Letters to the Editor - Lakeville Journal - 7-20-17

Time to stop the status quo

Recently, I resigned from the Beautification Committee in North Canaan. The simple fact, I believe, is that those subcommittees of the Economic Development Committee were literally going nowhere. There are beautiful gardens and planters around town, and planted trees. It’s all a waste of time, I think.

Look at the rest of downtown Canaan. It’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses and see a distressed and decaying municipality. It’s time that taxpaying voters say enough is enough, but we’re still stuck with a real status quo.

You can’t attract economic increase and prosperity without having something to offer new businesses or tourists here. Traffic only stops to use the bank, buy pizza, use the pharmacy and drive on. The other day, I was reading the real estate ads and the same four buildings downtown are still for sale. I don’t think these real estate agents see what they’re selling.

Walk down Main Street and stop in front of each business. There are rotted panels that hold plate glass windows, tiles falling down and left there, and I don’t think there are proper egress arrangements for all of them.

Now, the depot building is beautiful, and a long time coming. But for all who believed, like in the movie “Field of Dreams,” build it and they’ll come, wake up.

Let’s make all of Canaan beautiful, and then maybe they will all come, with business and jobs. 

Michael C. Parmalee

North Canaan

The Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station: some possible solutions

The Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station drama continues. Because the first selectman of Salisbury refuses to take some common-sense advice presented by costs and analysis, that indicates to me that for the past 12 years, taxpayers have been hammered no less than $19,000 per year. If there were scales to weigh bulky waste (construction debris), the taxpayers would in fact have a surplus every year, I believe, which could reduce the overall cost of operating the transfer station. The proposed new transfer station has had two major revisions yet scales are not included in the final draft. I believe that because I have raised this issue over and over by myself, Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand refuses to include this cost-saving common-sense solution to the final draft to be considered by the town Planning and Zoning Commission.

Another major cost-saving solution was suggested at the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing to address the nasty smell of garbage. Considering the fact that the major contributors of wet garbage are the private schools, restaurants and medical service centers where food is prepared, there needs to be a special collection service of this wet garbage to be disposed. Private schools, medical settings and restaurants need to be part of the solution as well. This is a major savings, which requires a will of our community leaders to think outside the box.

Being a lifelong resident of Sharon, I truly care about our environment and living green. Why not have a transfer station that is operating in the black, instead of being in the red year after year? Now is the time for these decisions in designing and approval of our new transfer station to make that impact our community in a green way for generations to come. 

William S. Kelsey

Sharon 

Remembering Tom Drew

Many people were moved, I’m sure, seeing a photograph in the classifieds recently of Tom Drew, the 91-year-old Salisbury resident, which was on flyers far and wide over the past 10 years with the question, “Have You Seen This Man?”

With Tom Drew going missing, “What Happened?” is the next logical and caring question. Clear accounts are voluntarily given on record and in a deposition of many pages by me, Catherine Paton, his weekend caregiver, and by Mario Zecca, his main caregiver. 

While experienced police investigators have supported the consistency and credibility of my reports, many others have called my account into question. There are various reasons for that, including the quiet, low-energy condition of Tom Drew, who used to do his own mowing and yard work up to a year before his decline from dementia.

Many standards are in place to guide people with appropriate housing and care-giving, but often those are not heeded due to expense, denial of the need, gaps in planning and more.

To help all citizens understand what a police investigation may involve, more education is needed. In most cases, no one should speak to police without an attorney. 

That would include any family or friends who are being questioned by a police officer, whether at one’s home or by phone. It is not ideal, confusion can arise quickly with matters taken out of context, or someone inferring an inconsistency where none exists.

Many innocent people are wrongly arrested, imprisoned until a hearing if they cannot make bail and even convicted wrongly. I would like to extend my sincere apologies to the family and friends of Tom Drew for their pain and suffering.

Even with CNA training and much experience, no one alerted me to the risk of wandering given Tom Drew’s mental health condition, even though he had gone out a month or so prior, to a bridge in his backyard. I was encouraged to let him have some independence, and he was being left alone for not only hours but most Saturday nights until I insisted I be able to stay. 

There is a discrepancy as to whether the Drew sisters paid me $50/night or if someone took that money, because I did not get that amount and was told they did not want me to stay even for free.

But that is what I felt was needed and did about 10 times. Precautions such as locks on the door and a fence that the person could not open alone, indoor monitoring systems such as an intercom, door and chair alarms would have been helpful.

Each such case could have an online site for all caregivers to review, to increase a team approach in implementing preventive measures. 

Please take time on July 21 to remember Tom Drew in positive ways for his many talents. And we must also watch out for ourselves, those in our care and our community. I cover many ideas along those lines on livfully.org and welcome input.

Catherine Palmer Paton 

Falls Village

Denial of free and open debate

If Fred Baumgarten’s letter last week was meant to be a defense of liberalism on college campuses, it instead showed what’s wrong with liberalism. It’s more about denigration than persuasion. Mr. Baumgarten took great exception to Wake Forest Professor James Otteson’s recent local talk (and the Journal’s coverage of it, July 6), in which the professor pointed out that conservative voices and ideas are stifled on campus.

According to Baumgarten, this is just a “sweeping generalization” of “conservative victimology,” which has to be “taken on faith” from a highly dubious source — that is, an assumed right-wing professor. In fact, the problem is so longstanding, widespread and well-documented that to deny it is like denying climate change.

Baumgarten denigrated the professor personally, referring to “his ilk” as “arrogant” since they control all three branches of government. The professor, of course, doesn’t control government, but it seems that if your perceived party is in power, you lose the right to complain about anything. (Tell that to Democrats next time they’re in control.) Worse, if you are labeled right-wing, you are unsavory by definition.

Helen Klein Ross, in an op-ed and earlier letter, noted that some far-right speakers are beyond the pale. True, but the issue is about banishing mainstream speakers. To concentrate on the fringe is to obscure the larger point. Ross claimed that Ann Coulter staged her proposed Berkeley talk a while ago just to boost her book sales. How does Ross know that? Intuition? Far-left website? Publisher’s records? Even if it was true, it’s beside the point.

The point is that the experiences of Otteson and Coulter are common. Using violence, intimidation and misrepresentations, the left tries to stifle free speech. It happens to right-wing commencement speakers, to others like Coulter and to faculty and students who aren’t liberal enough. The list is long.

Nor is “victimology” the province of the right, as Baumgarten claims. It’s been the province of the left at least since the 1960s. A recent form of it includes the claim that just hearing an opposition opinion causes victimhood, that is, “Her speech upsets me, my agenda or my world view, therefore it is hate speech and she can’t appear.”

Left-wing educators agree with this, participate in it, or just go along with it, offering half-hearted objection at best. Defenders like Ross and Baumgarten theorize about free speech and deride conservatives as opportunists. It’s all denial.

 The Lakeville Journal itself got into the act by using the liberal media’s parenthetical language of invalidation. The Otteson article stated that he chose to discuss “the scourge (he asserts) of political correctness on college campuses.” It also referred to the “so-called PC culture.”

The press uses this “so they claim” tactic to diminish or invalidate right-wing individuals and issues, but such qualifiers cannot whitewash the problem. However you report it or defend it, it is undeniable that many on the left do not want free and open debate. They want to cancel debate. 

Mark Godburn

North Canaan

Legislature must vote on budget

On Tuesday, July 11, my caucus and I provided a comprehensive budget presentation. It was an open presentation to all legislators in the building, senators, representatives, Democrats and Republicans, designed to illustrate the ideas we put forth to reverse the state’s fiscal decline. It is obvious to the most casual observer that these concepts are ready for a vote. All proposal documents can be reviewed at www.cthousegop.com/budget/.

There is a glimmer of hope that there will be a House session on Tuesday, July 18. It has yet to be officially called by Democratic leadership, but it is my sincere hope that we are in Hartford voting on a budget package that day.

The budget I support will close the $5.3 billion deficit without raising taxes, by decreasing government spending and borrowing. Tuesday’s budget proposal is the fourth fully vetted budget that the House Republicans have put forward, with Democratic leadership failing to put forth any proposal.

I must look toward Democratic leadership in this time of fiscal chaos. It is their job to call the House of Representatives into session in order to act on a state budget prior to the close of the fiscal year. We are 12 days past that deadline, which is unacceptable.

Leadership from across the aisle has told us to hold several days open for a possible budget vote. Almost every day in the week leading up to June 30th, the entire legislative body was unsure if it would be called in for a vote. Now we are hearing that there may be a vote next week, but if the track record shows any kind of pattern — I am not going to hold my breath for it to happen.

Am I ready to vote? Yes. If we are called in next week, I will advocate for the solid ideas my caucus has presented about how we can get Connecticut back on the road to prosperity. I have had plenty of time to review all four versions of the Republican budget, and I must say with confidence that the Northwest Corner does fair very well, and I am eager to support these initiatives. The only obstacle preventing this from happening is the failed leadership of the majority party.

It has been an honor to be your voice in Hartford thus far; please know that I am continuing to speak out against the flawed legislative processes while at the same time building relationships and bridges that further benefit our small corner of the state. I encourage you as residents, business owners, parents, and concerned citizens to contact Democratic leadership and urge a vote on the budget, if it has not happened yet.

State Rep. Brian Ohler (R-64) 

North Canaan

Speak out, resist and prevent the impending disaster

It is frightening and infuriating to see the state of affairs of our country. During the Obama administration, I saw hope, some change, more tolerance and a cordial graciousness toward one another. That administration brought an elegance and a cohesive feeling that all people belong to America. Clearly there was more acceptance of another’s culture, ethnicity and beliefs.

We still had terrorist attacks, poverty and governmental problems, but there was a spirit of working together to solve these issues. This has been replaced with rabid fear, anger and of course the bigotry that is rearing its ugly head more than ever.

The Trump administration has brought a new level of suspicion, deception and intolerance that borders on dangerous for our country. The EPA has been rendered almost useless, immigrants are shunned, disrespected and made the scapegoats of this administration, and the many programs that have been cut reduce the quality of life for so many people.

We are Americans, part of a great nation built by immigrants, which seems to have been forgotten by the Trump administration. The erosion of trust and good will toward us by other countries is alarming and absolutely appalling. Who decided that only the elite few could benefit and the rest of Americans could subsist on the crumbs of society?

Their poisonous rhetoric is not acceptable and my fervent hope is we, the people, speak out, resist and prevent the disaster that is happening right before our eyes. 

Gretchen Gordon

Sharon