Small town politics

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extreme opposition, postaday2012, responsible job, selectman

My hubby has spent his first term as selectman trying to clear up accounting issues and taxation problems to the annoyance of some in our town. His digging into the past ruffled some feathers because it seemed to shine a light where some wanted to keep it dark. My hubby has been accused of being too blunt and brash for certain people’s taste. Last year there was a concerted effort to recall him, yet on the day of the recall, townspeople who quietly supported my hubby’s plans to create transparency and accountability, came out in droves and surprised the anti-hubby faction by a vote count of 241 to 79 to keep my hubby as selectman.
Now his term is coming to a close and he is not seeking reelection, he wants to concentrate on his career and he is satisfied with the policies and procedures he and the other selectmen have put into place. I’m also happy that he is done with his term, he made a huge difference in the town and he has established procedures that will continue to do their intended job even when he is no longer there to enforce them. I’ll also be glad to see all the added stress of trying to do a responsible job despite extreme opposition from a select few, melt away from his brow and shoulders. His stress is my stress, I’m not sure that he realizes just how much his stress affects me as well. It can be brutal, so I think that it is safe to say that we paid our dues to the town and I hope that the quiet section of our town fully appreciates how much of an effort my hubby put into making a difference.

April Fool’s Day

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postaday2012

April Fools’ Day

poisson d’avril

My friend played one on me this morning. She blogged about giving up her blog, she was so eloquent that I was in a panic. My initial reaction was Nooo! Then came the words April Fool’s Day!! She got me but good.

Obama’s Individual Mandate Not First Federal Health Care Mandate

The debate turned into a farce the minute that Justice Scalia started speaking about broccoli. Since the ACA bill requires everyone to deal with private health insurance companies and these companies are huge across several states, there is basis for the interstate commerce legislative power for congress to impose the mandate. I don’t know a single person who hates Medicare once they have it and I know many people who are counting the days to Medicare. Why can’t we have Medicare for all? There was a conservative on Bill Maher’s show who tried to say that the MA plan was fine but applying it to the federal level was too much imposition from the federal government as opposed to the states imposition because then it’s okay. Needless to say that her argument was quickly dismantled and clearly shown to be lacking any legs. This country whether it came from the right or the left has been looking to resolve the health care question, I think that the contest as to which party gets us there first is still raging, the GOP is jealous that President Obama got us there first.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Illinois Traffic Stop Of Star Trek Fans Raises Concerns About Drug Searches, Police Dogs, Bad Cops

We have had a war on drugs since the Nixon Administration and I would argue that it has cost the American people too much money, too much loss of liberty, it has twisted the gun culture in our nation, it has racist undertones and it has given the police way too much power over the civilian population. I can see why the passenger was nervous, I get nervous when I see a police cruiser behind me because there aren’t, it seems, any checks and balances between the police and the civilian. It is disturbing on a deep level in my mind because it undermines what America represents in terms of liberty. I was always proud that the government doesn’t mandate that you must carry I.D 24/7, like they do in France. If I am out walking, a police officer can’t simply demand I.D like they can do in other countries. The war on drugs and the war on terror are bringing us closer to that level of paranoia and loss of liberty.I know that some of my friends in law enforcement are going to be screaming, but if we looked at the problem in a new way instead of doubling down on policies that don’t produce any results, perhaps we can get to a better place without losing more liberty.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

AARP: Social Security Should Not Be Part Of Deficit Discussion

I’m glad that AARP has launched their campaign “You’ve Earned a Say”. I can’t think of a better title. We seem to forget that with every tax that we pay; whether it is sales tax, property taxes, payroll taxes or excise taxes we earn the right to have a say in what our government does in the broad sense. I am all for salon type discussion; “Salons” have had a rich history of generating productive discussion, I am thinking of the Salons in Paris held by many French aristocrats and Courtesans. As long as the discussions come with the aim of full disclosure, no closed door deals please, we can all benefit. Social Security simply needs the tweak of eliminating the cap on self-funding and medicare should have been increased as a tax throughout the years. I never understood how many Americans get duped by the rhetoric that Social Security is broke; it is a self-funding program that pays the individual at the level that they have paid into, as long as employment rolls are high the fund is fine, if the cap was lifted, any shortfall caused by several recessions would be remedied. GOP lawmakers and Wall Street are pushing for ways to get that large pool of Americans paying the 6.25% of their weekly check into a retirement fund, just think of the transaction fees that it would generate for Wall Street. Unchecked greed is a dangerous thing.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost