Railroad Days a rousing success
On behalf of the Board of Selectmen we would like to thank all of those who participated in Railroad Days this year. It was a great success, with fun had by all.
I would like to send out a very special thank you to John Lannen, as well as all the Members of The Railroad Days/Events Committee; Fire Chief Brian Allyn and the members of the Canaan Fire Company; William Minacci and the North Canaan Ambulance Corp; The Town of North Canaan Highway Dept. and the Transfer Station personnel; Our Resident Trooper Spencer Bronson.
I would also like to thank all the civic organizations, churches, local businesses, news media, and radio and the Marine Corp League Northwest Detachment #042, for their involvement with Railroad Days; Mike Reagan for a job well done with organizing the Craft Fair this year and extend a special thanks you to all those who came to enjoy and partake in the activities.
I would also like to thank Jenn Crane and her committee for Family Fun week that we had in June. It was the first time for these events, so hats off to them, and to bigger and better for next year.
Thank you all for your hard work and planning to make this happen and once again, to make it a huge success. Hope to see you all again next year a job well done everyone!
Charles P. Perotti
First Selectman
North Canaan
MacLean book worth a careful read
Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent, if you believe in active citizenship, honest government and effective democracy, the book “Democracy in Chains, The Deep History of The Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America” by Nancy MacLean will shock and open your eyes.
You will discover the history of a plan that’s been underway for decades that is alienating ordinary Americans from the belief that government is a force for good or an institution to protect the general welfare.
You will learn about an ideology focused on “economic liberty” that seeks to convince ordinary Americans that government should not provide for the “General Welfare” as stated in the Constitution but only protect private property. Focused on preserving wealth, avoiding taxes for the super-rich and protecting corporations from responsibility for bad behavior or adverse consequences to society. “Economic liberty” advocates the privatization of all common goods except law enforcement and defense. If successful, this ideology will sow chaos in our society by encouraging the impoverishment of the working and middle class in subservience to the wealthy.
MacLean’s book is a primer on the history and the depth of the ideological and strategic battle now being waged against the American people in the name of property and wealth preservation. You will learn how billionaire Charles Koch has built a movement and devoted millions on educating and infiltrating every sector in our society with his brand of “economic liberty.” He has trained and set loose into local and state governments, Congress and the judiciary thousands of politicians schooled in carrying out an unrelenting campaign against government, pushing the privatization of essential services or governmental austerity in the face of desperate public need, in the name of protecting wealth, the wealth of billionaires, from taxation. Many of these “economic liberty” warriors have been taught to see the government as the enemy rather than a force for good. And, recently, as shown in an investigative report by Jonathan Swan at Axios, the Koch empire has joined forces with Trumpism.
MacLean’s book gives us the full scope of the effort and a richer understanding that property superiority and preservation leads to a fear of majority rule and democracy itself. This enmity for democratic government becomes a mantra for privatization of all public institutions like libraries, hospitals, sanitation and water services.
This school of “economic liberty” sees these institutions as socialistic or advancing socialism. This movement funds a school of politicians who advocate the privatization of virtually all governmental functions including key elements of our social safety net like Medicare and Social Security. They view even these earned benefits as “creeping socialism.”
We need politicians who believe in democracy and see government as a way to improve all our lives and extend the common good so we can all thrive. We face many problems as a nation, problems that take all of us working together to solve. Vigilance in the service of the public good is truly the price of our liberty. Read “Democracy in Chains.”
Leonard Polletta
Lakeville
Hayes and Horn address hunger in CT
On an icy day in January 2020, I stopped at a gas station in Torrington. As I got out of the car, I noticed a man standing near the building. He was not dressed warmly and was noticeably shivering. I asked why he was there. He told me he had lost his job because of the pandemic, and he did not have enough money for food. Hunger is a real problem right here in Connecticut.
Both U.S. Congresswoman Jahana Hayes and State Rep. Maria Horn have been working to alleviate food insecurity.
Congresswoman Hayes voted for the CARES Act, which provided resources for people economically devastated by the pandemic and to reduce hunger. She is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Nutrition Oversight and has worked to provide food for students in school, as too many students eat their only meals at school. She helped pass the Keep Kids Fed Act to provide meals at schools and provide summer food services.
The 5th congressional district has many small farms and Hayes wants these farms to provide food for our schools. She supported the Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act to have better reimbursement for schools which provide healthy meals from fresh farm food rather than pre-assembled processed meals.
In Hartford, State Rep. Maria Horn has also been fighting against hunger. She supported House Bill 5301, which became the Public Act 22-101, which is combating food insecurity in Connecticut public colleges and universities by lowering costs of food and meal plans and providing financial assistance and helping to access more fruit and vegetables. This permitted many students to be able to continue their studies. Horn organized a food bank in June 2020 through the Farmers to Families program with the Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington. She helped distribute 1500 boxes of food to people in the Northwest Corner, where many people had never experienced food insecurity before.
Inflation is causing the cost of food to rise, making the problem of hunger for many families more acute. This fall, Congresswoman Hayes will be on a special task force at the White House on food insecurity.
We are lucky to have both Jahana Hayes and Maria Horn who are addressing the very real problem of hunger in our state.
Liz Piel
Sharon
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