Time Is Running OUT!!!

We got a dumpster load of troubles coming our way.

And we got no one to blame but ourselves.

While we looked the other way, Porky Picard (shown below)

 (A RECENT PHOTO)

used his power and his office to enrich his cronies by using millions of our tax dollars.  Ken Carney (and his company, Baybrook Remodeling) is only the most obvious sucker at the City's teats at this point in time.

The fact is that Porky (and his pigs) are now pulling on a dry well...but that won't stop them.

I don't know if you noticed it, but real estate prices have gone a bit down in the past few years.  But the porkers need their fat, and so (go figure) the values of condos went SKY-HIGH last year (or so the Assessor said).  And we all know the Assessor is non-political, right?  So, condo owners paid about 150% more than in 2009...and we all know that West Haven condo's were selling like hotcakes then, right?

Uh, Right????!!!!!!!!

Well, here's a prediction for y'all.  You'll vote Porky and his pals back in, and then (with apologies to the Rev. Martin Niemöller) :

"First, they raised the taxes on the condos, and I didn't protest because I didn't own a condo;

 Then they raised the taxes on the apartments, and I didn't protest because I didn't live in an apartment; 

Then they raised the taxes on the multi-families, and I didn't protest because I didn't live in a multi-family;

Then they raised the taxes on me; but by then there was no one left to protest."

 Next year, when they're all elected, they're coming for US.

Once more Around the Crossing

Sigh...Here we go yet again.

In his latest attempt to boost his reelection chances er, improve the City, Mayor Picard unveiled (with the requisite hoopla and self-promotion) the latest "final" plans for re-inventing our shoreline at the New Haven border.

Of course, Mr. "Stop-&-Shop will never build on Elm Street" (or, if you prefer, Mr. "Wal*Mart will never build on Saw Mill Road") is the same gentleman who killed the last "final" plan for this long-neglected parcel...simply because he didn't like the political affiliations of the builders...and pushed United Illuminating away.

Actually, this "final" plan - in the extremely unlikely event it comes to pass - actually looks pretty good from the City's side.  UNLESS THERE'S SOME "SWEETHEART" TAX BREAKS we haven't been told about.

At this point, I don't give a rat's butt WHO gets the credit; I don't even care that this is a blatant political ploy.

JUST DO IT! 

Exonerated...Not Guilty...Innocent...UNMUZZLED

 

 

 

I had been "muzzled" for over a year (on the advice of legal counsel)...but this has finally been ended.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission, after reviewing some 8 complaints against yours truly (as well as against those elected officials who are - shall we say - not loved by the Picard machine) found me innocent of violating any laws whilst I was Head Moderator for West Haven.  I need not add that I'll never again make the mistake of serving West Haven at the risk of losing my Constitutional right to voice my opinion.  But, the Picard Machine use (and abuse) certain people to do their dirty work: to prevent those THEY CANNOT CONTROL from doing anything good within this town...regardless of any good that might be had for West Haven.

So...I'll be posting again, just to give all of my faithful followers (whether friend or foe) my take on the goings on in West Haven...and Connecticut.

Fasten your seat belts, people: I plan on making this a bumpy ride.

Are we all EQUAL???

We've all seen it.  We've all had to deal with it.  And we can all agree: 

This Winter SUCKS!!!

But... I have to state the TRUTH as I can see it; and that TRUTH is:

Our City workers have done the best they can do, within the politcs they have to deal with.  We have to be patient whilst they catch up with this.

But...There is another side to the WHOLE TRUTH, and that COMPLETE  TRUTH is this:

The TRUTH is that the West Shore Area was cleared by CITY Payloaders THREE WEEKS ago...and have been done TWICE SINCE.  

Since then, some OTHER areas haven't been yet cleared once...including Second Avenue.  I don't have to even go into the DISASTER that is Allingtown.  These facts are the WEST HAVEN TRUTH.

I have made repeated requests to get a reason why this is so.  I have been informed by City officials (off the record) that no explanation is to be given...particularly to me.  Like the Egyptian government, our City government chooses to give information only to its favored sources (like the so-called "Voice" newspaper, which  only will reliably print the "Party Line" without the Party's Rebuttal...not surprising as it is owned by the Party in power).  If you listen carefully, that spinning sound you hear is Colby Driessen's body in his grave: he spent his life challenging the "powers-that-be" to do better for West Haven - no matter the party label; and he's probably blowing his (heavenly) breakfast when he looks down at the political whore his successor has become...and how that whore has perverted his legacy and newspaper.
 

But I have strayed somewhat off the theme off this post.  I merely wish to ask:

• Should we accept that only those in power get better City service than the rest of us?   Shall we meekly accept that (as Orwell predicted) "some...are more equal than others"?  

• Or should everyone share equally in these natural problems?  Should not we boldly demand as one people that (as Jefferson insisted) "all...are created equal"?

Only YOU the VOTER can decide.  And...you won't get the TRUTH from reading "The VOICE".

Either way you WILL choose...and enjoy the winter.

And Another Player Strikes Out! (But WHO?)

 One of the more interesting characteristics of the incoming Malloy administration - at least from the viewpoint of political oddsmakers - is the large number of elected Democrats who have been tapped to fill state administrative positions.

This isn't curious from the Governor-elect's point of view: after nearly two decades of uninterrupted Republican control of the state's administration, the Democrats are understandably rusty...and are thus notably lacking in experienced administrators.

No...what makes this interesting is those elected personages who have been lobbying to get a plum state job...and the associated fallout.

As I reported back in November, a member of West Haven's "elected class" has been making it known that an administrative position, if offered, would be favorably considered.  Since the time of the original report, the Governor-elect has selected a whole bunch of elected officials...but not our own "favorite son".

Hmmmm....

Could it be that our special someone (who hasn't been known for the stickin' out of the political neck) didn't do enough for our new governor whilst he was simply a candidate?  Is it possible that someone has less political pull stateside than believed?

Or is there a deeper, more sinister answer?

This particular "hungry child" was just newly re-elected...and should Steve (oops, my bad!) get the job before being sworn in, state law mandates an election to fill the position.  However, if the state job shows up after noon tomorrow (once he is sworn in), the West Haven Democratic Town Committee chooses his successor...without the chance of a challenge.

Think about it: before tomorrow, there's a chance that  someone could become state representative, who would not be beholden to our Golden Boy (who has chosen his minions wisely).  But, after noon tomorrow, this "danger"  - the danger that the voters get to choose their representative - can't happen.

So, the next few days or weeks will tell the truth of the story.  If our boy gets his plum, you can know the "fix was in":  either between Picard and Malloy directly, or between Picard and Steve...with the implicit cooperation by Malloy.  This would show that our Mayor is better at political conniving than are any of his opponents.

If there isn't a job offered, then it was our hometown kid who whiffed at the plate.  Either way, the Mayor won't lose (as usual)...and his opponents don't win (again, as usual.)

Let's see what we shall see, shall we?

 

Out With the Old, In With the New

Like a kidney stone, 2010 has finally passed.  I wish everyone all the best for 2011!  And in keeping with the season:

Merry Christmas!

In or Out?

Just when ya thought it was safe to go back into the water...

....comes the news that our very favorite shark hasn't really left. (Well, he left December 6th, but he didn't actually leave.  Isn't that all clear now?)

That's right - Der Robber (shown below at a City Council meeting) is still around, helping our "proven Financial Manager" perform his annual Holiday juke-and-jive act (also known as the annual City Audit).

It's gonna be hard to top last year's trained pony show (which I've been told got to #2 on the New York Times' best-selling fiction list).  It was all the more memorable, since both gentlemen are most commonly referred to as the posterior section of the horse...how did they get the front part to work?

But the best part is that he still gets to take a couple of parting pulls from our Fair City's financial breasts.  Word is, he's being paid $75.00 per hour for his wizardry (on nights & weekends, of course...he took on a job in Norwalk, trying to save that City from the brink of financial stability ruin). Ya gotta wonder what Tom Hamilton, who constantly clashed with our boy, thinks of this.

Maybe the Bobster simply needs the  extra pin money...after all, how many towns have the financial cojones to pay him $140,000 per year?  Besides West Haven, that is. 

And Another One Leaves the Boat

 

The recent news that Robert ("der Robber") Barron has resigned as our Finance Director could be seen as good  news, as he was one of my favorite people.  

But, this vacancy in our Financial Department should raise some eyebrows, as it gives rise to some interesting speculations while at the same time poses critical problems for our "proven financial manager":

• WHY did he choose to leave when he did?  The City's AUDIT should be in the last stages of preparation (yeah, RIGHT!)...is it possible that even he couldn't hide the gaping wounds caused by the "Friends of Picard Contracting & Employment Agency"?

• What will this vacancy mean for our near-term financial future?  Remember, the main function of the Finance Office is to spend our tax dollars (whether those dollars come from the City, from the State, or from Washington...they still come from US).  Who is working to lock down state and federal monies...and who is putting the brakes on City spending?

 To sum this up, "Papa John" can't ask his rich aunt Jodie or her Daddy Sam for any more money; he's on his own.  This means he will have to cut out many of the goodies he's been doling out to his political allies (goodies paid for by taxpayers).

This will make the next year verrrrrry eenterestink! (apologies to the late great Arte Johnson)   MY BAD... I've been advised that Mr. Johnson is still very much alive..now that the gravy train is running out of juice, will john-boy come back for another season?  Stay tuned.....

Let's Let'em KNOW!

UPDATE (12/15/2010 8:00 PM EST) - The Senate has passed the Obama Tax Compromise.  Both our Senators voted for passage.

OK...here are the facts behind the Obama Tax Cut Deal (now known as H.R. 4853).  I'll let you decide if this is worth your money (or your kids' future).

First of all, here is what I'm basing this on:  the Congressional Budget Office has published its Report on how much this will cost us.   In short, this bill has a price tag of:

$892,852,000,000.00 

over the next five years.

This means that, as soon as the President signs this bill, every living American - man, woman, baby - will owe $2,908.00...money that has to be eventually repaid.  This comes to a cost of just under $600.00 every year through 2015. A family of 4 incurs $2,400.00 every year.

So, what is each of us paying for?  Here is the breakdown in the costs for every individual American over each of the next 5 years:

 Now, bear in mind that this is the cost for every American, whether working or not...better put that 2 year old to work!

Now, for this extra debt, a person making $60,000 per year gets nothing over what was received for the past ten years.  Had the Bush tax cuts (which should now be labelled the OBAMA tax cuts) expired, that $60,000 income would have resulted in about $600.00 in higher taxes.

If you think this is a bad deal, you have only one option: LET YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS KNOW!  Here are the ways for West Haven residents to contact our Senators, Representative DeLauro...and the President:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3) (Click Link for email)

      59 Elm Street, New Haven, CT  06510                                  Tel 203-562-3718

     2413 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC  20515                           Tel 202-225-3661

Sen. Chris Dodd (D - CT) (Click Link for email)

      30 Lewis Street, Suite 30, Hartford, CT  06103                     Tel 800-258-6940

     448 Russell Bldg, Washington, DC  20510                              Tel 202-334-5341

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I - CT)  (Click Link for email)

      One Constitution Plaza, 7th Floor, Hartford, CT  06103         Tel 800-225-5605

     706 Hart Office Bldg, Washington, DC  20510                       Tel 202-224-4041

President Barack Obama (D?)  (Click Link for email)

     The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW                 Tel  202-456-6213
      Washington, DC 20500 

These are the emails, phone numbers and addresses for voter comments only.

Make your voice HEARD NOW...or pay for your silence later.

 

Time to Rant

NOTE:  I'll be posting shortly about our lately-departed Finance Director (who was - as everyone knows - one of my greatest admirers)...stayed tuned for that.  But in the meantime, I gotta let this one out.

Way back in December of 2007,  I made it known to my political associates that I favored the junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.  Well, I got my innards ripped out that night by the Hillary supporters.  As it turned out, I had the last laugh....or so I thought.

I am extremely liberal on social issues...but at the same time I am conservative on fiscal matters.  I believed (or dare I say that I had the Audacity to HOPE) that Obama was the ideal I had always wanted.

But, the deal recently struck to extend the 2001 George W. Bush tax cuts fails on both of my personal standards:

• By extending these tax cuts for the wealthiest 2%, Mr Obama agreed to unnecessarily add to our childrens' debt, without any material public benefit.  We should only put a mortgage on our house if there is good reason to do so; and for too long - 40 years, in fact - we have been mortgaging ourselves without a second's thought to the possible consequences.  It is far overdue for us to put our finances in order...and this agreement does more to de-stabilize our financial situation (albeit with a "promise" of future benefit - which has been vehemently refuted almost unanimously by reputable financial experts and economists).

• This agreement does nothing to provide for those who in my judgment are those in greatest need of government assistance: the long-term unemployed.  The so-called "extension" of benefits serves only those who are currently receiving unemployment benefits.  There are millions who - because of this prolonged and severe recession - have lost their unemployment benefits, even as economic conditions have kept most from getting new jobs.  And yet, the tax money given to the richest 2% among us could pay for 2 years' worth of benefits to these long-term unemployed.

This agreement, then, is a "lose-lose" proposition no matter how you come at it or how you look at it going forth.  It adds to our country's debt, without solving any of our major national needs.  Advocates of this plan can only ask for our faith that this deal will eventually help in some undefined way in the hope that it will benefit us in some equally-undefined future time.

The time for hope and faith has passed.  It is now the time for decisive leadership.  Mr. Obama has proven himself incapable of providing that direction.

It is a milksop argument to say that the opposition to his presidency has prevented him from providing that leadership.  He has become the caricature of Gandhi's famous put-down of the British government's point of view.  He said that the leaders' philosophy was: "There goes my people. I must follow them, for I am their leader."

Sixty years ago, Gandhi was spot-on with his analysis; and we know how glorious the British Empire is today, right?

Are we now going to make the same mistakes in the name of political expediency?  Are we REALLY willing to take that risk?

More to the point:

Should we mortgage every American child's future so that our richest need not have to pay back to the Country which allowed them to become so rich in the first place? 

We the people, it was we who voted Obama into office as a  reflection of our sincere desire to change the path of our Country.  

The "Tea Party" movement has a similar desire, though (because it was born by partisan political operatives) with seemingly divergent aims.  But the (apparently opposite) goals of both movements are the the same:  to take back our Government back to "We the people" from "We the Special Interests". 

We haven't gotten anything like that (as yet) from Mr. Obama's administration, or from him personally.

Maybe, just maybe, this "Tea Party" movement is ahead of the wave: a wave we could add to, a wave that could overwhelm and cleanse our federal government.

We'll have the shared luxury of arguing about the next step once our mutual goals are attained. 

D-Day at Last for the G-Man?

It appears that today might be "der Tag" for one of West Haven's "best citizens" (as once described by our Mayor.)

Gene Sullivan is scheduled to appear in court today to answer the charges for his part in connection with the burglary of a Police Commissioner's home.  (I originally posted on this sorry episode waaaaaaay back in March).

What hasn't been fully investigated, though, is the other issues surrounding Mr. S.

As I have repeatedly reported, our boy has steadfastly refused to pay his fair share of car taxes (his cars are registered out-of-state).  Of course, there's a reason:

Apparently, Golden Boy was caught by a contractor hired by the previous assessor (who was promptly fired).  Said case is now tied up in, um, "negotiations" between the City and said contractor.  Apparently, the City can't prosecute this case until this issue is settled...and it seems the City is in no rush to settle.

Hmmmmmm.

UPDATE   According to the State website, the case has been rescheduled for December 16th.  This is now the 18th time the case has been rescheduled.  For crying out loud, the Hayes death penalty murder trial didn't take this long!

Meanwhile, Behind the Scenes...

Just as the voters are beginning to recover from the last bout of Democratic Party infighting (caused by the, um, "retirements" of several long-term incumbents), secure in the knowledge that the next round won't start until next summer...

Whispers have been heard that a long-time politico has made it known that he's looking for a state job under the incoming Malloy administration.  These whispers have been heard by all of the power factions; I can just guess at the plans and ploys being formulated:  since should this state job happen, that will open yet another front in the never-ending uncivil war between the Democrats.  Word is that the phone lines between here and the Secretary of State's Office have been going hot and heavy, as various hopefuls - I've heard of at least four - seek to design the beginnings of a plan.

More importantly, it just might end up with yet another election for West Haven.  [SIGH....]

 

He's BAAAAACK!

Well, as threatened, West Haven Bob is back from a self-imposed exile...and with a few changes added in.

I plan on expanding my fields of commentary to beyond West Haven alone...although my fair burg here provides more than enough grist for my opinionated tastes.  It just seems that there are so many more dumb politicians out there than usual; and sometimes I just can't help myself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

See you all on Monday!

How Things Work Around Here These Days

As Ah-nold once said, 

"Ah'll be BACH!"

West Haven Bob will be returning after the November elections... 

(Part 1) Slapping the dog because he barked

"Before you can know where you're heading, you need to know where you were and where you're at.  THEN, and only then, can you see if you're off course from where you want to be."

Daniel Dean Symmes, Jr. (1927-1985) spoken to the author

It seems to be the current fashion in national politics today...and here in West Haven we are (as we always seem to be) ahead of the fashion wave...to attack the failings of the messenger, rather than discuss the message.;

This little "juke-and-jive" act (or what my grandmother (1891-1967)  would have called a "bull-puck"; she chose lesser animals' "pucks" depending on the flagrancy of the particular lie, starting with "bird") has been known for nearly 5,000 years as a lie.

But back then, they called it a "fallacy"...which is a fancy word for a lie. And a lie it was 5,000 years ago, and a lie it is today...for TRUTH is eternal, and TRUTH exists beyond any power of us poor mortals to change it.

But...there exists - at least for now in this country - a TEMPORARY truth, known as "opinion".  We seem to have taken opinion  - O'Reilly, Beck, Olberman, and so on - as Gospel truth, solely because these "opinionators" say the words we want to hear.  

Those who oppose  the pronouncements of our "Great Sayers of the Truth" are attacked -- not because the validity of their argument: oh no,  they are attacked (when they are permitted to state their opposition)  as idiots or lackeys (lackeys of either the ruling class or the welfare class...take your pick, depending on the viewpoint of the show's host or network).  And any opposing viewpoints are either filtered out or are shouted down.

The liberals were late to this game, but they are now shamefully adept at it.

Part II: Slapping YOU in the face -- to follow.

.  

The First steps are the toughest

 

Sometimes, I'm just at a loss for words. (OK, it doesn't happen all that often).

But the recent fiasco regarding the arbitrated police contract was such a time...because at every point, our elected officials failed us.

• WHY was this proposed agreement kept from the Council until the last minute?  Was there something to hide?

• WHY wasn't either Our Proven Financial Leader or his assigned lap-attack dog, Der Barren, able to provide any proofs of their arguments?  Did they WANT this agreement to fail?

•  DID THE COUNCIL DO THE MAYOR'S DIRTY WORK?

There's something else going on here...I can't see who dealt it, but I know I smell it. 

Shattered Lives

Kids can be cruel...and kids can be fragile.

A 15 year old girl in Massachusetts, Phoebe Prince, took her life after what has been called "an unrelenting series of harassment" by other students.  Now, 9 of these students are accused of crimes associated with this tragedy.  One life is irrevocably lost, and nine more may be irrevocably ruined...because adults didn't or couldn't do their jobs.  Click here to hear an insightful radio article on this issue.

I have heard from a family from West Haven about a bullying instance that is all too similar to the recent tragedy in Massachusetts.  Thank God, our child's parents were able to discern this problem, and the system seems to be responding correctly.

We shouldn't expect kids to fully understand the implications of what they do....because they're kids. 

But we must expect the adults in the school to be sensitive to such situations, and to intervene to ameliorate the issue (and to correct those who have caused the problem).

Part of the problem is the dual role we assign our educators:  in loco parentis  - Latin for "in the position of the parents" - has been replaced (mainly by legal decision) by in loco provitor: "in the place of the caretaker".  In short, the authority of our schools has been reduced to the level of babysitters.  And we wonder why our kids "isn't" learning?

We ask too much of our educators:  we demand that they: (a) make all our kids learn, when some of them aren't motivated to learn;  and (b) simultaneously keep enough control to give those students (who are motivated to learn) the opportunity to do so.  At the same time, we decline to provide the education system the tools to enforce these two goals.  And, again I ask, we wonder why our children "isn't" learning?

Even more importantly, we have no way to educate our children about the value of the diversity which has  made this country the best on earth.  Kids naturally tend to aggregate with those who are most like themselves: this is only natural at that time of their lives.  Things are changing which they don't fully understand; those who are experiencing different changes - or are experiencing the same changes at a different rate (or who are dealing with these changes with less difficulty) are singled out and despised as "different", and thus are "fair game" for being made fun of.  This reaction will come easily to children, who are unexpectedly insecure about the changes going on in their young lives.

But we as adults have already have experienced this same insecurity; we should be able to educate our young as to how to channel this insecurity into productive channels.  And we have failed in this responsibility.

And what about this Westie kid...who expected and deserved assistance from the teachers in this environment (including the administrators)?????  What scars will this child bear through life, thanks to the West Haven Public Education System?  Is this the future we want in this town?  Is this the future we want to build?  And how many more of these futures are we creating?

The small bits of information I've received about our local problem have cut me to the heart, because I was the victim of bullying while I was in school.  I made the damnable sin of insisting on befriending the least attractive of my class-mates; I refused to join in with the general denunciation  and ridicule of the "class faggot" (remember, this was the '60's and '70's).  I also had the unforgivable sin of being a nerd: I was into computers, math and science well before they were "cool".  I was also thrown into a new environment, in middle school, after a lifetime of a very steadily unchanging environment.  To put it simply, I didn't adapt well.  That's the short story.

I had the advantage - like our current West Haven student - of a strong family environment.  I survived (though I will never attend a school reunion!)

But how many kids in West Haven are out there, experiencing the same Hell, but who haven't the same family foundation?  How many more shattered young lives are we to accept?  And, are we ready to accept the consequences and future costs of these lost children?

For those who want to hear more,  I have many more papers on this matter; email me for this info.

That Old shakedown

You'd think they'd have learned by now.

Last night's meeting at the high school drew a capacity crowd of citizens angered by the Education plan to lay off 54 teachers and close Molloy and Thompson schools.  This little gem of a plan was hatched  by our very own $155,000.00-a-year genius, Superintendent Neil Cavallaro:

Leaving aside all the emotional considerations (for the moment), there's some hard facts that have to be faced.  First of all, it's no secret that school boards around the state and all over the country are facing declining student enrollment, declining tax revenues, and skyrocketing costs.  So it cannot be argued that West Haven's schools are facing a real crisis.

Having said that, it's also true that the steps proposed by Cavallaro to address this problem should properly be the last option: before we start cannibalizing our assets, we should first attack our costs.  

We should look at the bloated administration staff at Ogden Street: a mare's nest of petty patronage jobs and over-compensated individuals.

We should look at finding savings in non-essential programs:  perhaps requiring athletic teams to pay for equipment and the upkeep of the physical plant (such as Ken Strong Stadium, Bennett Rink, and so on).

We should be able to open discussions with the various unions to investigate possible savings in health and pension costs (that is, we should if our administrators were acting in good faith; and it's clear that they're doing everything possible to avoid that.)

We should also look at the costs of closing these schools and the loss of these teachers.  West Haven received millions in grant money to upgrade these schools...money that will have to be repaid if these schools are closed.  We will lose the inestimable future value of these young, dedicated teachers of our children.  And how much fuel and time will be wasted carting kids willy-nilly all over the City?  And how much additional costs will be incurred helping these kids to become acclimated to a new school,  new friends, and new teachers?

The administration seems to think of our schools like a warehouse:  it's one thing to ship a bunch of boxes from one location to another.  But our children are living, thinking, and vulnerable human beings: the intangible cost of this proposed upheaval has to be considered.

It is obvious that this dog of a plan is likely to end up costing the taxpayer - in real dollars and indirectly -  for many years to come.  And so, the plan should be shelved, and the administration be directed to explore other means of saving the money necessary to continue their vital mandate of properly educating our most precious asset: our children and our future. 

Sadly, though, it's also obvious that this ill-advised route has been chosen.  The powers-that-be will give vent to the righteous anger of the people, nod sagely and make comforting statements about how they understand and feel this pain...and then will do whatever they damned well please.