Ahhhh, the sickeningly sweet aroma of skunk outside my window late this night brings to mind all the joys of summer.
When we first adopted our rescued black Labrador retriever, Rodney, he was hit by our rather unfriendly, neighborhood skunk one night while sniffing around bushes that I’m sure, on hindsight, he rather wished he hadn’t.
The poor dog, having previously survived being a stray in Alabama and a gunshot wound to his right rear leg, was rubbing his face rather hard on my concrete patio. I suspect our skunk was not of a fan of traditional doggie greetings, if you will.
Yes, our skunk is skulking about and our gardens bloom. No, faithful reader, the rather masculine looking, stinky mushroom has not yet made an appearance but our dandelions are looking quite smart smack in the middle of our lawn.
Now that Memorial Day is past I have hauled out all my white shoes, filled the propane tank, dug out my gardening gloves, made camp plans for my children, and pestered all my neighbors with pools for invitations. School is nearly out. And I swear the ice cream man has my neighborhood on dinner-hour radar.
I did not think that, come late June, Tewksbury would still be without a budget. The budget is a bit skunky, stinking like the anal glad emissions of that crepuscular animal.
The School Committee, having given lists of 5% and 10% cuts to the Finance Committee, seems reluctant now to actually decide upon which cuts. And who can blame them? Without a number, the committee cannot decide what needs cutting. Without a number, the finance committee cannot make a recommendation.
Yet, Town Manager David Cressman announced the projected $3.5 million budget shortfall in October of last year. So how is it that we find out in October, just three months into the fiscal year, that the town is effectively skunked for the upcoming three years at least, and still eight months later we’re relying on a last ditch effort from the legislature to save our Braunschweiger.
We could blame the creation, and rather pallid execution, of the Blue Ribbon Committee. Or panel. I forget. And frankly, that is the hallmark of the Blue Ribbon Committee…it was forgettable.
The Committee, made up of smart business-people, took four months comprised of twenty hours of meetings, to conclude what the Board of Selectmen already knew. Without a significant source of new growth or an override, Tewksbury’s budget outlook was pretty skunky. The Committee validated the projected shortfalls, recommended that the schools try to be preserved, and that the town search for sources of new growth.
To borrow a phrase… well, duh.
I can’t help but think the Board of Selectmen effectively twiddled its thumbs while the fiscal dam in Tewksbury sprung a leak. And then another and another.
And once again, here we are ready to hand most of the problem to the schools. Here’s news, the schools are not actually supposed to be revenue generators for the town. The Town needs to raise revenues to support services.
Jack Dunfey got up at town meeting Tuesday and said something no one wants to hear, and I’m pretty sure he was not entirely happy to say. That an override is necessary, if not imminent. The override picture will become clear over the next few months as the new Budget Task Force gears up.
In the meantime I’m anxious to hear some fiscal creativity from the candidates for the fifth seat on the Board of Selectmen. Dennis Francis, another U-25 alum, is the first to pull papers for the job. I’m sure we’ll hear soon from David Gay of the planning board and Ed Doherty, who has no shortage of ideas or creative ways of expressing them.
The next election, in September, will likely sparkle even more than the last. And the way this town is going, we may not have an answer about the budget before then, though I’m hopeful.
The new board seems to have a healthy sense of urgency and the task force is made up of motivated residents with necessary expertise. We’re all in for a hot, skunky summer. And the lack of budget resolve really makes it stink.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
School Violence and Budget Bootstrapping
This week Tewksbury made news all over Massachusetts with the antics of three (give or take) students writing threatening messages and smashing a stripped down D-Cell Alkaline battery to smithereens. Moreover, while administration, police, faculty, students, firefighters, bus-drivers and staff distinguished themselves with quick response times, appropriate action, and an enormous effort to communicate with families, the real news in Tewksbury is not about what happened at school. But, its about to be.
Every year the budget process represents, to I suspect many residents, a boring footnote in springtime activities. It is tedious, mind numbing in complexity, and regularly produces the same results: months of dire warning, panics, arguments on town floor, and then, often, a surprise influx of money.
Not this year. Every single person that’s involved with the budget that I’ve spoken with at various school committee meetings, selectmen meetings, finance committee meetings, and Town-wide budget subcommittee meetings agrees that for Fiscal year 2008 Tewksbury is in trouble to the tune of $3.5 million. Out of a $77 Million budget, $3.5 seems like a drop in the bucket. However, for a town that has cut back new growth, and a school department that has developed an unfortunate talent for reductions after four years of forced cuts, well there is not much left.
Which brings us to a somewhat perplexing question raised by quite a few folks involved in the budget process: why do we continually hit the essential services, public safety and schools, and leave non-essential services practically alone? The police department will likely have to cut 4-5 officers, the fire department may have to close a station for all or part of a year, and the school department is looking to cut around 30 teachers and staff.
Cuts like these affect public safety by significantly reducing response times. If the town loses an ambulance and the remaining crew is in south Tewksbury, who will answer the call in north Tewksbury?
What about the burgeoning drug trafficking in town? Already an estimated four officers according to Chief Donovan understaff the police department. How do we handle school threats appropriately, keep the drug dealers on the run, or stop bank robberies when we do not have enough smart and capable men and women wearing our uniforms and watching our backs?
With all these cuts, why is the library safe? Why the Senior center? Why the Recreation department? Sure, those departments are all having their budgets cut too, but the library is only cutting one part time employee, one teenager that shelves books, and not staffing the Assistant Director position. I use the library often and I respect the people that work there and value the service they offer, but the library is not a golden goose we cannot touch. I am not alone; there is real dissent among the groups of people working on these budget reductions about what to cut and why.
John Mackey said it best, that if we keep cutting the biggest departments soon we are going to cannibalize essential services. Before we throw education and public safety under the bus, we need to reconsider what is essential. Before we tell kids they cannot have textbooks or charge families a fee for nearly everything (full day kindergarten, pricier hot lunches, bussing, athletic fees, activity fees, parking fees) we ought to share some of that pain across the town. I am not a fan of rubbish fees, but I am less a fan of lower property values because the perceived (incorrect) value of education in this town hurts home sales.
Much of the problem boils down to a mental partitioning many of us make when thinking about the budget: the Town Side versus the School Side. As if the two are adversaries. How can that be? Homeowners pay property tax to one office, not two. We all share in the indivisible goods provided by the services in the town. Parts of those indivisible services include education, though at first glance that may not seem the case. Massachusetts and Federal laws require the town to fund special education, to pay for placements at the regional vocational school, to pay for health insurance, pensions, and so forth for employees. Yet, every year the school is given its chunk of revenue and told to deal with it. So while fixed costs rise well beyond the control of the school department (tuition for out of town placements rose by nearly 50% in one year), the department is required to cut every year to essentially level fund. Still, the town is mandated to provide education for all eligible children.
Every time the school department and committee members talk about the impossible position for schools at public meetings, “town side” managers roll their eyes and undermine the nature of the beast, that it is the Town’s responsibility to educate, not just the teachers and parents.
The various demographic groups must share the burdens of the budget shortfall. Not to do so is discriminatory, punishing families for having children and choosing to raise them in Tewksbury. Now, after years and years of substantial cuts in the operations budgets to fund ever rising fixed costs, the cuts are hitting other departments, harder in the public safety area. No one likes or frankly, supports these cuts. However, with slow growth in town, a reduction in funds from the state, and no one-time monies ready to dig us out of the hole, the town still has to present a balanced budget.
I’m encouraged by the direction of the new Board of Selectmen and a real attempt to create a sustainable financial plan to put these budget woes behind us with what I call Selissen’s Manifesto, the Three-Year Plan Task Force.
Like so many, I am hopeful that Cressman’s office can pull a rabbit out of its hat in the form of some accounting gymnastics or obtain some help from the legislature. But I am not holding my breath. The more residents that come to town meeting can raise these questions and make significant changes on town meeting floor about budget reductions. Residents can ask committee members why certain cuts were chosen and residents can vote down the budget.
When this budget comes to Town Meeting floor on Monday, if the money articles are not deferred, passage will result in a very different town come July 1. In some ways, essential services will be stripped down and smashed against a wall until unrecognizable, just like that D-cell battery at the high school.
Every year the budget process represents, to I suspect many residents, a boring footnote in springtime activities. It is tedious, mind numbing in complexity, and regularly produces the same results: months of dire warning, panics, arguments on town floor, and then, often, a surprise influx of money.
Not this year. Every single person that’s involved with the budget that I’ve spoken with at various school committee meetings, selectmen meetings, finance committee meetings, and Town-wide budget subcommittee meetings agrees that for Fiscal year 2008 Tewksbury is in trouble to the tune of $3.5 million. Out of a $77 Million budget, $3.5 seems like a drop in the bucket. However, for a town that has cut back new growth, and a school department that has developed an unfortunate talent for reductions after four years of forced cuts, well there is not much left.
Which brings us to a somewhat perplexing question raised by quite a few folks involved in the budget process: why do we continually hit the essential services, public safety and schools, and leave non-essential services practically alone? The police department will likely have to cut 4-5 officers, the fire department may have to close a station for all or part of a year, and the school department is looking to cut around 30 teachers and staff.
Cuts like these affect public safety by significantly reducing response times. If the town loses an ambulance and the remaining crew is in south Tewksbury, who will answer the call in north Tewksbury?
What about the burgeoning drug trafficking in town? Already an estimated four officers according to Chief Donovan understaff the police department. How do we handle school threats appropriately, keep the drug dealers on the run, or stop bank robberies when we do not have enough smart and capable men and women wearing our uniforms and watching our backs?
With all these cuts, why is the library safe? Why the Senior center? Why the Recreation department? Sure, those departments are all having their budgets cut too, but the library is only cutting one part time employee, one teenager that shelves books, and not staffing the Assistant Director position. I use the library often and I respect the people that work there and value the service they offer, but the library is not a golden goose we cannot touch. I am not alone; there is real dissent among the groups of people working on these budget reductions about what to cut and why.
John Mackey said it best, that if we keep cutting the biggest departments soon we are going to cannibalize essential services. Before we throw education and public safety under the bus, we need to reconsider what is essential. Before we tell kids they cannot have textbooks or charge families a fee for nearly everything (full day kindergarten, pricier hot lunches, bussing, athletic fees, activity fees, parking fees) we ought to share some of that pain across the town. I am not a fan of rubbish fees, but I am less a fan of lower property values because the perceived (incorrect) value of education in this town hurts home sales.
Much of the problem boils down to a mental partitioning many of us make when thinking about the budget: the Town Side versus the School Side. As if the two are adversaries. How can that be? Homeowners pay property tax to one office, not two. We all share in the indivisible goods provided by the services in the town. Parts of those indivisible services include education, though at first glance that may not seem the case. Massachusetts and Federal laws require the town to fund special education, to pay for placements at the regional vocational school, to pay for health insurance, pensions, and so forth for employees. Yet, every year the school is given its chunk of revenue and told to deal with it. So while fixed costs rise well beyond the control of the school department (tuition for out of town placements rose by nearly 50% in one year), the department is required to cut every year to essentially level fund. Still, the town is mandated to provide education for all eligible children.
Every time the school department and committee members talk about the impossible position for schools at public meetings, “town side” managers roll their eyes and undermine the nature of the beast, that it is the Town’s responsibility to educate, not just the teachers and parents.
The various demographic groups must share the burdens of the budget shortfall. Not to do so is discriminatory, punishing families for having children and choosing to raise them in Tewksbury. Now, after years and years of substantial cuts in the operations budgets to fund ever rising fixed costs, the cuts are hitting other departments, harder in the public safety area. No one likes or frankly, supports these cuts. However, with slow growth in town, a reduction in funds from the state, and no one-time monies ready to dig us out of the hole, the town still has to present a balanced budget.
I’m encouraged by the direction of the new Board of Selectmen and a real attempt to create a sustainable financial plan to put these budget woes behind us with what I call Selissen’s Manifesto, the Three-Year Plan Task Force.
Like so many, I am hopeful that Cressman’s office can pull a rabbit out of its hat in the form of some accounting gymnastics or obtain some help from the legislature. But I am not holding my breath. The more residents that come to town meeting can raise these questions and make significant changes on town meeting floor about budget reductions. Residents can ask committee members why certain cuts were chosen and residents can vote down the budget.
When this budget comes to Town Meeting floor on Monday, if the money articles are not deferred, passage will result in a very different town come July 1. In some ways, essential services will be stripped down and smashed against a wall until unrecognizable, just like that D-cell battery at the high school.
Police State
Fortnight in Review
By Jayne W. Miller
Crime in Massachusetts. Not being an attorney, a politician, a criminal, or thankfully, a victim, I may not be in a position to write something pithy about crime in Massachusetts.
Yet, I’m a parent and I write stories every week about crime and I’m concerned. The number of murders in Boston is on the rise. Burglaries, home invasions, gun-related violence and especially crimes against children are on the rise all over Massachusetts. In Tewksbury two level three sex offenders, previously convicted and served time for crimes against children, live within a half mile of an elementary school. Our police have arrested more than eight suspects in six drug busts in two weeks. Drug busts for cocaine and heroin trafficking. These aren’t kids getting high in the basement; they are people trying to erode the fabric of suburban life in Tewksbury.
Tewksbury, located so very close to Lowell and with two major highways running though it, is becoming a gateway town for druggies and deadbeats to do business. With an understaffed police force relative to the level of crime in and around town, these losers are picking Tewksbury as a great spot to stop, sell some major drugs near a school, and move on. At what point do gangs come in, start staking out territory, and begin protecting their turf with knives and guns? Gang violence, along with nearly all other forms of crime, is up statewide.
I don’t want to be an alarmist and I seriously doubt the bloods and crips will take up arms on either end of 38, but the point remains. Police are working incredibly hard to catch these losers while chasing other crimes around town such as a rash of automobile break-ins, home invasions, even a carjacking. In Wilmington another burned body was found, but no arrests have been made in this baffling case.
This violent crime is way beyond the greedy hands of little league president and major league alleged embezzler Wilford Daley. We are facing drugs and violent crime. Right now these levels are not out of control but they are on the rise. Our lackluster governor seems more interested in lush draperies and Cadillacs than promoting public safety or hiring those 1000 more officers he promised during his campaign.
We cannot build a fence around our towns or run customs offices at every off ramp. We cannot run background checks on folks that drive our streets; we cannot stop criminals and high risk recidivists from living in our midst. But we can put more feet on the ground. We can hire more police officers, add to our force, and ensure the safety of our elders, our children, our businesses and our neighborhoods.
Tewksbury’s finest is doing a commendable job with the resources they have. But we know they don’t have enough. As our budget process gets underway we already know from preliminary figures that we do not have the funds for two badly needed officers to help combat the drug problem this community faces. As a community, we need to seriously consider our needs and how to balance them with our means. As residents and taxpayers we must engage in the budget process and look for creative solutions for shortages that exist throughout the budget, not just for police.
It does not take much to lose a way of life, safety, or peace of mind. Just apathy.
By Jayne W. Miller
Crime in Massachusetts. Not being an attorney, a politician, a criminal, or thankfully, a victim, I may not be in a position to write something pithy about crime in Massachusetts.
Yet, I’m a parent and I write stories every week about crime and I’m concerned. The number of murders in Boston is on the rise. Burglaries, home invasions, gun-related violence and especially crimes against children are on the rise all over Massachusetts. In Tewksbury two level three sex offenders, previously convicted and served time for crimes against children, live within a half mile of an elementary school. Our police have arrested more than eight suspects in six drug busts in two weeks. Drug busts for cocaine and heroin trafficking. These aren’t kids getting high in the basement; they are people trying to erode the fabric of suburban life in Tewksbury.
Tewksbury, located so very close to Lowell and with two major highways running though it, is becoming a gateway town for druggies and deadbeats to do business. With an understaffed police force relative to the level of crime in and around town, these losers are picking Tewksbury as a great spot to stop, sell some major drugs near a school, and move on. At what point do gangs come in, start staking out territory, and begin protecting their turf with knives and guns? Gang violence, along with nearly all other forms of crime, is up statewide.
I don’t want to be an alarmist and I seriously doubt the bloods and crips will take up arms on either end of 38, but the point remains. Police are working incredibly hard to catch these losers while chasing other crimes around town such as a rash of automobile break-ins, home invasions, even a carjacking. In Wilmington another burned body was found, but no arrests have been made in this baffling case.
This violent crime is way beyond the greedy hands of little league president and major league alleged embezzler Wilford Daley. We are facing drugs and violent crime. Right now these levels are not out of control but they are on the rise. Our lackluster governor seems more interested in lush draperies and Cadillacs than promoting public safety or hiring those 1000 more officers he promised during his campaign.
We cannot build a fence around our towns or run customs offices at every off ramp. We cannot run background checks on folks that drive our streets; we cannot stop criminals and high risk recidivists from living in our midst. But we can put more feet on the ground. We can hire more police officers, add to our force, and ensure the safety of our elders, our children, our businesses and our neighborhoods.
Tewksbury’s finest is doing a commendable job with the resources they have. But we know they don’t have enough. As our budget process gets underway we already know from preliminary figures that we do not have the funds for two badly needed officers to help combat the drug problem this community faces. As a community, we need to seriously consider our needs and how to balance them with our means. As residents and taxpayers we must engage in the budget process and look for creative solutions for shortages that exist throughout the budget, not just for police.
It does not take much to lose a way of life, safety, or peace of mind. Just apathy.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Top Ten Absurd Snippets from Planet Tewksbury:
10. I didn’t know that this year we’ll get another month of usable sunshine. Did you? Selectman Joe Gill brought up the change in Daylight Savings time this year during a meeting, and I have to say, I was rather surprised. If you or someone you love is a real techie then you probably already know all about the change. But if not you should know that this year we’ll all be Springing Ahead March 11th rather than April 1. That’s right, as part of yet another federal program aimed at saving energy (which, I’m all for) we’ll be mucking with our inner clocks nearly a month early this year. Personally, I’m not sure whether be delighted or annoyed. Maybe it will snow.
9. Speaking of snow, where is it? If I wanted a snow-free winter I’d live in Malibu, California. Oh, wait; they’ve already had more snow this year than Boston. I want snow days, hot cocoa, sledding, maybe a nip of frostbite. Come ON, its winter. I don’t want to even speak of that groundhog; I have nothing nice to say.
8. Pet Peeve; the vernacular, only found in spoken English “a whole nother,” as in, “Melba, I got a whole nother idea about that home based worm farm.” Would someone, please, tell me what in the world is a ‘nother.’ Yes, I recognize that what some people are trying to say is ‘another whole’, which is also useless. Just say “another.” It works nicely all by itself.
7. After the election I made a few predictions about who would run for President in 2008. I’d just like to take a moment to gloat: Hillary is in the race “and in it to win.” So, that means she won’t settle for a Veep nomination. Ok. Obama is also running. He may be an inexperienced first term senator, but he’s in it. McCain is running, Romney is running, and just this week former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani threw his hat into the ring. He’s “in it to win” too. This is going to be a fun Presidential race leading up to the primaries.
6. At a recent presentation to the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, a consulting firm used my blog as an example site for a business practice change. I know this because a friend of mine who works in development for The Home sat in on the meeting. When she asked why they used my little blog out of the thousands out there in the ether, she was told that I am a, wait for it, “Sphere of Influence.” So, you read it here first. Apparently the consulting firm wasn’t aware that most weeks I have 3 visitors that stay an average of 3 seconds. But, if you want to visit a real, sort of, sphere of influence, check out my blog at jaynespeak.blogspot.com.
5. Governor Patrick finally decided not to cut the tolls on the Mass Pike. Anyone shocked? No? Of course not.
4. Like the Presidential race for 2008, Tewksbury’s Selectmen race for 2007 looks just as jam packed, although there are two seats. With one incumbent and so far, four other hopefuls, I hope we’ll see a friendly, but informative debate. I nominate myself and the other members of the Tewksbury Press Club to moderate the debate, held of course, at the Tewksbury Country Club (we’ll settle for the gym at TMHS though) and to be broadcast on the cable/FiOS access channels. Residents can send in questions beforehand, call them in live during the debate, or even attend the debate. I’ve spoken to all the candidates and they are all savvy to town politics, know the issues, and have an alarming capacity for quotability. Bring on the Policy, the Lincoln-Douglas, let’s have a debate!
3. Not to beat a frozen horse, but if it is going to be this cold, I think we ought to have a little bit of snow; perhaps just enough to cover the remnants of leaves I did not finish raking in the fall. Although, truly, it really is not cold unless your nose freezes together when you breathe.
2. At the Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday night, in rather frigid cold air, I met some teachers standing outside, demonstrating, and making sure that people know they’re there. I’ve seen a lot of these teachers, at lots of meetings. I haven’t seen any other members of unions in town demonstrating anywhere. The fact that these folks are out in the cold trying to prove a point, that they mean business, probably ought to signal a wider message for the town at large. The budgetary rope, if you will, only stretches so far and this time, the ends aren’t meeting. I hope contract mediation works and pronto because the gulf between teachers, the school committee, parents, and taxpayers is yawning wider as we exceed 100 days without a contract.
1. What could be the most absurd snippet from planet earth? Well, surely there’s plenty of choice. We could go for the Lovesick Astronaut in Adult Diapers story, everyone loves a romance. Or perhaps the Lite Bright Cartoon Network “performance Art” marketing stunt, which probably did more for that silly program than all the Lite Brights in all those other cities put together. One thing is for sure, we are rarely cursed with boring news these days.
9. Speaking of snow, where is it? If I wanted a snow-free winter I’d live in Malibu, California. Oh, wait; they’ve already had more snow this year than Boston. I want snow days, hot cocoa, sledding, maybe a nip of frostbite. Come ON, its winter. I don’t want to even speak of that groundhog; I have nothing nice to say.
8. Pet Peeve; the vernacular, only found in spoken English “a whole nother,” as in, “Melba, I got a whole nother idea about that home based worm farm.” Would someone, please, tell me what in the world is a ‘nother.’ Yes, I recognize that what some people are trying to say is ‘another whole’, which is also useless. Just say “another.” It works nicely all by itself.
7. After the election I made a few predictions about who would run for President in 2008. I’d just like to take a moment to gloat: Hillary is in the race “and in it to win.” So, that means she won’t settle for a Veep nomination. Ok. Obama is also running. He may be an inexperienced first term senator, but he’s in it. McCain is running, Romney is running, and just this week former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani threw his hat into the ring. He’s “in it to win” too. This is going to be a fun Presidential race leading up to the primaries.
6. At a recent presentation to the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, a consulting firm used my blog as an example site for a business practice change. I know this because a friend of mine who works in development for The Home sat in on the meeting. When she asked why they used my little blog out of the thousands out there in the ether, she was told that I am a, wait for it, “Sphere of Influence.” So, you read it here first. Apparently the consulting firm wasn’t aware that most weeks I have 3 visitors that stay an average of 3 seconds. But, if you want to visit a real, sort of, sphere of influence, check out my blog at jaynespeak.blogspot.com.
5. Governor Patrick finally decided not to cut the tolls on the Mass Pike. Anyone shocked? No? Of course not.
4. Like the Presidential race for 2008, Tewksbury’s Selectmen race for 2007 looks just as jam packed, although there are two seats. With one incumbent and so far, four other hopefuls, I hope we’ll see a friendly, but informative debate. I nominate myself and the other members of the Tewksbury Press Club to moderate the debate, held of course, at the Tewksbury Country Club (we’ll settle for the gym at TMHS though) and to be broadcast on the cable/FiOS access channels. Residents can send in questions beforehand, call them in live during the debate, or even attend the debate. I’ve spoken to all the candidates and they are all savvy to town politics, know the issues, and have an alarming capacity for quotability. Bring on the Policy, the Lincoln-Douglas, let’s have a debate!
3. Not to beat a frozen horse, but if it is going to be this cold, I think we ought to have a little bit of snow; perhaps just enough to cover the remnants of leaves I did not finish raking in the fall. Although, truly, it really is not cold unless your nose freezes together when you breathe.
2. At the Board of Selectmen meeting on Tuesday night, in rather frigid cold air, I met some teachers standing outside, demonstrating, and making sure that people know they’re there. I’ve seen a lot of these teachers, at lots of meetings. I haven’t seen any other members of unions in town demonstrating anywhere. The fact that these folks are out in the cold trying to prove a point, that they mean business, probably ought to signal a wider message for the town at large. The budgetary rope, if you will, only stretches so far and this time, the ends aren’t meeting. I hope contract mediation works and pronto because the gulf between teachers, the school committee, parents, and taxpayers is yawning wider as we exceed 100 days without a contract.
1. What could be the most absurd snippet from planet earth? Well, surely there’s plenty of choice. We could go for the Lovesick Astronaut in Adult Diapers story, everyone loves a romance. Or perhaps the Lite Bright Cartoon Network “performance Art” marketing stunt, which probably did more for that silly program than all the Lite Brights in all those other cities put together. One thing is for sure, we are rarely cursed with boring news these days.
Good Samaritans, Cell Phones, and a blown tire
A few years ago, on a spontaneous trip to Williams Sonoma to purchase special cutters for a recipe I wanted to try, the tire blew out on my minivan on the highway. I had my four year old son and infant daughter asleep in the backseat, no cell phone, and no real expectation of fixing the thing alone. I didn’t have flares, reflectors, or any idea of how the hell I was going to get out of this one.
Before I go further, and in the interest of fairness, I should state that my husband and I built our marriage on a sort of bad Carma/Karma. Not to be punny, we just had a lot of automotive bad luck. In one case our only car, a midsize Mazda sedan, caught fire on Route 128. The electrical system caught fire and melted a crater the size of a basketball in the dashboard. My husband, again without a cell phone, called the fire department on the phone of a fellow commuter that kindly stopped (probably had some laughs over it too, and who can blame him?). Because the interior of the car was on fire the engines drive by a couple of times before stopping, and then didn’t believe that the car was actually on fire (the heavy layer of soot on the windows looked a lot like tinted glass) until one fire fighter opened the door to a thick waft of acrid smoke.
Another car, a hand-me-down through 4 generations, was so old that we had to repair it just to get it to pass inspection. Brake lights refused to stay fixed, the air conditioning gave up the ghost, the radio was kaput, the gas gauge stubbornly stuck at empty despite a filled tank, and a few rusted holes in the bodywork big enough for a raccoon to crawl through.
Once, the heating system in our minivan let go on a trip home from Maine in February. That was special, because in order to run heat in the back seats the system required running the fan in the front as well. So while my husband and I froze to our seats, our kids slept soundly in back for the remaining three hours. I couldn’t feel my feet for three days.
So, there I was, a silly twit without phone or clue, stuck in the breakdown lane of 128 with my wounded van, woefully distant from my destination. I didn’t know whether to wake the kids and go far away from the side of the road and risk being covered (literally) in ticks (which, I’m sorry to say has happened before) or keep them strapped in the van, a veritable target for bad drivers. I stayed put and waited for someone driving by to call the police and report that some idiot woman in her gold mom-mobile had a smoking tire and was stuck in transportation limbo. While waiting, quite a few cars and a couple of semi’s drifted into the break-down lane, as if my mini-van had a sort of gravitational pull on the cars driving by.
Eventually a state trooper on his way home stopped and saved my bacon. He called me a tow, positioned his car to protect mine, and informed me that the thing to do in such an incident is get away from the car because too many people stopped in breakdown lanes have been killed by morons that crash into them.
Once my vehicle was hauled onto the flatbed of the tow I was stymied as to how to best strap my children into the petite cab of the truck. I needed three seatbelts, and one was already being used by the driver.
Suddenly, out of the midst of the clamor and confusion, an angel in blue jeans arrived on the scene, complete with non-wounded minivan and a few car seats of her own. Apparently she drove by, saw my disabled car and me holding the infant carrier with my 10 week old baby inside. Knowing that any mother would be worried about how to safely manage the tow, she kindly stopped to offer us a ride to anywhere we needed to go.
Though she’s from Wilmington, she happened to be in Burlington that late afternoon with enough free time to ferry a stranger and her children to a car repair shop. Sent by God, right place at the right time, call it what you want. Regrettably, I don’t remember her name, but I do remember her car seats and how my little baby looked so small in one, her Kate Spade handbag that I admired, and her curly brunette hair. At one point I was reduced to gushing my thanks but she put me at ease, saying she was doing her good deed and that she was “only getting into heaven on the family plan.”
Her act of kindness has etched a place within my cynical soul and I know with certainty that there are genuinely good people, caring people in our midst.
I don’t know how to thank her, so I hope this column is enough until I meet her again. If you know her or think you might, send her my email address, I’d love to give her proper thanks.
And yes, I did get a cell phone. But just this week, I washed it.
Before I go further, and in the interest of fairness, I should state that my husband and I built our marriage on a sort of bad Carma/Karma. Not to be punny, we just had a lot of automotive bad luck. In one case our only car, a midsize Mazda sedan, caught fire on Route 128. The electrical system caught fire and melted a crater the size of a basketball in the dashboard. My husband, again without a cell phone, called the fire department on the phone of a fellow commuter that kindly stopped (probably had some laughs over it too, and who can blame him?). Because the interior of the car was on fire the engines drive by a couple of times before stopping, and then didn’t believe that the car was actually on fire (the heavy layer of soot on the windows looked a lot like tinted glass) until one fire fighter opened the door to a thick waft of acrid smoke.
Another car, a hand-me-down through 4 generations, was so old that we had to repair it just to get it to pass inspection. Brake lights refused to stay fixed, the air conditioning gave up the ghost, the radio was kaput, the gas gauge stubbornly stuck at empty despite a filled tank, and a few rusted holes in the bodywork big enough for a raccoon to crawl through.
Once, the heating system in our minivan let go on a trip home from Maine in February. That was special, because in order to run heat in the back seats the system required running the fan in the front as well. So while my husband and I froze to our seats, our kids slept soundly in back for the remaining three hours. I couldn’t feel my feet for three days.
So, there I was, a silly twit without phone or clue, stuck in the breakdown lane of 128 with my wounded van, woefully distant from my destination. I didn’t know whether to wake the kids and go far away from the side of the road and risk being covered (literally) in ticks (which, I’m sorry to say has happened before) or keep them strapped in the van, a veritable target for bad drivers. I stayed put and waited for someone driving by to call the police and report that some idiot woman in her gold mom-mobile had a smoking tire and was stuck in transportation limbo. While waiting, quite a few cars and a couple of semi’s drifted into the break-down lane, as if my mini-van had a sort of gravitational pull on the cars driving by.
Eventually a state trooper on his way home stopped and saved my bacon. He called me a tow, positioned his car to protect mine, and informed me that the thing to do in such an incident is get away from the car because too many people stopped in breakdown lanes have been killed by morons that crash into them.
Once my vehicle was hauled onto the flatbed of the tow I was stymied as to how to best strap my children into the petite cab of the truck. I needed three seatbelts, and one was already being used by the driver.
Suddenly, out of the midst of the clamor and confusion, an angel in blue jeans arrived on the scene, complete with non-wounded minivan and a few car seats of her own. Apparently she drove by, saw my disabled car and me holding the infant carrier with my 10 week old baby inside. Knowing that any mother would be worried about how to safely manage the tow, she kindly stopped to offer us a ride to anywhere we needed to go.
Though she’s from Wilmington, she happened to be in Burlington that late afternoon with enough free time to ferry a stranger and her children to a car repair shop. Sent by God, right place at the right time, call it what you want. Regrettably, I don’t remember her name, but I do remember her car seats and how my little baby looked so small in one, her Kate Spade handbag that I admired, and her curly brunette hair. At one point I was reduced to gushing my thanks but she put me at ease, saying she was doing her good deed and that she was “only getting into heaven on the family plan.”
Her act of kindness has etched a place within my cynical soul and I know with certainty that there are genuinely good people, caring people in our midst.
I don’t know how to thank her, so I hope this column is enough until I meet her again. If you know her or think you might, send her my email address, I’d love to give her proper thanks.
And yes, I did get a cell phone. But just this week, I washed it.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Deval Patrick's New Year's Resolutions!
(This column first appeared in print December 26, 2006)
Christmas is over, the fat goose got eaten, and now its time to tackle the dreaded RESOLUTIONS. New Year’s, with all its drunken hoopla and frantic calendar switching, allows each and every one of us an opportunity for a new slate (or, slightly used slate, depending on your outlook). Now is the time to vow to change your ways, whatever they be.
For real resolution success one must do three things: 1. Actually make a resolution- writing it down helps. 2. Tell people about it, then at the very least you’ll be embarrassed into keeping it (unhealthy maybe, but helpful). 3. Set goals to reach your target – these can be real or imagined; whatever helps.
Do a Google search on ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ and you’ll get over 58 million hits. 58 MILLION websites referring to the annual act of trying to outsmart yourself. The website eHow has a five step list of how to make resolutions. One website links the practice of making New Year’s resolutions to the Babylonians about 4000 years ago. Resolutions topping the ancient Babylonian’s lists: returning borrowed farm equipment.
Yes, there are billions of kinds of resolutions to make and thousands of years of humanity’s experience to help you resolve. Top resolutions, which come as no surprise, include lose weight, stop smoking, get fit, quit drinking, get out of debt, and get an oil change.
I’ve read erudite expositions on why resolutions just bind us closer to failure or that resolutions should be smaller attainable steps of an overall goal. Perhaps. Mainly I think resolutions should put the FUN in FUNctional, so, this year I’m presenting the TOP THREE RESOLUTIONS OF THE DEVAL PATRICK ADMINISTRATION (because, if you can’t make fun of yourself, make fun of state government).
Deval Patrick Resolution Number 1: Local Aid Smoke and Mirrors: During the campaign Patrick promised to restore local aid to pre-2000 levels. Utilizing a political sort of fuzzy logic, the governor-elect believes that increasing local aid will lower property taxes. Patrick knows that the state house does not determine property taxes, that residential property values (and therefore taxes) are based on residential home sales, and that the real-estate boom in recent years brought more property tax increases in than anything else. Next year Tewksbury is headed for a slight decrease in property taxes, because the real estate market has slowed to a crawl and residential property values have plummeted around the state. Surely, Patrick will take credit for the reduced property tax “burden” on the people and tout it as a result of his increase in local aid (if, indeed, it comes).
Patrick Resolution 2: No Tax is Too Little: Patrick, in what will likely become a signature move, decided to keep a tax Massachusetts should have done away with years ago: Pike Tolls. Originally levied as a way to pay the bonds sold to finance the construction of the Pike, the toll is well past its expiration date, with many commuters complaining that they’re paying for the bloated albatross of the Big Dig rather than Pike maintenance.
Additionally, the Patrick campaign promoted the institution of local meal taxes as a way to “help local communities raise the revenue they need to support the services businesses need to thrive.” Just so we’re clear, charge customers (typically the residents of the town that patronizes those restaurants) more taxes to raise money to support services for the businesses in a town… Its dizzying logic. Watch for more creative money management solutions!
Patrick Resolution 3: Speak Vaguely and Promise Nothing Good: Interestingly, Patrick ran a feel-good campaign, a Together-We-Can hug fest campaign that, clearly, overwhelmingly succeeded. Now we’re in the transition period and learning that state finances are much direr than Patrick previously thought. Like many pols, any bad news is the fault of the previous administration and any good news is a direct result of his policies. The opposites, things that are working right now, and things that go badly in the future, won’t likely receive much lip service or credit. Together-We-Can what? Nobody knows, and nobody is likely to know since the transition staff were made to sign non-disclosure agreements. Let’s hope his positive campaign-vision resurfaces in the months to come and that not all the good news was due to rose-colored glasses.
As the year draws to a close and we come closer to 2007 and the inauguration to follow, I wish everyone a year full of prosperity, success, health, happiness, a five pound weight loss, an oil change, and returned farm equipment. After Patrick takes office, we’re going to need it.
Christmas is over, the fat goose got eaten, and now its time to tackle the dreaded RESOLUTIONS. New Year’s, with all its drunken hoopla and frantic calendar switching, allows each and every one of us an opportunity for a new slate (or, slightly used slate, depending on your outlook). Now is the time to vow to change your ways, whatever they be.
For real resolution success one must do three things: 1. Actually make a resolution- writing it down helps. 2. Tell people about it, then at the very least you’ll be embarrassed into keeping it (unhealthy maybe, but helpful). 3. Set goals to reach your target – these can be real or imagined; whatever helps.
Do a Google search on ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ and you’ll get over 58 million hits. 58 MILLION websites referring to the annual act of trying to outsmart yourself. The website eHow has a five step list of how to make resolutions. One website links the practice of making New Year’s resolutions to the Babylonians about 4000 years ago. Resolutions topping the ancient Babylonian’s lists: returning borrowed farm equipment.
Yes, there are billions of kinds of resolutions to make and thousands of years of humanity’s experience to help you resolve. Top resolutions, which come as no surprise, include lose weight, stop smoking, get fit, quit drinking, get out of debt, and get an oil change.
I’ve read erudite expositions on why resolutions just bind us closer to failure or that resolutions should be smaller attainable steps of an overall goal. Perhaps. Mainly I think resolutions should put the FUN in FUNctional, so, this year I’m presenting the TOP THREE RESOLUTIONS OF THE DEVAL PATRICK ADMINISTRATION (because, if you can’t make fun of yourself, make fun of state government).
Deval Patrick Resolution Number 1: Local Aid Smoke and Mirrors: During the campaign Patrick promised to restore local aid to pre-2000 levels. Utilizing a political sort of fuzzy logic, the governor-elect believes that increasing local aid will lower property taxes. Patrick knows that the state house does not determine property taxes, that residential property values (and therefore taxes) are based on residential home sales, and that the real-estate boom in recent years brought more property tax increases in than anything else. Next year Tewksbury is headed for a slight decrease in property taxes, because the real estate market has slowed to a crawl and residential property values have plummeted around the state. Surely, Patrick will take credit for the reduced property tax “burden” on the people and tout it as a result of his increase in local aid (if, indeed, it comes).
Patrick Resolution 2: No Tax is Too Little: Patrick, in what will likely become a signature move, decided to keep a tax Massachusetts should have done away with years ago: Pike Tolls. Originally levied as a way to pay the bonds sold to finance the construction of the Pike, the toll is well past its expiration date, with many commuters complaining that they’re paying for the bloated albatross of the Big Dig rather than Pike maintenance.
Additionally, the Patrick campaign promoted the institution of local meal taxes as a way to “help local communities raise the revenue they need to support the services businesses need to thrive.” Just so we’re clear, charge customers (typically the residents of the town that patronizes those restaurants) more taxes to raise money to support services for the businesses in a town… Its dizzying logic. Watch for more creative money management solutions!
Patrick Resolution 3: Speak Vaguely and Promise Nothing Good: Interestingly, Patrick ran a feel-good campaign, a Together-We-Can hug fest campaign that, clearly, overwhelmingly succeeded. Now we’re in the transition period and learning that state finances are much direr than Patrick previously thought. Like many pols, any bad news is the fault of the previous administration and any good news is a direct result of his policies. The opposites, things that are working right now, and things that go badly in the future, won’t likely receive much lip service or credit. Together-We-Can what? Nobody knows, and nobody is likely to know since the transition staff were made to sign non-disclosure agreements. Let’s hope his positive campaign-vision resurfaces in the months to come and that not all the good news was due to rose-colored glasses.
As the year draws to a close and we come closer to 2007 and the inauguration to follow, I wish everyone a year full of prosperity, success, health, happiness, a five pound weight loss, an oil change, and returned farm equipment. After Patrick takes office, we’re going to need it.
How to do a Proper Yankee Swap or Why CUTTHROAT is best.
(This column first appeared in print December 19, 2006)
What I like best about Christmas, I have to say, is not the cheer, the joy, the vacuous look on shopper’s faces. Oh no. For me, the true merriment of the season is all about a cutthroat Yankee Swap.
Cutthroat how, you may ask. Good question. For a swap to be “Yankee” it must also be cutthroat. You might say ‘Pirate Swap’, but that would be just rude. Indeed, stalwart Yankees know that the best swaps turn even the most serene women and the most gentlemanly of fellows into capricious gift-stealing fools. The little niceties of life, politeness, consideration, have little place in a proper Yankee Swap. If you want to be nice, call it a California Swap, some left-coast feel-good swap is fine, just don’t call it Yankee.
With that introduction, let’s review the rules for proper swappage.
Most of you are familiar with the format. Each person brings a gift and places it in a central setting (under the tree, on a table, around the hot tub, etc). Each person then selects a number from a hat. The person with a 1 chooses a gift first. The person with number two can either take the first person’s gift or choose a new gift from under the tree.
Note, here lays the first distinction of a Yankee swap: the second swapper cannot open a new gift and then opt to trade it in. NOPE. Number 2 either takes from number one, thereby allowing number one to choose a new gift, or 2 picks a new gift, which he may or may not be happily stuck with. Any swap that allows number 2 to open a gift first, before deciding whether or not to swap, is a Mid-Western swap, known for its manners (which, again, have no place in a Yankee Swap).
The unwrapping/swapping/etc continues until the last person has chosen the last gift. THEN, number 1 gets the option to swap with anyone else. Number 1 gets the last say, any other way, frankly could be Un-American. Just so you know.
However, I have recently learned of two new swap methodologies that improve the richness of the experience.
Method 1: Mix up the numbers. So, number 1 doesn’t go first, he goes 5th maybe. Number 3 goes last, possibly. Just make two sets of numbers, one for guests to choose from and one for the host to use to determine order. Same rules apply though: the second and subsequent swappers can either take someone else’s gift or open a new one. Not both.
Method 2: This version is a little demented, and being where it is from Maine (where I grew up), naturally I’m partial. My friend’s grandmother has employed the TWO DECK method and frankly, its genius.
Here goes:
The host (in this case, my friend’s grandma) uses two decks of cards. One deck is for guests - each guest chooses an equal number of cards. For example, 52 cards divided by 15 players means each player gets three cards and the remaining 7 cards are removed from the other deck. Then the host uses the second deck to choose the cards (after the shuffle) one by one. Each person gets three chances to find a gift and steal it back. Thus, your swap lasts a little longer and people get a little nastier. What could make for a more perfect holiday get together?
Finally, I’d like to share a little tidbit to make the kiddies evenings bright on Christmas Eve, if the sugar rush hasn’t already glazed them over. If you have a computer and internet connection, make sure on Christmas Eve your family logs onto the NORAD Santa website.
For more than 50 years NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command, has tracked Santa leaving the North Pole every Christmas Eve. You can watch his trek around the world through the combination of 47 high power radar installations over the North American border called the North Warning System, along with Santa Cams (cameras set up around the continent and only switched on Christmas Eve to track the jolly fellow), satellites and jet fighters. Best of all, it helps to know when Santa is getting near your neighborhood so that the kids can get into bed before he arrives. Check it out: www.noradsanta.org
May your Christmas be Merry and Bright and full of the joy and hope of the season!
What I like best about Christmas, I have to say, is not the cheer, the joy, the vacuous look on shopper’s faces. Oh no. For me, the true merriment of the season is all about a cutthroat Yankee Swap.
Cutthroat how, you may ask. Good question. For a swap to be “Yankee” it must also be cutthroat. You might say ‘Pirate Swap’, but that would be just rude. Indeed, stalwart Yankees know that the best swaps turn even the most serene women and the most gentlemanly of fellows into capricious gift-stealing fools. The little niceties of life, politeness, consideration, have little place in a proper Yankee Swap. If you want to be nice, call it a California Swap, some left-coast feel-good swap is fine, just don’t call it Yankee.
With that introduction, let’s review the rules for proper swappage.
Most of you are familiar with the format. Each person brings a gift and places it in a central setting (under the tree, on a table, around the hot tub, etc). Each person then selects a number from a hat. The person with a 1 chooses a gift first. The person with number two can either take the first person’s gift or choose a new gift from under the tree.
Note, here lays the first distinction of a Yankee swap: the second swapper cannot open a new gift and then opt to trade it in. NOPE. Number 2 either takes from number one, thereby allowing number one to choose a new gift, or 2 picks a new gift, which he may or may not be happily stuck with. Any swap that allows number 2 to open a gift first, before deciding whether or not to swap, is a Mid-Western swap, known for its manners (which, again, have no place in a Yankee Swap).
The unwrapping/swapping/etc continues until the last person has chosen the last gift. THEN, number 1 gets the option to swap with anyone else. Number 1 gets the last say, any other way, frankly could be Un-American. Just so you know.
However, I have recently learned of two new swap methodologies that improve the richness of the experience.
Method 1: Mix up the numbers. So, number 1 doesn’t go first, he goes 5th maybe. Number 3 goes last, possibly. Just make two sets of numbers, one for guests to choose from and one for the host to use to determine order. Same rules apply though: the second and subsequent swappers can either take someone else’s gift or open a new one. Not both.
Method 2: This version is a little demented, and being where it is from Maine (where I grew up), naturally I’m partial. My friend’s grandmother has employed the TWO DECK method and frankly, its genius.
Here goes:
The host (in this case, my friend’s grandma) uses two decks of cards. One deck is for guests - each guest chooses an equal number of cards. For example, 52 cards divided by 15 players means each player gets three cards and the remaining 7 cards are removed from the other deck. Then the host uses the second deck to choose the cards (after the shuffle) one by one. Each person gets three chances to find a gift and steal it back. Thus, your swap lasts a little longer and people get a little nastier. What could make for a more perfect holiday get together?
Finally, I’d like to share a little tidbit to make the kiddies evenings bright on Christmas Eve, if the sugar rush hasn’t already glazed them over. If you have a computer and internet connection, make sure on Christmas Eve your family logs onto the NORAD Santa website.
For more than 50 years NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command, has tracked Santa leaving the North Pole every Christmas Eve. You can watch his trek around the world through the combination of 47 high power radar installations over the North American border called the North Warning System, along with Santa Cams (cameras set up around the continent and only switched on Christmas Eve to track the jolly fellow), satellites and jet fighters. Best of all, it helps to know when Santa is getting near your neighborhood so that the kids can get into bed before he arrives. Check it out: www.noradsanta.org
May your Christmas be Merry and Bright and full of the joy and hope of the season!
Taking Back Christmas
(This column first appeared in print December 11, 2006)
I love this time of year. The inordinate insanity of snapping the perfect Christmas card photo you won’t be ashamed to see years later; Ella Fitzgerald singing about a sleigh ride; finding and selecting the perfect Christmas tree that will draw enough water over the season so as not to threaten your home with a small bonfire; and yes, the shopping.
Generally I dislike the rampant negative cash flow associated with this most materialistic of holidays, and yet, I love to see the looks of a tree overwhelmed by the packages beneath it. I love the cheer, the merriment, and joy that Is Christmas morning.
Lately, though, I’ve come to notice a serious decline in Christmas cheer. Oh yes, even in this hamlet tucked between two interstate highways, Christmas is in danger. Store employees wish everyone Happy Holidays. Once, just before Thanksgiving a young employee of a grocery store wished me ‘Happy Holidays.’
“It’s Thanksgiving. You can say Happy Thanksgiving, it’s not religious.”
She got the point, but she wasn’t the only person I corrected.
I can’t stand this garbage-speak where we are so afraid of offending someone we actually refrain from trying to make people feel good.
Needham is doing away with printing the names of honor roll students in the paper so that the kids that didn’t make the honor roll won’t feel bad. Here’s a thought, I’d bet the schools and the paper both would love to print the names of every single kid in town if they all worked hard to earn the grades. Rather than reward the kids that worked to achieve something, and thereby reinforce a strong work ethic, Needham wants to hide it, put it away so no one will feel left out.
‘Happy Holidays’ is a similar sort of trap. Rather than offend non-Christians we say this catch-all phrase that’s effectively meaningless. Maybe it means ‘shop more’ or ‘I hope you don’t get indigestion from eating too much’ or ‘I hope you get what you want.’ Perhaps the phrase is supposed to capture the spirit of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, and school vacation, all wrapped up in one innocuous and inoffensive package. Instead, the perfidy of the phrase just aggravates me.
If you are Jewish wish me Happy Hanukkah. If you are Muslim, please wish me a prosperous Eid ul-Adha. If you celebrate Kwanzaa, share something of your plans with me. If you’re a dead Roman, wish me Io, Saturnalia. And I will wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Its not about offending or not offending people that do not hold the same beliefs. Taking the time to share part of your faith or culture that matters very much to you is a little gift. Accepting that gift, rather than throwing it back, is yet another way to show respect and dignity to your fellow man, or dead pagan, as it were.
Would that all those politically correct hacks and obnoxious bigots got down off their jackasses and took a little time to share in the true spirit of the season, rather than defend their virgin ears against a preceived religious assault. What a difference a little listening might make…
But good news abounds. During the tree lighting ceremony in Tewksbury last week, Board of Selectmen Chairman Charles Coldwell wished everyone a “Merry Christmas.” He said it, I was there. I witnessed the moment and smiled.
I love this time of year. The inordinate insanity of snapping the perfect Christmas card photo you won’t be ashamed to see years later; Ella Fitzgerald singing about a sleigh ride; finding and selecting the perfect Christmas tree that will draw enough water over the season so as not to threaten your home with a small bonfire; and yes, the shopping.
Generally I dislike the rampant negative cash flow associated with this most materialistic of holidays, and yet, I love to see the looks of a tree overwhelmed by the packages beneath it. I love the cheer, the merriment, and joy that Is Christmas morning.
Lately, though, I’ve come to notice a serious decline in Christmas cheer. Oh yes, even in this hamlet tucked between two interstate highways, Christmas is in danger. Store employees wish everyone Happy Holidays. Once, just before Thanksgiving a young employee of a grocery store wished me ‘Happy Holidays.’
“It’s Thanksgiving. You can say Happy Thanksgiving, it’s not religious.”
She got the point, but she wasn’t the only person I corrected.
I can’t stand this garbage-speak where we are so afraid of offending someone we actually refrain from trying to make people feel good.
Needham is doing away with printing the names of honor roll students in the paper so that the kids that didn’t make the honor roll won’t feel bad. Here’s a thought, I’d bet the schools and the paper both would love to print the names of every single kid in town if they all worked hard to earn the grades. Rather than reward the kids that worked to achieve something, and thereby reinforce a strong work ethic, Needham wants to hide it, put it away so no one will feel left out.
‘Happy Holidays’ is a similar sort of trap. Rather than offend non-Christians we say this catch-all phrase that’s effectively meaningless. Maybe it means ‘shop more’ or ‘I hope you don’t get indigestion from eating too much’ or ‘I hope you get what you want.’ Perhaps the phrase is supposed to capture the spirit of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Saturnalia, and school vacation, all wrapped up in one innocuous and inoffensive package. Instead, the perfidy of the phrase just aggravates me.
If you are Jewish wish me Happy Hanukkah. If you are Muslim, please wish me a prosperous Eid ul-Adha. If you celebrate Kwanzaa, share something of your plans with me. If you’re a dead Roman, wish me Io, Saturnalia. And I will wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Its not about offending or not offending people that do not hold the same beliefs. Taking the time to share part of your faith or culture that matters very much to you is a little gift. Accepting that gift, rather than throwing it back, is yet another way to show respect and dignity to your fellow man, or dead pagan, as it were.
Would that all those politically correct hacks and obnoxious bigots got down off their jackasses and took a little time to share in the true spirit of the season, rather than defend their virgin ears against a preceived religious assault. What a difference a little listening might make…
But good news abounds. During the tree lighting ceremony in Tewksbury last week, Board of Selectmen Chairman Charles Coldwell wished everyone a “Merry Christmas.” He said it, I was there. I witnessed the moment and smiled.
Black Friday
(This column first appeared in print November 28, 2006)
Thanksgiving came and went this year, more like a bridge from Halloween to Christmas, than a serious holiday in its own right. I attribute the gross under-commercialization of Thanksgiving to the fact that the holiday itself is more about food than generosity. Nowadays Thanksgiving gives many folks a long weekend and an excuse to go shopping on “Black Friday.” Thankfulness shows up more on classroom activity sheets than as an annual exercise around the dining room table.
Indeed, Thanksgiving’s relative marketing obscurity, locked as it is between Halloween and Christmas, keeps most commercial exploits to foodstuffs. But it’s wrecked by the power of Black Friday. This year, according to estimates from the National Retail Federation, “140 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday, spending an average of $360.15, up 18.9 percent from last year’s $302.81.” Consumers are expected to spend $457.4 billion this holiday season, more than double the amount spent for holiday shopping in 2003 ($217 billion). While that certainly blows away Halloween expenditure, just $5 billion, its important to note that the NRF does not track or project Thanksgiving spending at all, it just lumps it in with all “holiday” spending.
Black Friday, that holy grail of the retail industry, was so coined because retailers previously operating “in the red” finally break into profitability from the healthy shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday, and all its goody anticipation, helps us forget traditional values of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, while Americans spent $438.6 billion on holiday gifts and decorations, only $125 billion was given to charities in the same period.
Yes, this year I braved the gridlock and hit a few stores and outlets on Black Friday. I even spent some money too. But I want my children to practice those old fashioned values of Thanksgiving and Christmas seemingly lost in the hustle and bustle known as holiday shopping. You know the ones I’m speaking of: counting their blessings (even when it seems there are few), thinking first of others before themselves, its better to give than receive, the Christmas spirit, and so on. That lesson holds more value than myriad gifts under the tree.
Today there are many ways to mark the holiday and find special gifts to give that give something back. I’ve found a few and present them here in hopes that Tewksbury residents may find an inspiring way to spend a few hours with family and friends making the most of their holiday.
Purchasing and Packing care packages for soldiers in Iraq. Jim Williams, Veteran’s Agent for Tewksbury, Elisabeth Desmaris of the Tewksbury Public Library and many others are collecting and packing boxes donated from the Postal Service full of items our soldiers need. Volunteers meet at the Disabled American Veteran’s hall at 180 Pond Street at 7:30 next Tuesday to pack boxes full of donated items. If you would like to shop for items on the wish list, drop off points are located all over town (see our information box on page X). Donations are also needed for shipping expenses as each box costs about $8-10.
Donating a gift through the Heifer Project. Heifer International gives animals and trees to people all over the world, enabling needy families to work their way out of poverty through farming. A gift of chicks, for example, costs only $20 but gives a family food from eggs, income from the sale of eggs and chickens, and in one case, provided enough money for a man in the West African nation of Ghana to open a school for 70 children and feed them all one meal every day. A wonderful gift for relatives, teachers and colleagues, this program lifts people out of poverty one animal at a time. Check it out at Heifer.org.
Bid on an auction item from The Home for Little Wanderers. The Home, based in Boston, is a nationally renowned, private, non-profit child and family service agency. Currently offering an online auction featuring, among other things, 30 books signed by their celebrity authors, James Taylor’s autographed guitar, sports memorabilia, and many more gifts and goodies. It’s a wonderful way to find a unique gift that also champions an important cause, the welfare of families and children. See all the auction items and find other ways to contribute at TheHome.org.
Give the gift of your time at Boston Cares. With hundreds of volunteer opportunities every month, this organization makes it easy to get involved in communities in the greater Boston area. Families should try the BOOYAH! (Boston Young Active Hands), which offers fun family opportunities such as working in the toy room at the Home for Little Wanderers, sorting food at the Greater Boston Food Bank, and specials projects just for teens with the Teen Action Academy. Time and caring can make an extraordinary difference. BostonCares.org.
Sponsor a Needy Family for Christmas Gifts through the Magic of Christmas program from the Lowell Wish Project. Take your kids shopping for gifts for another family and show them how good it feels to fulfill the needs of others. The Lowell Wish Project keeps a list of “urgent wishes” for seasonally appropriate items, furniture, and other household goods for families. Everything from cribs, pots and pans, beds, winter clothes and jackets, to winter maternity clothes, double strollers and safety gates are needed. LowellWishProject.org.
Check out local schools and the Community Pantry: Many of the schools in Tewksbury are drop-off locations for Coats-for-Kids and Toys-for-Tots. The Community Pantry serves Tewksbury residents directly for short and long term food supplies. Accepting donations from monetary, food and toiletries, to volunteers, the Pantry appreciates all kinds of help. The Pantry’s website may be found through the town’s website at Tewksbury.info.
These are but a few of the many and varied opportunities to give. Ask your children for ideas. Find out from your employer about matching programs. You may find a new tradition that lasts all year long.
Thanksgiving came and went this year, more like a bridge from Halloween to Christmas, than a serious holiday in its own right. I attribute the gross under-commercialization of Thanksgiving to the fact that the holiday itself is more about food than generosity. Nowadays Thanksgiving gives many folks a long weekend and an excuse to go shopping on “Black Friday.” Thankfulness shows up more on classroom activity sheets than as an annual exercise around the dining room table.
Indeed, Thanksgiving’s relative marketing obscurity, locked as it is between Halloween and Christmas, keeps most commercial exploits to foodstuffs. But it’s wrecked by the power of Black Friday. This year, according to estimates from the National Retail Federation, “140 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday, spending an average of $360.15, up 18.9 percent from last year’s $302.81.” Consumers are expected to spend $457.4 billion this holiday season, more than double the amount spent for holiday shopping in 2003 ($217 billion). While that certainly blows away Halloween expenditure, just $5 billion, its important to note that the NRF does not track or project Thanksgiving spending at all, it just lumps it in with all “holiday” spending.
Black Friday, that holy grail of the retail industry, was so coined because retailers previously operating “in the red” finally break into profitability from the healthy shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday, and all its goody anticipation, helps us forget traditional values of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, while Americans spent $438.6 billion on holiday gifts and decorations, only $125 billion was given to charities in the same period.
Yes, this year I braved the gridlock and hit a few stores and outlets on Black Friday. I even spent some money too. But I want my children to practice those old fashioned values of Thanksgiving and Christmas seemingly lost in the hustle and bustle known as holiday shopping. You know the ones I’m speaking of: counting their blessings (even when it seems there are few), thinking first of others before themselves, its better to give than receive, the Christmas spirit, and so on. That lesson holds more value than myriad gifts under the tree.
Today there are many ways to mark the holiday and find special gifts to give that give something back. I’ve found a few and present them here in hopes that Tewksbury residents may find an inspiring way to spend a few hours with family and friends making the most of their holiday.
Purchasing and Packing care packages for soldiers in Iraq. Jim Williams, Veteran’s Agent for Tewksbury, Elisabeth Desmaris of the Tewksbury Public Library and many others are collecting and packing boxes donated from the Postal Service full of items our soldiers need. Volunteers meet at the Disabled American Veteran’s hall at 180 Pond Street at 7:30 next Tuesday to pack boxes full of donated items. If you would like to shop for items on the wish list, drop off points are located all over town (see our information box on page X). Donations are also needed for shipping expenses as each box costs about $8-10.
Donating a gift through the Heifer Project. Heifer International gives animals and trees to people all over the world, enabling needy families to work their way out of poverty through farming. A gift of chicks, for example, costs only $20 but gives a family food from eggs, income from the sale of eggs and chickens, and in one case, provided enough money for a man in the West African nation of Ghana to open a school for 70 children and feed them all one meal every day. A wonderful gift for relatives, teachers and colleagues, this program lifts people out of poverty one animal at a time. Check it out at Heifer.org.
Bid on an auction item from The Home for Little Wanderers. The Home, based in Boston, is a nationally renowned, private, non-profit child and family service agency. Currently offering an online auction featuring, among other things, 30 books signed by their celebrity authors, James Taylor’s autographed guitar, sports memorabilia, and many more gifts and goodies. It’s a wonderful way to find a unique gift that also champions an important cause, the welfare of families and children. See all the auction items and find other ways to contribute at TheHome.org.
Give the gift of your time at Boston Cares. With hundreds of volunteer opportunities every month, this organization makes it easy to get involved in communities in the greater Boston area. Families should try the BOOYAH! (Boston Young Active Hands), which offers fun family opportunities such as working in the toy room at the Home for Little Wanderers, sorting food at the Greater Boston Food Bank, and specials projects just for teens with the Teen Action Academy. Time and caring can make an extraordinary difference. BostonCares.org.
Sponsor a Needy Family for Christmas Gifts through the Magic of Christmas program from the Lowell Wish Project. Take your kids shopping for gifts for another family and show them how good it feels to fulfill the needs of others. The Lowell Wish Project keeps a list of “urgent wishes” for seasonally appropriate items, furniture, and other household goods for families. Everything from cribs, pots and pans, beds, winter clothes and jackets, to winter maternity clothes, double strollers and safety gates are needed. LowellWishProject.org.
Check out local schools and the Community Pantry: Many of the schools in Tewksbury are drop-off locations for Coats-for-Kids and Toys-for-Tots. The Community Pantry serves Tewksbury residents directly for short and long term food supplies. Accepting donations from monetary, food and toiletries, to volunteers, the Pantry appreciates all kinds of help. The Pantry’s website may be found through the town’s website at Tewksbury.info.
These are but a few of the many and varied opportunities to give. Ask your children for ideas. Find out from your employer about matching programs. You may find a new tradition that lasts all year long.
ELection 2008 PREDICTIONS
(This column first appeared in print November 14, 2006)
Within the last two weeks all the leaves have fallen off my many large Japanese Elm trees and made a heck of mess of my driveway, lawn, patio, and gutters. My yard transformed from autumnal delight to desolate winter landscape lacking only the chilly charm of snow. Likewise, last week’s election has the Grand ‘Ole Party mimicking my bare trees and messy yard. Looks like both of us have a lot of cleaning up to do.
I’m not a pundit and don’t have any ESP but I’d like to make a few predictions about the political landscape over the next few years. Then, after the 2008 election, pull this puppy out and see just how very wrong I was/am. Won’t that be fun?
Even though the Democratic Party has won the House and Senate America will see a new centrist face of the party over the radicalism shown by Nancy Pelosi or Charley Rangel. Many of the newly elected democrats hold moderate views and radicalism from party leadership stands to turn moderates off and entice them to vote with centrist Republicans. Additionally, after controlling both houses, if this Congress fails to move issues and make significant progress on its campaign agenda they very well may loose big in 2008, a risk even Pelosi won’t take. Historically this trend bears out and Democrats know it.
Republicans needed to clean house for some time, witness the Foley Page Scandal. Last Tuesday they had their clocks cleaned and must now find a way to keep their noses clean and recapture the political center without alienating their base. Republicans can do this by returning to conservative core values: No Big Government, Smart Fiscal Policy, and Foreign Policy Expertise. But, they have to show how they are different from those moderate Democrats, so popular of late, in order to regain control of at least one house in the next election. If the party fails to differentiate they risk losing both Congress and the White House. They have to watch out for traps from the left: minimum wage and an immediate phased pull out from Iraq, which Pelosi et al will put forward to force a vote on the record, exploiting it down the road.
Democratic Ticket for 2008: Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. Hilary has planned a Presidential bid for a while and currently holds her cards close before she announcing an exploratory committee. With the security of her reelection to the Senate, she can pursue a presidential run and still keep her day job, ala John Kerry. My only wish is that the voters of New York have her serve more days in the Senate during her campaign than Kerry did for Massachusetts. Obama, the freshman senator from Illinois, is riding on a wave of popularity and will certainly explore running for the Oval Office. But, his relative inexperience and the sheer power of Clinton will offer him running mate status. Other Democrat hangers-on such as Kerry, Gore, and John Edwards may attempt runs but don’t stand a chance of gaining enough momentum or cash for the nomination. But, a lot can happen in two years.
The Republican Ticket for 2008 looks promising. Senator John McCain seems like the natural choice for presidential candidate with a strong bipartisan track record. He’s electable. So who will be his running mate? Its gotta be Mitt Romney. Romney brought the Massachusetts budget under control, created a surplus, and has proven to be a strong, effective leader. However, his administration also slashed (or seemed to slash) educational spending in Massachusetts and Democrats will make hay with that news all the way to Election Day. Signing on as running mate brings Romney’s prodigious administrative assets to the table without a Democratic besmirching of his religion or policy decisions becoming the big issue in the race. And it develops Romney for a realistic bid for the Presidency in 2012 or 2016.
I’ve got one last prediction. I welcome our new governor, Deval Patrick, and I believe him when he says he won’t be a rubber stamp for the state legislature (even though he said it right after a meeting with Senate President Robert Travaglini and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi). And I’m sure he will do all he can to ensure that our property taxes won’t rise, most likely by raising income tax and not continuing past cuts. At the end of the day, he does not have any jurisdiction over property taxes, which of course he knows. That’s why he made the promise in the first place. Get ready, Tewksbury, to hold onto your wallet.
Within the last two weeks all the leaves have fallen off my many large Japanese Elm trees and made a heck of mess of my driveway, lawn, patio, and gutters. My yard transformed from autumnal delight to desolate winter landscape lacking only the chilly charm of snow. Likewise, last week’s election has the Grand ‘Ole Party mimicking my bare trees and messy yard. Looks like both of us have a lot of cleaning up to do.
I’m not a pundit and don’t have any ESP but I’d like to make a few predictions about the political landscape over the next few years. Then, after the 2008 election, pull this puppy out and see just how very wrong I was/am. Won’t that be fun?
Even though the Democratic Party has won the House and Senate America will see a new centrist face of the party over the radicalism shown by Nancy Pelosi or Charley Rangel. Many of the newly elected democrats hold moderate views and radicalism from party leadership stands to turn moderates off and entice them to vote with centrist Republicans. Additionally, after controlling both houses, if this Congress fails to move issues and make significant progress on its campaign agenda they very well may loose big in 2008, a risk even Pelosi won’t take. Historically this trend bears out and Democrats know it.
Republicans needed to clean house for some time, witness the Foley Page Scandal. Last Tuesday they had their clocks cleaned and must now find a way to keep their noses clean and recapture the political center without alienating their base. Republicans can do this by returning to conservative core values: No Big Government, Smart Fiscal Policy, and Foreign Policy Expertise. But, they have to show how they are different from those moderate Democrats, so popular of late, in order to regain control of at least one house in the next election. If the party fails to differentiate they risk losing both Congress and the White House. They have to watch out for traps from the left: minimum wage and an immediate phased pull out from Iraq, which Pelosi et al will put forward to force a vote on the record, exploiting it down the road.
Democratic Ticket for 2008: Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. Hilary has planned a Presidential bid for a while and currently holds her cards close before she announcing an exploratory committee. With the security of her reelection to the Senate, she can pursue a presidential run and still keep her day job, ala John Kerry. My only wish is that the voters of New York have her serve more days in the Senate during her campaign than Kerry did for Massachusetts. Obama, the freshman senator from Illinois, is riding on a wave of popularity and will certainly explore running for the Oval Office. But, his relative inexperience and the sheer power of Clinton will offer him running mate status. Other Democrat hangers-on such as Kerry, Gore, and John Edwards may attempt runs but don’t stand a chance of gaining enough momentum or cash for the nomination. But, a lot can happen in two years.
The Republican Ticket for 2008 looks promising. Senator John McCain seems like the natural choice for presidential candidate with a strong bipartisan track record. He’s electable. So who will be his running mate? Its gotta be Mitt Romney. Romney brought the Massachusetts budget under control, created a surplus, and has proven to be a strong, effective leader. However, his administration also slashed (or seemed to slash) educational spending in Massachusetts and Democrats will make hay with that news all the way to Election Day. Signing on as running mate brings Romney’s prodigious administrative assets to the table without a Democratic besmirching of his religion or policy decisions becoming the big issue in the race. And it develops Romney for a realistic bid for the Presidency in 2012 or 2016.
I’ve got one last prediction. I welcome our new governor, Deval Patrick, and I believe him when he says he won’t be a rubber stamp for the state legislature (even though he said it right after a meeting with Senate President Robert Travaglini and House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi). And I’m sure he will do all he can to ensure that our property taxes won’t rise, most likely by raising income tax and not continuing past cuts. At the end of the day, he does not have any jurisdiction over property taxes, which of course he knows. That’s why he made the promise in the first place. Get ready, Tewksbury, to hold onto your wallet.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Deval Patrick: Special Interest Puppet
Ah, Halloween. In my neighborhood, possibly the very best in Tewksbury, our houses are not large but the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve runs thick. We all gather together in one neighbor’s driveway, bringing our be-costumed kids, our bowls of delicious miniature sized chocolate confection, appetizers, and what-have-you, to stand around the fire and shoot the breeze until its time for the neighborhood fright night picture.
Last Tuesday’s veritable balmy weather provided the perfect backdrop to perhaps the best Halloween yet, well the best in recent memory. Kids dressed in a mélange of the horrific, the cute, and the creative gathered for the picture then took off with their dads through the criss-cross streets begging candy from the rest of the neighborhood.
The neighborhood mothers sat around the fire, recounting events of the day and relaxing. We had stay at home mothers, professionals, business owners, and more, all chit chatting about what’s happening in the lives of our fabulous progeny.
After the fathers came back from the annual neighbor candy fest everyone hung around and of course, the conversation turned to politics and the gubernatorial campaign. Negative advertising and vapid campaign slogans aside, I was surprised to learn that despite the huge lead in the polls, Deval Patrick was not universally loved by my neighbors.
Even some mega-“progressives” I know are less than enamored with Patrick. In reality, the Patrick lead is more a result of the nationwide liberal backlash against President Bush and the War in Iraq than a genuine belief that Patrick is the better candidate. This campaign shows clearly the populace’s desire for a unifying figure; a governor that inspires and can bring people together. Patrick’s soaring rhetoric-filled ads, juxtaposed against Healey’s critical vitriol and even Mihos’ amusing animated “head’s up” ads are the very image of that positive leader so many of us want.
Should the Healey campaign’s allegations that Patrick was knowledgeable and involved in misleading negative advertising bear out, Patrick has another and bigger problem. And if the Boston Herald, which has begun reporting links between Patrick and the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association and shadowy spots from Virginia based 527 non-profit The Patriot Majority Fund, is correct, then we all have to question exactly what Patrick plans to do when he takes office.
Patrick’s website woefully lacks the sort of nitty gritty details about the campaign that most Massachusetts voters like to know prior to the election. The governor’s race is and should be about more than philosophical backlash with no lasting impact on state politics. This Halloween, Patrick also wears a costume; hiding behind the special interest groups he purports to reject.
Ms. Miller’s email address is jaynewmiller@comcast.net.
Last Tuesday’s veritable balmy weather provided the perfect backdrop to perhaps the best Halloween yet, well the best in recent memory. Kids dressed in a mélange of the horrific, the cute, and the creative gathered for the picture then took off with their dads through the criss-cross streets begging candy from the rest of the neighborhood.
The neighborhood mothers sat around the fire, recounting events of the day and relaxing. We had stay at home mothers, professionals, business owners, and more, all chit chatting about what’s happening in the lives of our fabulous progeny.
After the fathers came back from the annual neighbor candy fest everyone hung around and of course, the conversation turned to politics and the gubernatorial campaign. Negative advertising and vapid campaign slogans aside, I was surprised to learn that despite the huge lead in the polls, Deval Patrick was not universally loved by my neighbors.
Even some mega-“progressives” I know are less than enamored with Patrick. In reality, the Patrick lead is more a result of the nationwide liberal backlash against President Bush and the War in Iraq than a genuine belief that Patrick is the better candidate. This campaign shows clearly the populace’s desire for a unifying figure; a governor that inspires and can bring people together. Patrick’s soaring rhetoric-filled ads, juxtaposed against Healey’s critical vitriol and even Mihos’ amusing animated “head’s up” ads are the very image of that positive leader so many of us want.
Should the Healey campaign’s allegations that Patrick was knowledgeable and involved in misleading negative advertising bear out, Patrick has another and bigger problem. And if the Boston Herald, which has begun reporting links between Patrick and the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association and shadowy spots from Virginia based 527 non-profit The Patriot Majority Fund, is correct, then we all have to question exactly what Patrick plans to do when he takes office.
Patrick’s website woefully lacks the sort of nitty gritty details about the campaign that most Massachusetts voters like to know prior to the election. The governor’s race is and should be about more than philosophical backlash with no lasting impact on state politics. This Halloween, Patrick also wears a costume; hiding behind the special interest groups he purports to reject.
Ms. Miller’s email address is jaynewmiller@comcast.net.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Stinky Turnout?
Last week I noticed that something quite foul has invaded my yard. No, no, its not a neighbor’s doggie bomb, or a repugnant colony of insects. In fact it is something called a Stinkhorn, a member of the mushroom variety, with a scientific name of Phallus impudicus. I am not making this up.
This mushroom, with its slimy green cap, smells quite foul and, how jolly, attracts flies from quite a distance to spread its foul ordure and spores about my property. Additionally, its rather profane shape apparently caused a female relative of Dr. Freud to break them herself rather than chancing that her young maids might happen upon one of these suggestive mushrooms.
I am hopeful that one day I can eradicate this stinky neighbor. (Gardeners, please send in your tips). But I have to say, these stinky, profane mushrooms made me think of something else quite different in this town… voter apathy.
Bear with me here, I’m not going for another voter soapbox (well, not entirely another soapbox). With a population of nearly 31,000 and 18, 722 registered voters I was chagrined to learn only 481 registered voters came to the Special Town meeting last week. So, while a hair over 60% of the population is registered to vote, only 1.6% of the population or 2.7% of registered voters bothered to make an appearance at the meeting.
Granted, turnout is lower for autumn special town meetings, but they aren’t often much bigger. In fact the only town meeting I remember being dramatically bigger was the blowout a few years ago for the mall where shuttle busses were needed to help take residents back and forth from distantly parked cars.
Still and all, something stinks about such low voter turnout. I confess, I grew up in a town with a slightly smaller population and a ‘city’ designation. I do not think Tewksbury is city, even though under Massachusetts Law any community over 12,000 may become a city. Some even become cities technically but are still named “Town Of ….”
Perhaps its time for Tewksbury to consider better ways of town management. I am not advocating against our Board of Selectmen, many of whom I bump into regularly at different town-wide functions. I am not advocating against our town manager. What I am saying is that, with such rampant voter apathy, a reasonable parity cannot be achieved when only 3 percent of voters actually vote.
For any article to pass, all a sponsor needs to do gather troops and march down to the high school and vote. Place your article strategically on the warrant and bring enough friends and supporters and passage is all but guaranteed. In some cases not all 3% vote for the same thing. So, decisions affecting the lives and pocketbooks of homeowners throughout Tewksbury can be made by very small groups.
On one hand, I appreciate the simplicity and honestly of open town meetings, where every resident can stand up and let loose a tirade about any article before the whole body votes on the subject. In this scenario, those that want passage or defeat of an article badly enough will show up.
On the other hand, I am not sure I believe in a “you snooze, you lose” sort of government where such few numbers are needed to pass occasionally major articles.
In some towns voters can elect representatives for town meetings. Those representatives attend town meetings and can still debate the articles and vote, but on behalf of larger blocks. Plus, with a representative system based on voting districts, in theory all registered voters would be represented.
I still like going to town meeting and seeing the issues debated on the floor. With so few people coming to town meetings regularly we can often zip right through many articles, which speaks to my admiration of efficiencies.
But our population will continue to grow. Apathy and I hope I’m wrong, will likely increase too. I’m not sure if making any changes is the right thing to do, but its time to open that dialogue and begin discussions about what is right for our town, and our pocketbooks. Voter apathy stinks, worse than those nasty stink horns in my yard.
This mushroom, with its slimy green cap, smells quite foul and, how jolly, attracts flies from quite a distance to spread its foul ordure and spores about my property. Additionally, its rather profane shape apparently caused a female relative of Dr. Freud to break them herself rather than chancing that her young maids might happen upon one of these suggestive mushrooms.
I am hopeful that one day I can eradicate this stinky neighbor. (Gardeners, please send in your tips). But I have to say, these stinky, profane mushrooms made me think of something else quite different in this town… voter apathy.
Bear with me here, I’m not going for another voter soapbox (well, not entirely another soapbox). With a population of nearly 31,000 and 18, 722 registered voters I was chagrined to learn only 481 registered voters came to the Special Town meeting last week. So, while a hair over 60% of the population is registered to vote, only 1.6% of the population or 2.7% of registered voters bothered to make an appearance at the meeting.
Granted, turnout is lower for autumn special town meetings, but they aren’t often much bigger. In fact the only town meeting I remember being dramatically bigger was the blowout a few years ago for the mall where shuttle busses were needed to help take residents back and forth from distantly parked cars.
Still and all, something stinks about such low voter turnout. I confess, I grew up in a town with a slightly smaller population and a ‘city’ designation. I do not think Tewksbury is city, even though under Massachusetts Law any community over 12,000 may become a city. Some even become cities technically but are still named “Town Of ….”
Perhaps its time for Tewksbury to consider better ways of town management. I am not advocating against our Board of Selectmen, many of whom I bump into regularly at different town-wide functions. I am not advocating against our town manager. What I am saying is that, with such rampant voter apathy, a reasonable parity cannot be achieved when only 3 percent of voters actually vote.
For any article to pass, all a sponsor needs to do gather troops and march down to the high school and vote. Place your article strategically on the warrant and bring enough friends and supporters and passage is all but guaranteed. In some cases not all 3% vote for the same thing. So, decisions affecting the lives and pocketbooks of homeowners throughout Tewksbury can be made by very small groups.
On one hand, I appreciate the simplicity and honestly of open town meetings, where every resident can stand up and let loose a tirade about any article before the whole body votes on the subject. In this scenario, those that want passage or defeat of an article badly enough will show up.
On the other hand, I am not sure I believe in a “you snooze, you lose” sort of government where such few numbers are needed to pass occasionally major articles.
In some towns voters can elect representatives for town meetings. Those representatives attend town meetings and can still debate the articles and vote, but on behalf of larger blocks. Plus, with a representative system based on voting districts, in theory all registered voters would be represented.
I still like going to town meeting and seeing the issues debated on the floor. With so few people coming to town meetings regularly we can often zip right through many articles, which speaks to my admiration of efficiencies.
But our population will continue to grow. Apathy and I hope I’m wrong, will likely increase too. I’m not sure if making any changes is the right thing to do, but its time to open that dialogue and begin discussions about what is right for our town, and our pocketbooks. Voter apathy stinks, worse than those nasty stink horns in my yard.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Myers-Briggs
Here's my Type, Try yours!
| You Are An ENTJ |
The Executive You are a natural leader - with confidence and strength that inspires others. Driven to succeed, you are always looking for ways to gain, power, knowledge, and expertise. Sometimes you aren't the most considerate person, especially to those who are a bit slow. You are not easily intimidated - and you have a commanding, awe-inspiring presence. You would make a great CEO, entrepreneur, or consultant. |
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Observations on the 5th Anniversary
Five years ago our country experienced a seminal event; an event recounted within the pages of the Crier this week. A little over five years ago, I was a different person before the terrorist attacks of 9/11. A young mother, full time employee, recent home owner.
That June my husband and I posed with the SOLD sign in front of our home the day we moved in. One of our first acts of home improvement included installing a flag pole by the front door for Old Glory. A few weeks later I cut back my work as a researcher for a small think tank to take more time to be with my son, something I hadn’t been able to do since a short maternity leave following his birth.
In September, my husband’s job as an engineer for a defense think tank took him to an Army base in Bosnia, a place still dangerous in 2001. Anticipating the workload and security concerns, he planned weeks for his project while I planned to work from home for the duration of his trip.
On that mundane Tuesday morning which dawned sunny and crisp, I first learned of the hijacked planes on a news website. At first I thought of one small plane, woefully off course. I turned to the television for clarification and watched the horror of that day unfold on the news.
So much changed in a flash; for the terrorized passengers on those flights, the office workers trapped in the buildings, and their families. So much changed for those who survived and so much changed for our country. The events of one morning never before had such impact.
My husband, half a world away in Bosnia, heard the news just before I did and tried to stay out of the way while the base locked down and went into high alert. News reports became ever more alarming, as every few minutes we learned of another attack, another suspicious incident, another building evacuated, and on and on all day and for days afterwards. The bomb scares, the collapsing buildings, Cantor Fitzgerald, the fleeing workers and residents, the brave firefighters and police officers, the speeches, the three months of fires at Ground Zero, the anthrax, the clean –up, the decimated airline industry, the air quality, the job losses… these are just a handful of the images that followed in the wake 9/11.
My office, evacuated due to its close proximity to a federal building in Boston, shut down for a couple of days. Like so many parents, I picked up my son from his daycare center that morning, wanting him nearby in case the destruction came closer. And the family gathered. My brother-in-law, recently home from three years of teaching in Japan, came over and my mother drove down from her home in Maine a few days later. We all watched the news together and found things to distract my son from the gloom of the television that we just could not shut off.
I remember taking us all for a drive just to escape the despair. It was sunny, beautiful, and vibrant, like most autumn days in New England. And all the tragedy seemed otherworldly and detached. The quiet skies, the ticker tape line at the bottom of news screens, the television channels off the air in respectful salute, and the Hollywood telethon. My memories combine into a haze of the sorrow and anger and determination I felt at that time.
But perhaps what I remember most from that days and weeks that followed September 11, 2001 were the abundance of American flags. On car bumpers, flying from homes, the occasional flagpole hoisted in the back of a pick-up, in storefronts; people everywhere donned the flag as the symbol for which it was originally created, national unity. For a few short weeks we weren’t rich or poor or middle class, we weren’t White or Black or Latino. The political divides that existed before 9/11 and returned shortly thereafter were leveled in the wake of those buildings for just a short time, and for a little while, our nation lost her collective cynicism and became one nation of Americans again.
After 9/11 my family played a game in the car with our not-quite three year old, counting American flags we saw while driving around town. Many are gone now, replaced in some cases by seasonal decorative flags, or not replaced at all when the old ones became worn. And for Halloween that year my son joined scores of little firemen as they stalked the streets for sweets that night, going from house to house in a sober reminder that our firefighters were again at the top of the hero chain.
Today parents are charging football fields; occasionally a driver shares a rude hand gesture, and I guess in some ways we’re back to where we were before 9/11. Perhaps that ability to return to normalcy, rather than adjust to the “new normal” touted by news outlets in a limp attempt at gravitas, marks the true American spirit. That national glue, that strong sense many of us had of being American, lies just below the surface, everyday.
That June my husband and I posed with the SOLD sign in front of our home the day we moved in. One of our first acts of home improvement included installing a flag pole by the front door for Old Glory. A few weeks later I cut back my work as a researcher for a small think tank to take more time to be with my son, something I hadn’t been able to do since a short maternity leave following his birth.
In September, my husband’s job as an engineer for a defense think tank took him to an Army base in Bosnia, a place still dangerous in 2001. Anticipating the workload and security concerns, he planned weeks for his project while I planned to work from home for the duration of his trip.
On that mundane Tuesday morning which dawned sunny and crisp, I first learned of the hijacked planes on a news website. At first I thought of one small plane, woefully off course. I turned to the television for clarification and watched the horror of that day unfold on the news.
So much changed in a flash; for the terrorized passengers on those flights, the office workers trapped in the buildings, and their families. So much changed for those who survived and so much changed for our country. The events of one morning never before had such impact.
My husband, half a world away in Bosnia, heard the news just before I did and tried to stay out of the way while the base locked down and went into high alert. News reports became ever more alarming, as every few minutes we learned of another attack, another suspicious incident, another building evacuated, and on and on all day and for days afterwards. The bomb scares, the collapsing buildings, Cantor Fitzgerald, the fleeing workers and residents, the brave firefighters and police officers, the speeches, the three months of fires at Ground Zero, the anthrax, the clean –up, the decimated airline industry, the air quality, the job losses… these are just a handful of the images that followed in the wake 9/11.
My office, evacuated due to its close proximity to a federal building in Boston, shut down for a couple of days. Like so many parents, I picked up my son from his daycare center that morning, wanting him nearby in case the destruction came closer. And the family gathered. My brother-in-law, recently home from three years of teaching in Japan, came over and my mother drove down from her home in Maine a few days later. We all watched the news together and found things to distract my son from the gloom of the television that we just could not shut off.
I remember taking us all for a drive just to escape the despair. It was sunny, beautiful, and vibrant, like most autumn days in New England. And all the tragedy seemed otherworldly and detached. The quiet skies, the ticker tape line at the bottom of news screens, the television channels off the air in respectful salute, and the Hollywood telethon. My memories combine into a haze of the sorrow and anger and determination I felt at that time.
But perhaps what I remember most from that days and weeks that followed September 11, 2001 were the abundance of American flags. On car bumpers, flying from homes, the occasional flagpole hoisted in the back of a pick-up, in storefronts; people everywhere donned the flag as the symbol for which it was originally created, national unity. For a few short weeks we weren’t rich or poor or middle class, we weren’t White or Black or Latino. The political divides that existed before 9/11 and returned shortly thereafter were leveled in the wake of those buildings for just a short time, and for a little while, our nation lost her collective cynicism and became one nation of Americans again.
After 9/11 my family played a game in the car with our not-quite three year old, counting American flags we saw while driving around town. Many are gone now, replaced in some cases by seasonal decorative flags, or not replaced at all when the old ones became worn. And for Halloween that year my son joined scores of little firemen as they stalked the streets for sweets that night, going from house to house in a sober reminder that our firefighters were again at the top of the hero chain.
Today parents are charging football fields; occasionally a driver shares a rude hand gesture, and I guess in some ways we’re back to where we were before 9/11. Perhaps that ability to return to normalcy, rather than adjust to the “new normal” touted by news outlets in a limp attempt at gravitas, marks the true American spirit. That national glue, that strong sense many of us had of being American, lies just below the surface, everyday.
Itty Bitty Developments Suck Municipalities Dry
Like every summer, driving around town I’ve noticed a startling increase in building projects. One project, not yet in the build stage, will gain more visibility over the next few weeks and months as the developer, The Hanover Company, appears before various boards in town working on due diligence.
The Lodge at Ames Pond is coming to Tewksbury, and planning to bring 364 rental units in a three phase building process. Of those 364 units, plans designate 25% of the units as affordable with 49% of the units as 1 bedroom, 40% as 2 bedrooms and 11% as 3 bedrooms.
The project, still in relative early stages of approval, scares the heck out of lots of residents, particularly parents worried about the already overburdened school system. I had to take a closer look at Tewksbury’s 40B situation to sort out whether or not this enormous rental housing project makes sense.
Surprisingly, it does.
I’m no fan of Chapter 40B, which effectively hogties communities trying to manage growth, when the community possesses a housing base less than ten percent of which is categorized as “affordable.”
With 498 units of affordable housing in Tewksbury, the town stands at about 4.9%. Surrounding towns fare better than we do with Billerica at 6.1%, Chelmsford at 5.8%, Dracut at 5.5%, and Wilmington near 9%. Andover has already met its 10% commitment.
And yet, residents surely know that the Town has a “higher percentage of condominiums and apartments than can be found in most towns nearby,” as the Tewksbury Affordable Housing Plan cites in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment portion.
So, why the contradiction? Poor planning seems like the easy, and obvious, answer. The town has allowed many smaller sized developments offering few affordable housing units compared to the number of units being built. Over the next 1-2 years, according to the Affordable Housing Plan, the town will see eight projects built ranging in size from one to 60 units including the first phase of the Lodge at Ames Hill (again, these are projections). These eight projects will build 222 units but only give the town 76 units designated affordable contributing to the 10% required by 40B.
The town needs 77 units in order to have the right to refuse dubious developments for one year, a provision available to towns not yet at the 10% requirement. When a Zoning Board of Appeals rejects a developer’s project the developer may appeal that decision to the State Housing Appeals Committee (HAC). Of the 415 appeals that board heard from 1970 -2002 , 45% of the cases were withdrawn, dismissed or settled, 24% of the cases were negotiated between the town and the developer and 31% were decided by the HAC. Of that 31%, 84% ruled in favor of the developer and only 16% for the town. Clearly, towns are at a disadvantage with developers under the 40B law.
But, back to those eight near term projects. Almost all of them are ownership, or condominium, developments requiring up to 25% of affordable housing units as part of the development. When building small 16 unit projects that means only four count toward Tewksbury’s 10%.
The problem is that the projects, and affordable units, are coming piecemeal. And it gets worse.
“As Tewksbury continues to approve market rate homes in conventional subdivisions and cluster developments, the town accrues an unmet liability for 40B units,” states the Affordable Housing Plan mentioned earlier. Current estimates indicate that the town needs an additional 690 affordable units. According to a Northern Middlesex Council of Governments study Tewksbury would have to create a whopping 2761 additional homes to obtain 690 units under the 25% allotment.
However, all rental units count toward the elusive 10% of total housing stock. Thus, a large development like that planned for Ames Hill, offers 364 units, a big dent in that 690 unit goal, and perhaps presents less stress for our schools.
Renter occupied housing in Tewksbury averages 2.08 people per household versus the owner occupied households which average 2.9 people. Ames’ projections on the saturation level of children that would move into the Lodge seem grossly underestimated with only 49 children in the entire 364 complex. The developer contends that fifty percent of those children will be high school aged and the other 50 percent will be elementary and middle school aged.
That said, the project currently plans for a three phase managed building process over three years, with the first year only opening 34 units. Thus, the pain of a sudden influx of students will take a little longer to feel, and perhaps give the town more time to repair school budgets and hire teachers.
Keep an eye out for 40B developments as you drive around town. Accepting a development like the Lodge at Ames Hill, ignoring for the moment the legitimate cries of “Not In My Backyard” allows Tewksbury to claim a chunk of that 10% and returns some autonomy to town going forward in the near term.
The Lodge at Ames Pond is coming to Tewksbury, and planning to bring 364 rental units in a three phase building process. Of those 364 units, plans designate 25% of the units as affordable with 49% of the units as 1 bedroom, 40% as 2 bedrooms and 11% as 3 bedrooms.
The project, still in relative early stages of approval, scares the heck out of lots of residents, particularly parents worried about the already overburdened school system. I had to take a closer look at Tewksbury’s 40B situation to sort out whether or not this enormous rental housing project makes sense.
Surprisingly, it does.
I’m no fan of Chapter 40B, which effectively hogties communities trying to manage growth, when the community possesses a housing base less than ten percent of which is categorized as “affordable.”
With 498 units of affordable housing in Tewksbury, the town stands at about 4.9%. Surrounding towns fare better than we do with Billerica at 6.1%, Chelmsford at 5.8%, Dracut at 5.5%, and Wilmington near 9%. Andover has already met its 10% commitment.
And yet, residents surely know that the Town has a “higher percentage of condominiums and apartments than can be found in most towns nearby,” as the Tewksbury Affordable Housing Plan cites in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment portion.
So, why the contradiction? Poor planning seems like the easy, and obvious, answer. The town has allowed many smaller sized developments offering few affordable housing units compared to the number of units being built. Over the next 1-2 years, according to the Affordable Housing Plan, the town will see eight projects built ranging in size from one to 60 units including the first phase of the Lodge at Ames Hill (again, these are projections). These eight projects will build 222 units but only give the town 76 units designated affordable contributing to the 10% required by 40B.
The town needs 77 units in order to have the right to refuse dubious developments for one year, a provision available to towns not yet at the 10% requirement. When a Zoning Board of Appeals rejects a developer’s project the developer may appeal that decision to the State Housing Appeals Committee (HAC). Of the 415 appeals that board heard from 1970 -2002 , 45% of the cases were withdrawn, dismissed or settled, 24% of the cases were negotiated between the town and the developer and 31% were decided by the HAC. Of that 31%, 84% ruled in favor of the developer and only 16% for the town. Clearly, towns are at a disadvantage with developers under the 40B law.
But, back to those eight near term projects. Almost all of them are ownership, or condominium, developments requiring up to 25% of affordable housing units as part of the development. When building small 16 unit projects that means only four count toward Tewksbury’s 10%.
The problem is that the projects, and affordable units, are coming piecemeal. And it gets worse.
“As Tewksbury continues to approve market rate homes in conventional subdivisions and cluster developments, the town accrues an unmet liability for 40B units,” states the Affordable Housing Plan mentioned earlier. Current estimates indicate that the town needs an additional 690 affordable units. According to a Northern Middlesex Council of Governments study Tewksbury would have to create a whopping 2761 additional homes to obtain 690 units under the 25% allotment.
However, all rental units count toward the elusive 10% of total housing stock. Thus, a large development like that planned for Ames Hill, offers 364 units, a big dent in that 690 unit goal, and perhaps presents less stress for our schools.
Renter occupied housing in Tewksbury averages 2.08 people per household versus the owner occupied households which average 2.9 people. Ames’ projections on the saturation level of children that would move into the Lodge seem grossly underestimated with only 49 children in the entire 364 complex. The developer contends that fifty percent of those children will be high school aged and the other 50 percent will be elementary and middle school aged.
That said, the project currently plans for a three phase managed building process over three years, with the first year only opening 34 units. Thus, the pain of a sudden influx of students will take a little longer to feel, and perhaps give the town more time to repair school budgets and hire teachers.
Keep an eye out for 40B developments as you drive around town. Accepting a development like the Lodge at Ames Hill, ignoring for the moment the legitimate cries of “Not In My Backyard” allows Tewksbury to claim a chunk of that 10% and returns some autonomy to town going forward in the near term.
Banning the Burning?
I’ll never forget the weeks and months after September 11th watching the proliferation of flags on homes, automobiles, businesses, you name it. My son, not quite three at the time, would count all the flags he saw as we drove around town and I marveled at the flag’s presence. Little by little those flags went away, first on cars, and then elsewhere. I miss them and the small voice in the back seat reaching his upper counting limit less than a mile down the road.
This week leading up to July 4th our nation’s Senators debated the merits of a Constitutional amendment banning flag burning. On Tuesday the amendment failed by 1 vote.
Like most of America I abhor the act of burning Old Glory. Other than for the respectful and appropriate retiring of a used flag, flag burning flies in the face of all that I hold dear; respect for our country, our collective heritage, the service of all our soldiers for well over 200 years, the sacrifices made in the name of liberty.
And yet, adding this amendment to the Constitution, as living and breathing a document as you will ever find, raises flag burning to the level of women’s suffrage, presidential succession and income taxes.
Why would America need this law? The roots of American culture are under attack from all directions every day. Should the kids say the Pledge of Allegiance, because it mentions God? Prayer in schools stopped years ago. Would an amendment to the Constitution protect American culture or open us up to more divisiveness?
Most of the states already adopted various declarations opposing flag burning and the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Amendment. So, why did the Senate block the passage of an amendment it seems most of the country wants? Why, in fact, was it proposed in the first place?
Well, to answer the latter, primarily to take back the right to ‘protect’ the flag from the Supreme Court ruling in 1989 that categorized flag burning as part of freedom of expression. Republican Orrin Hatch proposed the amendment in an attempt to show that the people have more right to decide this issue than five unelected judges. Most Democrats opposed the measure overall, while still condemning the act itself (Sen. Kerry called it “stupid”). So, was it a partisan issue? Not really, the measure needed to pass by a 2/3rds majority and only lost by 1 vote (66 votes instead of the necessary 67). The Senate is split 55 Republican, 44 Democrat and 1 Independent. So, at least 10 Democrats had to cross that aisle.
Why did it lose? I’m not sure. Perhaps those Senators know something the rest of us do not.
I think the issue boils down to respect. Respect for all the things sacred to American life, in a way, which our Flag represents. At the end of the day, however, respect cannot be legislated. Surely we do not allow our government to regulate manners, dignity, respect or pride. We teach those ideals in our homes, our schools, and in our communities through various expressions such as parades, festivals, baseball games, and even giant flags on cell phone towers (though that one could send mixed message).
The flag is rarely burned now, the wind taken out the proverbial sails by the lack of taboo that made it interesting to those less imaginative rabble rousers. Mostly our enemies on foreign soil burn the American flag, occasionally even lighting themselves on fire while doing it (an ironic but somewhat delightful twist).
Perhaps the problem is that respect for the flag and the way to honor its symbolism isn’t taught much anymore. Perhaps making a constitutional amendment would reenergize interest in how to handle the flag. Perhaps not. I submit that had that amendment passed, we would have seen more flag burning the following week than in the last 5 years combined. But that’s unscientific and unproven.
Burning the flag is offensive. Funny how that Neo-Orwellian think-speak called political correctness categorizes offending soldiers and patriots by burning the flag as ‘correct’ while stopping the offense by making illegal flag burning would be ‘incorrect.’ This banal logic makes my head swim.
As offensive at flag burning is, offending people is not illegal, nor should it be. Once we legislate that, we’re all in serious trouble. Flag burning shows a certain level of simplemindedness, but simplemindedness is not illegal either.
One thing is clear, with an amendment that lost by so close a vote, expect this one to reappear, especially if a few more Republicans join the Senate after the mid-term elections this autumn.
So, in honor of the Fourth of July and the failure of the Amendment I reprint here the Standards of Respect of Flag Etiquette. Have a happy and safe Fourth.
The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard
The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.
The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.
This week leading up to July 4th our nation’s Senators debated the merits of a Constitutional amendment banning flag burning. On Tuesday the amendment failed by 1 vote.
Like most of America I abhor the act of burning Old Glory. Other than for the respectful and appropriate retiring of a used flag, flag burning flies in the face of all that I hold dear; respect for our country, our collective heritage, the service of all our soldiers for well over 200 years, the sacrifices made in the name of liberty.
And yet, adding this amendment to the Constitution, as living and breathing a document as you will ever find, raises flag burning to the level of women’s suffrage, presidential succession and income taxes.
Why would America need this law? The roots of American culture are under attack from all directions every day. Should the kids say the Pledge of Allegiance, because it mentions God? Prayer in schools stopped years ago. Would an amendment to the Constitution protect American culture or open us up to more divisiveness?
Most of the states already adopted various declarations opposing flag burning and the House of Representatives voted in favor of the Amendment. So, why did the Senate block the passage of an amendment it seems most of the country wants? Why, in fact, was it proposed in the first place?
Well, to answer the latter, primarily to take back the right to ‘protect’ the flag from the Supreme Court ruling in 1989 that categorized flag burning as part of freedom of expression. Republican Orrin Hatch proposed the amendment in an attempt to show that the people have more right to decide this issue than five unelected judges. Most Democrats opposed the measure overall, while still condemning the act itself (Sen. Kerry called it “stupid”). So, was it a partisan issue? Not really, the measure needed to pass by a 2/3rds majority and only lost by 1 vote (66 votes instead of the necessary 67). The Senate is split 55 Republican, 44 Democrat and 1 Independent. So, at least 10 Democrats had to cross that aisle.
Why did it lose? I’m not sure. Perhaps those Senators know something the rest of us do not.
I think the issue boils down to respect. Respect for all the things sacred to American life, in a way, which our Flag represents. At the end of the day, however, respect cannot be legislated. Surely we do not allow our government to regulate manners, dignity, respect or pride. We teach those ideals in our homes, our schools, and in our communities through various expressions such as parades, festivals, baseball games, and even giant flags on cell phone towers (though that one could send mixed message).
The flag is rarely burned now, the wind taken out the proverbial sails by the lack of taboo that made it interesting to those less imaginative rabble rousers. Mostly our enemies on foreign soil burn the American flag, occasionally even lighting themselves on fire while doing it (an ironic but somewhat delightful twist).
Perhaps the problem is that respect for the flag and the way to honor its symbolism isn’t taught much anymore. Perhaps making a constitutional amendment would reenergize interest in how to handle the flag. Perhaps not. I submit that had that amendment passed, we would have seen more flag burning the following week than in the last 5 years combined. But that’s unscientific and unproven.
Burning the flag is offensive. Funny how that Neo-Orwellian think-speak called political correctness categorizes offending soldiers and patriots by burning the flag as ‘correct’ while stopping the offense by making illegal flag burning would be ‘incorrect.’ This banal logic makes my head swim.
As offensive at flag burning is, offending people is not illegal, nor should it be. Once we legislate that, we’re all in serious trouble. Flag burning shows a certain level of simplemindedness, but simplemindedness is not illegal either.
One thing is clear, with an amendment that lost by so close a vote, expect this one to reappear, especially if a few more Republicans join the Senate after the mid-term elections this autumn.
So, in honor of the Fourth of July and the failure of the Amendment I reprint here the Standards of Respect of Flag Etiquette. Have a happy and safe Fourth.
The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speakers desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard
The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.
The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.
School Initiatives Chokes on Bone
A little less than 4900 braved yet another soggy Saturday to vote in last weekend’s election. While a small number overall, it represents more than double the voter turnout in April’s election where the Community Preservation Act triumphed. About 29% of registered voters in town came out to vote solely on education issues and the best that can be said of the turnout is that the victory of question 1 and the defeat of question 2 were well beyond a margin of 8 votes.
I’ve read reports that people didn’t know this vote was even happening or of locals that didn’t bother to head to the polls. Not in my neighborhood. We emailed each other, lobbied each other, reached out to spread the word and remind each other to make time to vote. One of my neighbors even took another neighbor to the polls because she could not drive herself having recently had major surgery.
This vote was important to many people. And the turnout illustrates 3 kinds of voters: 1) those that stay informed about local politics and go to the polls, 2) those that do not stay informed and do not go vote, and 3) those that do not stay informed and still vote.
I’m not sure which is worse; uninformed non-voters or uninformed voters?
Many newspaper articles and some commentators seem to want to find a large message here, a clear message, if you will, telling searching for meaning in the chaos. Just to recap, question 1, a measure raising $687,000 for furniture and computers for the high school in a short term, minute increase in property taxes passed. Question 2, a $1.8 million proposition 2 ½ override that would have balanced the school budget and added teachers to our system for a permanent increase of $160 (in the first year), failed. In fact, overrides are failing all over the state, for those that even make it to the ballot.
Education funding is complicated. Making it accessible to parents and residents is the role of elected officials, helping residents understand the nature of the budget, expectations about what is reasonable and what can be expected in the future. It seems to me that the folks of U-25 worked exceptionally hard for several months to get something done not just to stem the bleeding in our schools, but actually improve the situation. Their dedication and fortitude is commendable and I hope we’ll see them again next year, in even bigger numbers, trying to do the right thing for the kids.
And I hope the economy and consumer confidence improves such that we can afford to do the things we need to do to make education in Tewksbury robust. Until then, though, I’m afraid the schools are fighting a sort of financial inertia destined to end in poor literacy, lower testing scores, and an inability for Tewksbury students to compete academically for limited college spots.
The school committee will be very busy in coming weeks making necessary cuts to meet the budget. Watch this space to see if we can swallow the bitter pill to come.
I’ve read reports that people didn’t know this vote was even happening or of locals that didn’t bother to head to the polls. Not in my neighborhood. We emailed each other, lobbied each other, reached out to spread the word and remind each other to make time to vote. One of my neighbors even took another neighbor to the polls because she could not drive herself having recently had major surgery.
This vote was important to many people. And the turnout illustrates 3 kinds of voters: 1) those that stay informed about local politics and go to the polls, 2) those that do not stay informed and do not go vote, and 3) those that do not stay informed and still vote.
I’m not sure which is worse; uninformed non-voters or uninformed voters?
Many newspaper articles and some commentators seem to want to find a large message here, a clear message, if you will, telling searching for meaning in the chaos. Just to recap, question 1, a measure raising $687,000 for furniture and computers for the high school in a short term, minute increase in property taxes passed. Question 2, a $1.8 million proposition 2 ½ override that would have balanced the school budget and added teachers to our system for a permanent increase of $160 (in the first year), failed. In fact, overrides are failing all over the state, for those that even make it to the ballot.
Education funding is complicated. Making it accessible to parents and residents is the role of elected officials, helping residents understand the nature of the budget, expectations about what is reasonable and what can be expected in the future. It seems to me that the folks of U-25 worked exceptionally hard for several months to get something done not just to stem the bleeding in our schools, but actually improve the situation. Their dedication and fortitude is commendable and I hope we’ll see them again next year, in even bigger numbers, trying to do the right thing for the kids.
And I hope the economy and consumer confidence improves such that we can afford to do the things we need to do to make education in Tewksbury robust. Until then, though, I’m afraid the schools are fighting a sort of financial inertia destined to end in poor literacy, lower testing scores, and an inability for Tewksbury students to compete academically for limited college spots.
The school committee will be very busy in coming weeks making necessary cuts to meet the budget. Watch this space to see if we can swallow the bitter pill to come.
Shock and Awe in Suburbia, or Fear Factor Tewksbury Style
As a general rule, I dislike paying taxes. All too often I disagree with the philosophy and methodology of redistributing my income and I’d rather have much more say, and direct interest, in the outcome of my disbursements. Suffice it to say, I often have opinions on where, and for whom, my money is spent. Yes, taxes are what we pay for a civilized society, I’m not a libertarian. But, I want my money spent largely on two things, indivisible goods and public education.
Foregoing the inevitably pedantic economics dissertation, indivisible goods cannot be measured individually for the good or service provided. National Defense is a classic example of an indivisible good since none of us can in any way seriously measure the individual costs and benefits of having a defense.
Much the same stands true for public education. Failing to properly educate our children means we’re just breeding kids unable to take over the reigns of national leadership when their turn comes. Properly educating our kids means, in part, moving with the times. A debate rages in Tewksbury about the merits and pitfalls of two articles in the upcoming election June10.
One article seeks funding for new desks and computers in the high school, two areas in such need that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges cited them in its Fall 2005 accreditation visit. “The school’s equipment has not been replaced when needed, primarily with regard to the aging, slow, and inadequate computers and the aging furniture that in part dates to the opening of the school in 1959. Some classroom chairs are disfigured and some classroom desks are broken apart or held together with strong tape.”
Last year’s override for additional funding to rectify these problems, lost by only 8 votes at the polls and indicates a bigger problem than simple lack of funds. Apathy.
I blame much of this lack of interest on the advent of the reality television show.
Seriously. These “reality” shows are incredibly popular with Americans so interested in escaping their own realities they prefer to watch horribly contrived situations and see what “normal” people do to get through it all. Finally, we have entered Richard Connell’s Most Dangerous Game, turning to hunting our own species for entertainment. While I’m all for escapism and television programming, I’m afraid that culturally we’ve left the national controls to spin willy nilly while we munch microwave popcorn and debate the finer points of Fear Factor.
We must ask ourselves what we want our children to accomplish in school. So often in this debate I read or hear about residents that find themselves so nonplussed with the town budgets and management that they plan to vote against these school articles June 10 as a punishment to local town officials. Or others that feel they got along just fine without computer classes, fine arts, and modern desks (the old ones were just fine, built tough), so why should kids today benefit at cost to taxpayers.
Well, partly because we have a rich cultural tradition in America for public education. We believe that educating a child not only benefits that child and parents but society at large. By not fully and properly advocating public education we do our children a disservice in the short term and everyone a disservice in the long run. This does not mean throwing good money after bad. However, if we educate ourselves as taxpayers, parents and residents and watch what our elected officials do with our money, surely then we will know better how to help manage Tewksbury’s schools.
Every year since 2003 the Town refused School Department requests for a bigger budget resulting in a levelly funded school system over the last three years. Much of the blame for the tight spot we’re in is often attributed to a decrease in Chapter 70 and other funds from the state. This is largely true, Romney cut many wasteful programs in the budget and cut back on others. For me though, I’d rather pay lower state taxes and higher property taxes.
With property taxes you actually live in the town the money supports. Residents elect the people responsible for budgeting and spending that money. When money is unwisely spent, voters may put that person out of office. The accountability makes real sense.
So I leave you with thus, I ask nothing more that instead of apathy, residents vote next weekend, June 10. I ask that you consider the merits of each article, encourage your neighbors, and come out that day. By not participating in this election we bring a reality upon ourselves far scarier than Fear Factor.
Foregoing the inevitably pedantic economics dissertation, indivisible goods cannot be measured individually for the good or service provided. National Defense is a classic example of an indivisible good since none of us can in any way seriously measure the individual costs and benefits of having a defense.
Much the same stands true for public education. Failing to properly educate our children means we’re just breeding kids unable to take over the reigns of national leadership when their turn comes. Properly educating our kids means, in part, moving with the times. A debate rages in Tewksbury about the merits and pitfalls of two articles in the upcoming election June10.
One article seeks funding for new desks and computers in the high school, two areas in such need that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges cited them in its Fall 2005 accreditation visit. “The school’s equipment has not been replaced when needed, primarily with regard to the aging, slow, and inadequate computers and the aging furniture that in part dates to the opening of the school in 1959. Some classroom chairs are disfigured and some classroom desks are broken apart or held together with strong tape.”
Last year’s override for additional funding to rectify these problems, lost by only 8 votes at the polls and indicates a bigger problem than simple lack of funds. Apathy.
I blame much of this lack of interest on the advent of the reality television show.
Seriously. These “reality” shows are incredibly popular with Americans so interested in escaping their own realities they prefer to watch horribly contrived situations and see what “normal” people do to get through it all. Finally, we have entered Richard Connell’s Most Dangerous Game, turning to hunting our own species for entertainment. While I’m all for escapism and television programming, I’m afraid that culturally we’ve left the national controls to spin willy nilly while we munch microwave popcorn and debate the finer points of Fear Factor.
We must ask ourselves what we want our children to accomplish in school. So often in this debate I read or hear about residents that find themselves so nonplussed with the town budgets and management that they plan to vote against these school articles June 10 as a punishment to local town officials. Or others that feel they got along just fine without computer classes, fine arts, and modern desks (the old ones were just fine, built tough), so why should kids today benefit at cost to taxpayers.
Well, partly because we have a rich cultural tradition in America for public education. We believe that educating a child not only benefits that child and parents but society at large. By not fully and properly advocating public education we do our children a disservice in the short term and everyone a disservice in the long run. This does not mean throwing good money after bad. However, if we educate ourselves as taxpayers, parents and residents and watch what our elected officials do with our money, surely then we will know better how to help manage Tewksbury’s schools.
Every year since 2003 the Town refused School Department requests for a bigger budget resulting in a levelly funded school system over the last three years. Much of the blame for the tight spot we’re in is often attributed to a decrease in Chapter 70 and other funds from the state. This is largely true, Romney cut many wasteful programs in the budget and cut back on others. For me though, I’d rather pay lower state taxes and higher property taxes.
With property taxes you actually live in the town the money supports. Residents elect the people responsible for budgeting and spending that money. When money is unwisely spent, voters may put that person out of office. The accountability makes real sense.
So I leave you with thus, I ask nothing more that instead of apathy, residents vote next weekend, June 10. I ask that you consider the merits of each article, encourage your neighbors, and come out that day. By not participating in this election we bring a reality upon ourselves far scarier than Fear Factor.
What's in a Fortnight?
Fortnight in Review
Two weeks, that’s a fortnight. Old English, or olde English depending on your droll factor, gave us the term fortnight from feowertiene niht meaning fourteen nights. Irreverence aside, a 20/20 look in the rear view mirror every two weeks may be just the thing for equanimity.
About two weeks ago residents at town meeting voted to put two school oriented warrant articles (the debt exemption override question for technology and furniture and the Proposition 2 ½ override) on the ballot for a special election June 10. Getting these questions on the ballot, that’s the first hurdle. Passing these items, that’s something else entirely.
Voters also expressed dismay with several development initiatives, including the cell phone tower erected by Verizon for Sprint usage at the south fire station by voting not to grant an easement enabling Sprint to actually use the tower. Another cell tower article died on the floor for a similar reason. Residents denied a development off Pinnacle for townhouses and refused to rezone a small parcel of land on Andover Street, keeping out what promised to be a quaint ice cream stand.
Residents in Tewksbury organized, rallied, and showed that old New England mettle. I love it. This Yankee ingenuity, a sort of stick-in-your-craw way of getting things done, will take this town back from questionable development. If the votes at Town Meeting are any indication, clearly Tewksbury residents know what they want and what they do not.
Does the town need development? Yes. But SMART growth. With the passage of the Community Preservation Act its time to bring back the Master Plan. Perhaps you haven’t heard of the Master Plan, but yes, Tewksbury has one. Completed in 2003, the Master Plan committee developed a comprehensive plan to improve the town through careful development that preserves the comfortable, unpretentious character and semi-rural nature of the town. Readers may view the document online at www.Tewksbury.info and select Master Plan committee from the drop down menu.
If you ever read the posts on Tewksburyissues.org (and if you have not I suggest you run to your computer and check it our right after you finish reading the paper) you may pick up on a somewhat vitriolic vibe against town officials, both elected and appointed. A deep distrust exists from residents toward elected officials; a distrust revealed four years ago in an early report from the Master Plan committee. This lack of trust makes it difficult for residents to discern the kinds of development that fulfills positive objectives in town rather than just contributing to overcrowding in the schools or creating a drain on already scarce resources.
Putting the Master Plan to work, finally, may help the town transition from deep distrust to smart growth. Residents working together to defeat warrant articles at town meeting shows the power of organization and a shared will. However, rejecting growth for the sake of simply rejecting growth rather than a measured, thoughtful approach hurts the town in the long run. Without any kind of growth the town stagnates. Additionally, not resolving our lack of affordable housing also opens the door, legally, to more developments and skeptical planning.
Voters arrived en masse to vote for the school related warrant articles. Voters come out when something important to them personally shows up on the warrant. Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est. Knowledge itself is power. Residents must arm themselves with knowledge because when combined with numbers, knowledge brings about revolutions.
What residents need is unbiased guidance to good growth. What projects make sense? How do we mesh the borders between industrial and residential zones? How do we increase our income without selling out? The Master Plan, researched and written by a fair committee over several years, already tackled much of that work. It’s time for Tewksbury to take out the plan, dust it off, and start putting it to work.
Two weeks, that’s a fortnight. Old English, or olde English depending on your droll factor, gave us the term fortnight from feowertiene niht meaning fourteen nights. Irreverence aside, a 20/20 look in the rear view mirror every two weeks may be just the thing for equanimity.
About two weeks ago residents at town meeting voted to put two school oriented warrant articles (the debt exemption override question for technology and furniture and the Proposition 2 ½ override) on the ballot for a special election June 10. Getting these questions on the ballot, that’s the first hurdle. Passing these items, that’s something else entirely.
Voters also expressed dismay with several development initiatives, including the cell phone tower erected by Verizon for Sprint usage at the south fire station by voting not to grant an easement enabling Sprint to actually use the tower. Another cell tower article died on the floor for a similar reason. Residents denied a development off Pinnacle for townhouses and refused to rezone a small parcel of land on Andover Street, keeping out what promised to be a quaint ice cream stand.
Residents in Tewksbury organized, rallied, and showed that old New England mettle. I love it. This Yankee ingenuity, a sort of stick-in-your-craw way of getting things done, will take this town back from questionable development. If the votes at Town Meeting are any indication, clearly Tewksbury residents know what they want and what they do not.
Does the town need development? Yes. But SMART growth. With the passage of the Community Preservation Act its time to bring back the Master Plan. Perhaps you haven’t heard of the Master Plan, but yes, Tewksbury has one. Completed in 2003, the Master Plan committee developed a comprehensive plan to improve the town through careful development that preserves the comfortable, unpretentious character and semi-rural nature of the town. Readers may view the document online at www.Tewksbury.info and select Master Plan committee from the drop down menu.
If you ever read the posts on Tewksburyissues.org (and if you have not I suggest you run to your computer and check it our right after you finish reading the paper) you may pick up on a somewhat vitriolic vibe against town officials, both elected and appointed. A deep distrust exists from residents toward elected officials; a distrust revealed four years ago in an early report from the Master Plan committee. This lack of trust makes it difficult for residents to discern the kinds of development that fulfills positive objectives in town rather than just contributing to overcrowding in the schools or creating a drain on already scarce resources.
Putting the Master Plan to work, finally, may help the town transition from deep distrust to smart growth. Residents working together to defeat warrant articles at town meeting shows the power of organization and a shared will. However, rejecting growth for the sake of simply rejecting growth rather than a measured, thoughtful approach hurts the town in the long run. Without any kind of growth the town stagnates. Additionally, not resolving our lack of affordable housing also opens the door, legally, to more developments and skeptical planning.
Voters arrived en masse to vote for the school related warrant articles. Voters come out when something important to them personally shows up on the warrant. Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est. Knowledge itself is power. Residents must arm themselves with knowledge because when combined with numbers, knowledge brings about revolutions.
What residents need is unbiased guidance to good growth. What projects make sense? How do we mesh the borders between industrial and residential zones? How do we increase our income without selling out? The Master Plan, researched and written by a fair committee over several years, already tackled much of that work. It’s time for Tewksbury to take out the plan, dust it off, and start putting it to work.
Speaking of Politics
I’m amazed at what change two weeks brings. I have buds on my crabapple tree and mud on my porch. Flowers, baseball and budgets; that’s spring in New England.
While walking my dog early in the morning I hear my neighborhood come alive. What begins with soft light quickly becomes a cacophony of birdsong, doors slamming, cars starting, and feet running to catch the bus. The same could be said for Tewksbury this spring, particularly in the area of the School Department budget. The town is alive with budget drama, and I’m sure more is on the way.
The U:25 group, by gathering 250 signatures in a mere three hours to put a placeholder article on the warrant, started a movement that over the course of the last two weeks received the support of the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen and culminated in selectmen putting the Proposition 2 ½ override article on a special election ballot slated for June 10.
Selectmen marveled and the initiative shown by U:25 and supporters and noted that its been longer than any of them can remember since an citizen sponsored article made it to the ballot. An organized group coming before the town is powerful, especially one with as much traction as U:25. Traction equals voters.
Also included on that ballot is a debt exemption for $647,000 to buy new furniture and technology for the high school. A debt exemption represents a one time increase rather than a permanent property tax hike, which is why combining the two articles is out of the question. Last year this measure lost by only eight heartbreaking votes.
Students need a place to sit, people! They need a place to eat too. With too few tables and chairs in the cafeteria, a slew of unserviceable desks in classrooms, and outdated, often broken computers we’re embarrassing ourselves by what we’re providing these kids.
And, speaking of embarrassment, in the April 1 election only 14% of the town’s registered voters bothered to show up. Why register if you aren’t going to vote? With only 14% of the eligible voters actually voting, that means that for a ballot question like the Community Preservation Act which won with a vote of 1242 to 1118, 6.9 % of the town decided that issue. Seven percent! Those of you pleased with the seven percent of us that vote deciding your fate, by all means, stay home. But, those residents that want a say in how things are run, please, come and vote.
I take my children to the voting booth with me. I show them how it’s done and explain to them that voting is not only a right we have a citizens in a free republic, but a responsibility as well. We are responsible to our neighbors, children and parents for the consequences of our votes or lack thereof. Folks discouraged with voting need only remember last year’s article that lost by eight votes. Every vote counts, especially at Town Meeting, May 1, where residents pin on a ribbon and stand up to be counted.
U:25 already proved that citizen initiatives can make it to the ballot. The question remains, will citizens follow it up with a vote?
While walking my dog early in the morning I hear my neighborhood come alive. What begins with soft light quickly becomes a cacophony of birdsong, doors slamming, cars starting, and feet running to catch the bus. The same could be said for Tewksbury this spring, particularly in the area of the School Department budget. The town is alive with budget drama, and I’m sure more is on the way.
The U:25 group, by gathering 250 signatures in a mere three hours to put a placeholder article on the warrant, started a movement that over the course of the last two weeks received the support of the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen and culminated in selectmen putting the Proposition 2 ½ override article on a special election ballot slated for June 10.
Selectmen marveled and the initiative shown by U:25 and supporters and noted that its been longer than any of them can remember since an citizen sponsored article made it to the ballot. An organized group coming before the town is powerful, especially one with as much traction as U:25. Traction equals voters.
Also included on that ballot is a debt exemption for $647,000 to buy new furniture and technology for the high school. A debt exemption represents a one time increase rather than a permanent property tax hike, which is why combining the two articles is out of the question. Last year this measure lost by only eight heartbreaking votes.
Students need a place to sit, people! They need a place to eat too. With too few tables and chairs in the cafeteria, a slew of unserviceable desks in classrooms, and outdated, often broken computers we’re embarrassing ourselves by what we’re providing these kids.
And, speaking of embarrassment, in the April 1 election only 14% of the town’s registered voters bothered to show up. Why register if you aren’t going to vote? With only 14% of the eligible voters actually voting, that means that for a ballot question like the Community Preservation Act which won with a vote of 1242 to 1118, 6.9 % of the town decided that issue. Seven percent! Those of you pleased with the seven percent of us that vote deciding your fate, by all means, stay home. But, those residents that want a say in how things are run, please, come and vote.
I take my children to the voting booth with me. I show them how it’s done and explain to them that voting is not only a right we have a citizens in a free republic, but a responsibility as well. We are responsible to our neighbors, children and parents for the consequences of our votes or lack thereof. Folks discouraged with voting need only remember last year’s article that lost by eight votes. Every vote counts, especially at Town Meeting, May 1, where residents pin on a ribbon and stand up to be counted.
U:25 already proved that citizen initiatives can make it to the ballot. The question remains, will citizens follow it up with a vote?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
