The ACLU and the preservation of democracy
Many of us are searching for ways we can protect and preserve our democracy under the onslaught of the past 100 days, as President Donald Trump has tested every limit, abused every power, and exploited every loophole to silence dissent, disenfranchise marginalized communities, and erode our rule of law.
We recently attended a talk given by the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut. The ACLU is a nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. It advocates for and defends individual liberties and civil rights through litigation, lobbying, and public education. The ACLU is in courts and communities across the country to protect everyone’s rights. We were delighted to learn of their effectiveness.
In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, it filed 110 legal actions. More than 1 million ACLU community members have taken action since Election Day, more than 14,000 have been trained as volunteers, and more than 150 Know Your Rights trainings have been held across the country.
With a small staff of just 17, the folks here in Connecticut have been working hard to protect our residents. They are focusing on issues both national and specific to Connecticut, such as protecting our personal data, having the shield law include telehealth, protecting Medicare and Social Security, strengthening the Trust Act, working to fully fund the implementation of the Connecticut Voting Rights Act, early voting, and no-excuse absentee voting and protecting foreign students with valid visas from deportation. They could use all the help they can get.
I know I came away from their talk feeling that there are positive actions I can take to help preserve our precious democracy.
We are not powerless with the help of the ACLU! You can learn more here www.acluct.org.
Mary Close Oppenheimer
Salisbury
Why do billionaires attack the most vulnerable?
Our president is a billionaire as are many of the people advising him and in his cabinet.It is curious why people who have so much money would spend so much time attacking programs which help the most vulnerable.
Cutting programs like Meals on Wheels for the elderly will hurt seniors who do not have enough money for food.Cutting the HeadStart program would hurt young children with working parents who need instruction to prepare them for kindergarten. Cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, means many families will need to go to food pantries to put food on the table.
The administration is pushing for more private school vouchers paid for by taxes raised to support public schools.This leaves our public schools short of funds for educating our children. The administration is trying to make huge cuts to Medicaid, used by almost one million people in Connecticut.Medicaid funds patients in nursing homes, hospitals, and is the only healthcare available for millions of vulnerable Americans.
They want to cut Medicaid to fund a huge tax cut for the billionaires including for those in the administration. It is puzzling why these billionaires need a tax break, would they even notice the difference to their bottom line?
Lizbeth Piel
Sharon
Streamlined DOT process draws praise
InHartford last week a history making event happened. I refer to the U.S. Department of Transportation and state DOT signing a cooperative agreement.
The agreement’s purpose will allow a projected time saved of six weeks for major projects.There are 90 infrastructure projects in the hopper.Some are:The Gold Star Bridge, the rapid transit system in New Haven and the Metro-North Railroad customer service.
The U.S. DOT touted the agreement as “the first of it’s kind in the nation.”
The streamlined process involves bringing multiple federal agencies (the federal Highway Dept, federal Transit Administration and federal Railroad Administration) collaborating with the Connecticut DOT, the Connecticut State Historical Preservation Office, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
The agreement delegates certain responsibilities to the state DOT to evaluate historical properties and delve into potential impacts with th 1966 National Preservation Act — a common sense approach to regulationand state rights. Time and costs of projects can escalate when applications pass from agency to agency and include public comment delays.
Deputy U.S.Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury heralded the agreement’s efficient solution to streamlining the regulatory process. State DOT Commissioner Garritt Eucalitto praised the collaboration and support from U.S. DOT which will ultimately reduce project costs.
This first in the nationpartnering adds toU.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 100 Days of Accomplishment and President Trump’s Golden Age of America crusade.
Joe Agli
Kent
Kudos to sports photog
From a retired photojournalist: I realize that Riley Klein is the managing editor, but he is also an excellent sports photographer. Keep him shooting.
Christopher Little
Norfolk
