some west hartford news

psssssssssttttttt - as i've mentioned before WE (the employees of my company) didn't get raises this year either. i'm not liking that, but i like it a whole heck of a lot better than NOT having a job (or my coworkers not having a job)

West Hartford Union Agrees To Wage Freeze

By BILL LEUKHARDT |The Hartford Courant

April 4, 2009

WEST HARTFORD — - The first of the town's employee unions has tentatively agreed to a wage freeze, a request town leaders have made to all unions to help save money and jobs during a cash-poor time and a projected $6 million revenue shortfall in next year's proposed budget.

The Service Employees International Union, its 187 members making it the largest of the town's municipal unions, will soon vote on a proposal to accept a wage freeze, interim town manager Ronald F. Van Winkle said Friday.

SEIU spokesman Matt O'Connor said Friday that the membership will vote April 15 on a proposal but that he could not provide details......

wow, that's some gift

good for yale! (i would have liked it to be a scholarship fund - perhaps earning interest, but whatever.......50 mill is 50 mill)

$50 Million Gift To Create International Studies Institute At Yale

By REGINE LABOSSIERE |The Hartford Courant
NEW HAVEN — - Yale University has received an "astonishing" $50 million gift to establish a new international studies institute to encourage students to pursue careers in diplomacy and global affairs.

The gift, announced Friday by university President Richard Levin, was from John W. Jackson, a 1967 Yale graduate, and his wife, Susan. University officials said the donation is one of the single-largest the university has received. They called it an inspiration during a rough economy and said the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs would make Yale even more competitive than it already is.

University officials had been in talks since last summer with Jackson and his wife, who live in New Jersey, but they weren't sure until Wednesday that the gift would become a reality.

"I was thrilled and surprised," Levin said. "And that really speaks to the loyalty and generosity of these donors. That, in times of economic hardship, that they would make an impressive donation. It will be an inspiration to students and faculty."...

i saw what you did

i know you didn't see me. i was standing in the back yard between my dad's house and the house next door. i was smokin' a butt. you were pushing a wheel chair in which a very impaired man sat. walking in front of you (and with great difficulty) were two other people who were also impaired.

i watched you for a few seconds. then i saw what you did. you took your hand and you gently stroked the head of the man in the wheelchair. i couldn't hear if you said anything to him or not. i couldn't see your lips and i couldn't hear you. in my mind you said something soothing to him though.

as you passed and i could no longer see you from my vantage point, i walked up to the front of the yard. guess what? i saw you stroke his head again!


(there IS hope and there IS good)

i'm not exactly sure how they got my email address

the new haven citizens' action network that is BUT i think i rather LIKE this idea:

the email follows:

Press Release Press Release Press Release


From: New Haven Citizens’ Action Network (NHCAN) www.nhcan.org


For Immediate Release



Date: Monday, March 30, 2009



Grassroots Group Stimulates Economy With “Lotto Sales Receipt” Proposal

New Haven, Conn. - Jeffrey Kerekes, a steering committee member of the New Haven Citizens’ Action Network (NHCAN) released a proposal today to help stimulate Connecticut’s economy and increase State revenues to close the deficit and aid large Cities with increased aid from the State. Kerekes’ proposal would turn each sales receipt into a lotto ticket in an effort to not only increase reporting of current sales but to bring shoppers into the State. “We have all seen or suspected instances where sales were not being recorded,” Kerekes reports, “That is lost money to the State.” Kerekes argues that if the State were to sell the register tape to all stores in Connecticut with lotto numbers pre-printed on them, “consumers would demand receipts with each purchase,” he added.

Retailers and restaurants would continue to pay for the register receipt paper rolls, only they would buy them from the State with preprinted lotto numbers on them. The State would then hold a drawing on a monthly or quarterly basis with cash or other prizes for people with winning lotto numbers. Kerekes believes that providing a percentage of the winning ticket to the store that sold it would make the initiative more palpable to store owners. Store owners with a lot of sales would have better odds given the volume of sales – a win-win for everyone. Further variations could include introducing this with a small increase in the sales tax. The State could mail lotto tickets to people who self-report online purchases, bringing in additional dollars. This can stimulate the economy – “shopping could even be a little fun when you have a chance to win big for everyday purchases”. The Sate can win big by bringing in currently unreported sales and enticing shoppers from other states to spend their money in Connecticut.

“This should cost almost nothing to implement,” Kerekes predicts. “The State is already set up to run lotteries so the only new burden would be to print and sell register tapes and sell them to businesses. The cost of doing this could easily be paid for out of increased revenues. While hopefully unnecessary, consumers could even be fined for leaving a store having made a purchase without a receipt if you wanted to enhance reporting and remove incentives to keep transactions off the books.

The New Haven Citizens’ Action Network is a grass roots group concerned with financial sustainability. We believe by assisting the state in its ability to raise revenues, it can lead to better assistance to its Cities. NHCAN believes in an open, transparent government, one that listens to the voice of the citizens it represents. Visit www.nhcan.org for more information.