The town of Winchester makes for interesting reading at times, but it cannot compare to the state of Connecticut when it comes to fiscal problems.
Our beloved state doesn’t seem to realize that its citizens are financially hurting due to two obvious issues: the price of a gallon of gasoline and the upcoming season for a gallon of heating oil, which I’m told is already more than $4.
The state of Connecticut, its lawmakers, could have easily eased the gas tax to some extent by reducing the 67-cent tax per gallon tax by 5 cents through the summer and busy travel months.
We are told that Connecticut is the most heavily taxed state in the nation and I believe it. I’m only saying that because it’s what I hear from broadcasters and what I read in the newspapers.
And then, what are we to think when we’re told that the state was going to wind up the year with a surplus and shortly thereafter we are told that the state was going to wind up with a deficit. That deficit has brought an order from the governor that a hiring freeze was in effect.
u u u
Under the circumstances, that was the only thing our governor could do, as I believe the state is the biggest employer in Connecticut.
I hope that I’m wrong with this statement but I’ve been told that one can work for the state for 10 years, then retire and be eligible for free medical care for whenever. If that is so, it certainly is a great benefit.
I certainly do realize that being a member of the General Assembly is a difficult position to fill, but when one is sitting in a chair to take part in state business, one has a responsibility to constituents who put them there. While 5 cents a gallon can be described as peanuts, it certainly can help when taxpayers are being belted with ever increasing property taxes to foot the bill for education.
u u u
Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, was a day I will long remember. It had great meaning to me, as I served as a grand marshall, along with Warren Sullivan. We rode atop a beautiful convertible, which was the best seat in the house.
The ride down Main Street was the real treat, however, as it gave me the opportunity to see hundreds of spectators applauding the veterans as they marched down the street.
And there were so many thank-yous directed at the veterans on the march that it was actually unbelievable .
Mayor Kenneth Fracasso said it all with a statement like this: "Memorial Day serves as a time to preserve remembrances for those who gave their lives so that we may live in a free nation. The town of Winchester holds the honor and memory of those who served in the wars and services of the United States of America in the highest esteem.
"Memorial Day is a time for all Americans to stop and pay the highest honor to those who, by their sacrifice, have pursued the freedom we are blessed with today."
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 296 in Winsted did themselves proud on this day of remembrances and support for our military serving in points all over the world.
When you hear spectators utter nothing but praise for this special event, you know there are Americans out there who support our military despite the bad stuff that we occasionally hear.
u u u
Strange but true: In ancient China, one fairly common method of suicide was to eat a pound of salt.
Those who study such things claim that the common housefly can give you 30 different diseases.
u u u
Flying out of retirement: Airline pilots who have retired at the mandatory age of 60 are now being recruited back into the workforce as the shortage of pilots will be helped by a new federal law, approved by Congress in December, that raised the age to 65. This new legislation offers pilots, whose passion is flying, the potential to resume satisfying work in retirement.
Bob McCarthy is a former editor of the Winsted Evening Citizen.
