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Showing posts from September, 2020

The 7% Budget Referendum: A Political Weapon, Not Reform

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This was the budget data the Charter Revision Commission examined. It shows the percentage of budget increase by year. The budget increase does not translate to a tax increase. In 2023, the Democrats for instance, lowered spending but taxes still increased. The party and COLA columns were added by author.  The Charter Revision Commission’s 7% budget referendum proposal isn’t reform — it’s a political weapon. It's disguised as fiscal responsibility, but it’s engineered to shift blame, confuse voters, and lock Enfield into bad policy. There are some good ideas in the commission’s package. But this one? It shouldn’t go to the ballot. Here’s what the proposal says: If town expenditures increase by more than 7% over the current fiscal year, it would trigger a referendum. That sounds reasonable — until you understand the facts. The 7% Fiction First, Enfield hasn’t approved a 7% budget hike in at least 15 years — likely far longer. No council, Republican or Democrat, proposes a 7% hike u...
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Did Enfield make a mistake by opening its schools?

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Enfield High School, fall, 2020 On Sept. 23, a covid case was reported at Enfield High School. The school is closing for the next two days. It will shift to remote learning. Health authorities are contact tracing. Other schools in this state have reported covid cases. Some think this is just the start and schools will be all virtual soon enough. Perhaps not. The CDC has argued that it’s important to reopen schools for the health and well being of children. It warns of everything from “severe learning loss,” which includes their social development. The schools are also a steady source of nutrition. Those are real problems. Can Enfield control this? Will contact tracing be effective? Will the school covid cases lead to an increase in adult covid cases in town? All the school districts are trying their best to get through this, and we will just have to see what happens next.
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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How great is the Enfield Public Library? Truly great

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I just love the Enfield Public Library. Everything about it. The catalog system is easy to use. You can get books from regional libraries if Enfield doesn’t have it. Its research page is very useful, especially is you need to use newspaper archives. The staff is super, and they have done a great job managing the pandemic.  I’ve been using the curbside pickup mostly. For those unfamiliar, you put in reserve and when the book is ready, give them a call. You then arrange for a pickup time and the book will be waiting in a paper bag on a table. How great is that? But a week ago, I went inside the library, the first time since March. Wonderful. The pandemic has taken so much of our old normal away, that any little slice of it seems like gold.  They have set up plexiglass screens to protect the librarians at the checkout, but otherwise, all seemed unchanged. You can browse books.  The Pearl Street library is more restricted, it seems, based on this sign out front. Haven’t bee...
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Location: 104 Middle Rd, Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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Maybe Trump's support has faded around here?

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  Political signs are probably a poor indication of how a candidate is doing. The Trump supporters are definitely more active, with the flags and banners, but generally don't see many political signs overall. Maybe it's the lack of a town council election. Local candidates are usually sign-crazy. I'm sure there's some Biden signs, but can't recall any. The Trump supporters tend to big about signs. One fellow has had a Trump banner on his porch since the 2016 election. There are few with large Trump flags attached to pick-up trucks. But overall, despite a banner here and a there, and a some modest law signs (see above), there aren't manny. Can the number of signs say anything meaningful about how people are feeling in town? Doubt it. Interest in this election seem very high, perhaps the highest in some time. It may be that most feel everyone has made up their minds, so what's the point of putting up a lawn sign? Why irritate neighbors (no matter who you suppo...
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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WHY do stores bother with one-way signs? Because large numbers of people ignore them

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  So I'm trying to understand why one way signs in grocery stores are increasingly ignored. I post on Enfield's Facebook page raising this question and wait for the responses. Here is a summary of the main arguments:  1. “The virus isn’t that communicable. It’s been overstated.”  2. “I am not a sheep.”  3. “If six feet apart works, why the mask?”  4. “Some people don’t pay attention to the signs.”  The only one I get is 4. People do blank, don't notice, are pre-occupied etc. Following directional signs in a grocery store isn't in their DNA.  The rest of the reasons are mostly nonsense. People reach their own reasons for rejecting the science, or view it -- the sheep comments -- are imperial overreach by the federal virus storm troopers.  I think we’re all reaching a point where the virus is in our collective rear view mirror, and that’s in part due to the decent job we did in this state to bring it under control. But until this thing goes away, or...
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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