If it seemed like today went by a little faster than usual it might be because it could very well have : The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday. The quake, the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history, hit Chile Saturday and should have shortened th...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Mar 2
THIS IS A LIVE BLOG. POSTING WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY After losing the last two municipal elections, disapproval towards the leadership of the Democratic Town Committee reached a boiling point with several area lawmakers meeting requesting Joe DaSilva to step down as the DTC chairman. After DaSilva declined, efforts went underway to primary individuals on the town committee...wit...
Hat City - Mar 2
Just a note that I'll be spending most of the day upgrading the site so posting will be a little slow. ...
Hat City - Feb 27
As a result of a recent admonishment against Rep. Chairman Charlie Rangel by the House Ethics Board Committee, Congressman Jim Himes issued a press release stating that he plans on donating his contributions from the Way and Means Committee chairman to charity. I admire Mr. Rangel for his decades of leadership on civil rights and his service in the armed forces and in Congress. But as elected...
Hat City - Feb 26
Today’s the first day of the legislative session, and the Governor is giving her budget address. Most likely, she’ll want to cut, cut, cut, to balance the $500 million hole in this year’s budget. I’ve got an Op Ed column in today’s CT Post that makes a case for politicians to truly take a courage position [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Feb 26
How would you feel if your employer decided one day to dramatically increase your healthcare costs? How would you feel if the company did this even while it was making hundreds of millions of dollars in profits? That’s the situation for 15,000 unionized Stop & Shop employees across Connecticut. Their contract has expired, and Stop & [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Feb 26
By DAN MALLOY “Although demand for coverage is rising, the state’s social services commissioner told legislators Tuesday that the Rell administration wants to shut down a toll-free phone line that provides information about the HUSKY health care program for low-income children and their families.” – CT Mirror, Phone line for low-income insurance information a target of budget [....
DanMalloy.com - Feb 25 - 2 clicks
The WebCamGate case in which the Lower Merion School District near Philadelphia, PA developed and authorized the use of software to visually monitor students using school issued computers off school grounds is raising new questions very day. There is every indication that the laptops issued to students at the Harriton High School in that district were instrumented to act as virtual stalkers. Thi...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 24 - 3 clicks
Rudy Marconi, Ridgefield first selectman and exploratory candidate for governor, released a new campaign online video which addresses the need for the state to address it's medical tort reform policy. ...
Hat City - Feb 24 - 2 clicks
By DAN MALLOY The timing and the setting were fitting, and even rather serendipitous. Last week’s announcement by New Britain and Berlin municipal leaders stating their commitment to “electing me as Connecticut’s next Governor” occurred in New Britain. “The Hardware City,” as it is known, has a rich history as a manufacturing hub and was once a [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23 - 2 clicks
By TEAM MALLOY STAFF Was it really only a year a half ago when Sarah Palin was introduced to the American electorate? For us political junkies, it was a mesmerizing presidential campaign, punctuated by the emergence of a vice presidential candidate hailing from the unlikeliest of places–Wasilla, Alaska. It didn’t take long for the national conversation to [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23
By REP. MIKE LAWLOR Just a short note to share with you a few thoughts on today’s Quinnipiac Poll, which is really good news for Dan. Yes, Ned Lamont has higher name recognition, but let’s understand why. Virtually the same percentage of people have favorable impressions of Dan (32%) and Ned (35%) – that spread is within [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23 - 4 clicks
By JOHN MCNAMARA (cross-posted at the NB Politicus) In 2010 Democrats need a gubernatorial nominee who has the best chance of winning an office not held by the majority party in 20 years. The open seat for Governor has spawned a number of Democratic hopefuls, all of whom offer impressive credentials from local and state government and the business [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23 - 2 clicks
By DAN MALLOY Earlier today, Zogby International released a poll which found that Connecticut voters overwhelmingly support public financing, with 79 percent of respondents supporting the Citizens’ Elections Program as described. In my view, this poll should serve as proof of just how strongly Connecticut voters feel about campaign finance reform, and as a warning for [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23 - 6 clicks
By DAN MALLOY Watching the unspeakable suffering the Haitian people are experiencing this week due to the earthquake, I’m reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. He wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” The outpouring of humanitarian [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23 - 2 clicks
During this holiday season, it’s easy to get lost in the bustle of planning, traffic and shopping, and all too often, we forget about what’s most important. A dear personal friend of mine whose son is stationed in Afghanistan wrote this essay, which was published on the New York Times website. His poignant and beautifully [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23
By DAN MALLOY This week, I completed my fourth and final term as the mayor of Stamford. In the final months and days of my 14-year administration, I’ve had ample opportunity to reflect back on my time serving this great city. It’s been an honor and privilege, an experience that I will always look back on [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23
By DAN MALLOY As I’ve traveled across the state this year, it’s been clear that the economy has meant continued tough times for many Connecticut families. Amidst our concerns about the future, we should take this Thanksgiving as an opportunity to appreciate what we do have, and to consider what we hope the year ahead will [...] ...
DanMalloy.com - Feb 23 - 2 clicks
This past weekend, Stop and Shop workers, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, voted to authorize a strike. The company and the union are still bargaining, and the latest reports indicate hope that a strike can be averted. (The link includes on on-line poll at the Courant, so cast your vote [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Feb 23
An incident in Pennsylvania is receiving the scrutiny of the FBI and with good reason. The incident is being called WebCamGate by the mass media. Education Week summarizes the details in an article post by By Dan Hardy, Derrick Nunnally, and John Shiffman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT). Blake Robbins, 15, said in the suit that an assistant principal confronted him last November with a pho...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 22
Why paid sick days? Here’s my reason: According to a new study (pdf) , 8 million Americans went to work infected with swine flu. And 7 million caught H1N1 from a sick co-worker. And don’t forget, 24 people in Connecticut actually died from swine flu. There are a thousand reasons we need a basic workplace standard to [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Feb 22
With Connecticut having one the worse educational achievement gaps in the nation, on Sunday morning, State Rep. Jason Bartlett joined educational advocate Danielle Smith on Fox61's Stan Simpson show to talk about the efforts underway at Capitol to address the problem. ...
Hat City - Feb 22
There is a time to cut your losses. It seems to me that teachers unions are not only losing the fight to provide a quality education in America's cities but they are being unfairly and irreparably harmed for the effort. It may be time to pull out. Let the philanthropists, oligarchs, big city politicians, urban right-wing parent organizations, and profit-seeking educational entrepreneurs have at...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 22 - 3 clicks
Paley created Sita Sings the Blues . Enjoy. For more on Nina see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK9LGN6xHNE&feature=channel ...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 20
A number of sources are reporting that the Obama education budget is doing exactly what the Bush administration couldn't. That is kill successful and effective reading programs. All in the name of closing the education gap of course. Donalyn Miller in EdWeek blogs: Last week, policymakers announced that the Fiscal Year 2011 federal budget increases funding for education, but a closer look ...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 18
On Tuesday, the arrest warrant connected with the case against Tony Grant was unsealed and the document gives graphic details into the charges against the former executive director of Pathways Danbury. Although News-Times reporter did a write-up on the report already, I'm going to provide more details from the warrant. NOTE1 : Although it states it in the report, Grant DID NOT work at ...
Hat City - Feb 18 - 2 clicks
OK, here's the deal. After much deliberation, I've decided how to handle reporting on Tony Grant's arrest warrant. If you've read News-Times reporter John Pirro's write-up on the report, you have a basic understanding of the contents of the document...but TRUST ME, he couldn't go into the real details of the report because it's just that graphic. Due to the fact that this case involves minors...
Hat City - Feb 17
If you missed it, Ted Mann at the New London Day has an excellent report on Governor Jodi Rell’s secret poll, conducted with the help of UCONN polling expert Ken Dautrich. More details will out, but it certainly looks as if public taxpayer funds were used to help the Governor craft a political message to [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Feb 17 - 3 clicks
A few weeks back, we asked Working Families supporters to fill out a survey on what issues matter most to you. If you didn’t see it back then, you can still add your voice by filling out the survey here: http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/t/4020/questionnaire. Now that the legislative session has started, I took some time to tabulate the responses – [...]...
Connecticut Working Families - Feb 17 - 2 clicks
Today was a rather interesting day at Danbury Superior Courthouse. First, as expected, Joe DaSilva's arrest warrant was unsealed and we learned new details about the circumstance leading up to the death of Luis Encalada. ...what the media was unprepared for (and not expecting) was the availability of Tony Grant's arrest warrant on the same day. You see, we all thought that since Tony Grant's c...
Hat City - Feb 16
The decades old mantra of getting tough on public schools is reaching a fever pitch. And a consequence of that fever is that children and parents are cracking under the stress of it all. Just yesterday it was reported that child was given the equivalent of a water-boarding torture because she could not recite the alphabet for her dad. According to a police report obtained by CNN, Tabor's girl...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 10 - 2 clicks
That is according to the CBO : Adjusted for timing shifts, Medicare spending rose by $7 billion (or 5 percent). Of course this is reason to be outraged at all that government spending coming out of our pockets, right? Right? Thankfully those fiscally responsible Republicans have come up with the great idea of privatizing Medicare. Rep. Paul Ryan self-destructively wants to destroy Medicare...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Feb 9
Arne Duncan's Race to the Top is coming under increased scrutiny because improprieties keep springing up faster than test scores. Late last year, Pro-Publica published an article asserting that education funding was being appropriated for "Phantom School Districts" - a phrase that could be synonymous with a money laundering operation. In Kansas, 11 school districts that no longer exist are on ...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 8
I've been coing across an increasingly braod range of interesting art sites that offer open source resources for art teachers. Today, I discovered UBU.com that is a central repository for outsider art. This link features hundreds of films and interviews with artistswho deserve far more attention in high school art classes than they receive. Over at MugTUg.com, I found this HTML 5 browser bas...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 7
I was watching Countdown last night and Keith Olbermann had said that 1000 people got free healthcare at the clinic in Hartford. Most of them had not had access to a Doctor in years. Whether it was the unemployed, the underemployed, the working poor. The common thread among them all is that access to medical professionals is beyond their financial reach because of our completely broken h...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Feb 4 - 2 clicks
Yes... It is that time of the year, according to my favorite kangaroo : email skippy if you want the code to these logos! yes, once again, it's blogroll amnesty day ! loyal readers of this humble space know that b.a.d., or blogroll amnesty day for short, is a celebration of blogs of all sizes thru-out blogtopia, and yes we coined that phrase! our inexplicably missing friend, jon sw...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Feb 3
EO Smith has had the misfortune of falling victim to the collapsing economy at exactly the wrong time. About three years ago, just prior to the economic collapse, the Board discovered that the athletic fields behind the school were deficient and needed extensive repair. The track is the most critical component that could no longer be merely patched. It is dangerous and requires significant dra...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 2
The New York Times reports [ Obama Seeking Sweeping Change in 'No Child' Law by Sam Dillon] that the Obama administration is revising No Child Left Behind (NCLB). I suspect such changes are more the result of reality finally catching up with the mean spirited political fantasies that NCLB marketed to an all too gullible public. "The secretary of education, Arne Duncan , foreshadowed the eli...
Region 19 BOE Gazette - Feb 2
Co-conspirators Stan Dai and James O'Keefe seen leaving the courthouse in a photo that O'Keefe did not have a chance to tamper with before I could: After getting caught messing with the phone lines in Senator Landrieu's Louisiana office , even videoing his and his co-conspirators with their pants caught around their felonious ankles himself, Magistrate Judge Louis Moore released James O...
Drinking Liberally in New Milford - Jan 28
