Woodstock CT Café

The graphs below reflect the pattern of day-to-day activity from January 1 to today. The table at the left provides the total number of page turns (clicks) and individual visits to the Cafe distinguished by IP path since January 1. These numbers are underestimates.

The Death Penalty Bill that passed in the State Legislature:

Issues: Death Penalty
Date: 05/13/2009

Bill Passed (House) – 90-56 and Vetoed By Gov. Rell
Bill Loftus would vote YES and Mike Alberts voted NO

Democrats voted 85 YES and 26 NO
Republicans voted 5 YES and 30 NO

Full text of this bill: http://www.votesmart.org/billtext/25696.htm

Synopsis

This bill renames the crime of capital felony as murder with special circumstances, eliminates the death penalty as a sentencing option for crimes committed starting on the bill’s effective date, and makes the penalty for this new crime life imprisonment without the possibility of release. Under current law, the penalty for a capital felony is either the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

Highlights

-Changes the term “capital felony” to “murder with special circumstances” (Sec. 1).

-Mandates that crimes considered to be murder with special circumstances will have the penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of release and eliminates the death penalty (Sec. 2).

-Any capital felony committed prior to the effective date of this measure is subject to death penalty (Sec. 5a).

State Assemby Districts

click to enlarge

Here is the list of legislatures and their vote:
District Name Party Vote
1 Rep. Kenneth Green Democratic NV (no vote)
2 Rep. Jason Bartlett Democratic Y (Yes)
3 Rep. Minnie Gonzalez Democratic Y
4 Rep. Kelvin Roldan Democratic Y
5 Rep. Marie Lopez Kirkley-Bey Democratic Y
6 Rep. Hector Robles Democratic N (No)

Read the rest of this entry »

from Newcomer

I think I see where you intended to go with the line of thought about intermingling of religious views and political views (to Kos). However, some of your analogies aren’t exactly a perfect fit. The Puritans came to this land because of differences in HOW they worshipped; ie. they were seeking the right to worship their God “in their own fashion”. Among our Founding Fathers, there were a few who did not practice a particular denomination but most of them believed in God in general. And they recognized, as you point out, that they needed to also provide for the freedom to abandon a belief in God if one so chose. There have been entire books written about what the framers intended and did not intend, but I feel that they intended to see to it that atheists and agnostics were not persecuted for non-belief/uncertainty. Further they intended that one Judeo-Christian denomination, be it Anglican, Puritan, Catholic (et. al) not become the reigning law of the land as the Church of England had in Great Britain, whereby Christians of other denominations were subject to persecution. This is how it is now in the case of Sharia law and fundamental Islam. Just as there are various denominations of Christianity, there are various denominations of Islam and Judaism. Imagine if Sharia law were the law of the land in the U.S. (God-forbid). If we stoned to death everyone who committed adultery, we’d have few financial woes because we’d have few citizens left in no time. I won’t go into my peeve about how they stone women adulteresses to death but rarely males. That’s an example of where a religious law is being used as a cover for men to kill off a wife they don’t want anymore. Same for these so-called “honor killings”. How come we rarely hear about a son being killed because he violated his family’s honor? But this is a perfect example of what I think you’ve been saying you’re fearful of (and rightly so) namely that when a religious sect gets hold of governmental power, in time and with enough power and fear tactics, they come to pick and choose who lives and who dies for whatever reasons they fancy. But don’t you see that the only thing protecting us from such a horrendous situation is if we outlaw killing in general and only make exceptions for those “gray areas” you and I bantered about last week; those instances where it’s still wrong to kill but because of difficult circumstances, it is not criminal to kill if certain conditions exist (such as self-defense to name one). I don’t feel that such laws should be based on one particular denonmination either but our society is now sorely lacking in this one area of morality pertaining to life. Read the rest of this entry »

from Kos 

My concern about the intermingling of politics and life issues is that it allows for factional bias and intolerance that can stranglehold those who share different beliefs (remember, this is why the Puritans came to this country) and manipulate political parties into legislating these differences. The freedoms that individual Americans enjoy in making their own decisions about these important issues is jeopardized when fascist intolerance takes the reign of politics. This, too me, is so un-American-not only because it places limits on freedom, but because its done under the presumption that the government knows best.

Ironically, Republicans, who supposedly disdain “big government”, have made huge ties with the religious “right” in this country who would, like you, insist on government legislating on moral issues because they believe that their morals are absolute, while everyone else’s is relative. Some Republican politicians support this big government because they share the same beliefs and others because they see a huge voting pool to exploit.

In the past, the Republican party was proud of their “big tent” of diverse members-however in the last 10 years they have forged bonds with the double edged sword of religiosity. The big tent now has a pointy steeple on it with a misspelled sign that warns strangers to keep out. I believe that this sets a dangerous precedent on several fronts, however, most importantly, a free-thinking, moderate independent with fiscally conservative values, no longer has a comfortable spot in the party. This notable lack of moderation in the Republican party is responsible for their obstructiveness and their polarizing rhetoric, which is disheartening to the many independent centrists in this country who want everyday problems solved. Read the rest of this entry »

from Newcomer

My definition of a true conservative is someone who does not abandon the conservative beliefs that they claim to espouse in order to conform to a.) popular opinion on an issue, b.) their party’s platform, or c.) to gain financial backing from a corporation, union, pac, or other special interest entity. I’m sure I could think of some other reasons that do not justify abandoning one’s beliefs and principles but there are a few off the top of my head.

I’ll give you an example. You know that life issues are a biggie for me and my views regarding life issues are conservative to say the least. A major reason why I have never joined either of the two major political parties is because both parties get it “right” and get it “wrong” (for lack of better terms) when it comes to life issues. A true pro-life stance does not only concern abortion. It also pertains to end of life issues (euthanasia) as well as beginning of life issues. It also applies to the death penalty and to war. These are all areas where life vs. death decisions must be made. A line must be drawn somewhere in each of these areas in an effort to maintain law and order; so determinations must be made to declare that in some instances, an action that takes a life is not a criminal offense.

I feel there’s a real inconsistency between and among both of the 2 major political parties with regard to these life issues. That’s a major reason why I’ve never become a member of either party. Republicans (as a party) generally claim to be pro-life and by that, they generally mean that they are anti-abortion. Of course, there are individuals who take exception to this but that’s another discussion. Yet, these pro-lifers also favor war and some also favor the death penalty. Is that really a true pro-life stance then? To me, it is not. Democrats (again as a party in general) are anti-war but have no objection to the legality of abortion procedures. And again, we can point to individuals who are exceptions, but my point is that neither party is truly pro-life.

Each party prefers to pick and choose their stance on an issue that I feel does reflect a moral absolute. I know you disagree with me on absolutes and we probably shouldn’t open that whole debate up again. Regardless, I have a real problem with one party having sympathy for innocent victims of war but not innocent babies and another party going the complete opposite way and having sympathy for innocent babies but not innocent victims of war. Life should be respected by all and highly valued by all. It’s the height of arrogance for human beings to play god in these matters and reduce the issue of another human being’s very existence to political ping pong.

If you’re truly anything, conservative, liberal, whatever, then you don’t drop-kick your belief system, morals, and principles whenever the wind blows in from a different direction.

William Jenkins, Campaign Treasurer for Mike Alberts. MR. JENKINS: “Good morning, Everyone. My name is Bill Jenkins. I have been serving as the treasurer for various campaigns and political committees for the past 12 years. Most recently I served as the treasurer for State Representative, Mike Alberts’ campaign committee in 2006 and in 2008 (and in 2010). I have been a member of the Chaplin Republican Town Committee for the past eleven years and have served as the Republican Registrar of Voters in Chaplin since 2006.  I have represented the 35th Senatorial District on the Republican State Central Committee for the past ll years and was elected Secretary of the Committee in 2007. I am going to go over a number things that — my experiences with the program this year. The first thing I would like to talk about is …”

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:zSoLRKO5AOQJ:www.cga.ct.gov/gae/documents/Complete%2520Transcript%2520of%252012-05-08%2520CEP%2520Hearing.pdf+%22bill+Jenkins%22+%22mike+alberts%22&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

from A Student

Some of you might be wondering why your kid’s bus never showed up this morning, or why it was extremely late, or why a different driver/bus showed up, or what the fiasco at the intersection of 197 and 198 was. Well, bus 4 (which I ride) was hit as a result of a chain collision.
 
We were stopped at the stop sign waiting to cross 198 and go towards Union. A car coming towards us from Union did not stop at the stop sign to cross 198. A car coming towards us from 198 on our left (going towards Southbridge) was going straight through the intersection in the meantime. The car that ran the stop sign hit that car, which skidded into us. I didn’t see it happen, but that’s what I think our driver, Ms. Jamie, was telling the officials. All I heard was a horn, skidding tires, and then a THUNK with a sharp vibration. Nothing major, though. Just imagine someone moderately kicking the chair you’re sitting in. At least for me… I was in the 7th seat behind the door.
 
Ms. Jamie set the parking brake, turned the dome lights on, and contacted Mrs. Elliott by radio. After sitting there for a couple moments, a tractor trailer driver behind us asked if they could go by (without asking if we were OK or offering any help), and Ms. Jamie said, “I have to stay here, but if you can fit through there, go ahead.” So he squeezed between us and the car that hit us… there wasn’t an inch to spare. I thought he was going to hit our crossview mirror, but he didn’t. The car was diagonally across the road beside us, facing towards Eastford Tool and Die (or whatever operation is going on over there now).
 
Then the police came, asked if we were all right, and told Ms. Jamie to turn right at the intersection and pull over on to a section of dirt alongside the pavement there. When the steering wheel was turned a certain way, I heard a low-pitched moaning noise and the bus vibrated. I guess something was rubbing the wheel. We parked and she shut the bus off.
 
Then, a very friendly policeman came on the bus and asked if we were all right and questioned Ms. Jamie. Then he said, “Well, I have good news for you kids… you’re going to be late for school!!! Woo-hoo!” Then got all of our names and birth dates and where we were sitting. Luckily there were only 17 of us. Mrs. Elliott arrived shortly after. She was talking with Ms. Jamie and the officials while standing by the 2-way radio coordinating how the rest of the kids were to be picked up.
  Read the rest of this entry »

Mike Alberts has not sponsored any bills in his entire career in the House of Representive representing the 50th District and he co-sponsored only two bills in 2006:

http://www.votesmart.org/sponsorship.php?can_id=30192

Here is his voting record (mostly NOs):

http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=30192 

Contrast Alberts (R) with Bryan Hurburt (D), 53rd District - Ashford, Willington, and Tolland.

Here’s Hurlburt’s voting record:

http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=68412

Some examples of Mike Alberts’ recent votes (click to enlarge):

from the Hampton Gazette

Click to enlarge

from Carol Andrzeicik

Dear Friends –

Please read the email below from Leila Philip and then read the two attached fliers put out by Mike Alberts.  As Leila states, the claims against Bill Loftus are false (as the same claims against Sherri Vogt two years ago were also false).  I served on the Board of Education for four years with Bill Loftus and know that he is focused on supporting education for ALL students at ALL our schools in Woodstock.  He will work hard with his positive agenda to promote education, improve our economy and support local businesses.  Please cast your vote for Bill Loftus for State Representative next Tuesday.

Feel free to pass this on to others, so that they may educate themselves about the candidates.

from Leila Philip

“The price of democracy is eternal vigilance” — Thomas Jefferson
_________
Hello. I’m Leila Philip. I live in Woodstock. I served on the Board of Education alongside Bill Loftus.

I am outraged at the recent negative campaign tactics of Mike Alberts which have distorted facts about Bill Loftus. Not only has Alberts grossly misled the public, in doing so he has undermined our democratic principles.

Take a look at the two fliers for Mike Alberts which I have attached. (When you open in adobe reader, use the arrows on your keyboard to flip from front to back). One is from his campaign two years ago and the other arrived yesterday. What Alberts says about Bill Loftus is NOT TRUE. Bill Loftus never drafted legislation to change the governance of Woodstock Academy. But look, you can see Alberts used this same tactic of making false claims against his opponent in regards to the Academy two years ago! What does that tell you about Alberts’ credibility?  Does he believe the public can be so easily manipulated?               

As Jefferson said so eloquently over 200 years ago, democracy takes vigilance. So please, be vigilant, look at these two ads and see for yourself how Mike Alberts has resorted to lies and false claims two elections in a row. We deserve better than this from our State Representative.

I want honest leadership to represent our community. Bill Loftus is focused on a positive agenda to improve our economy, support our schools and help local business.

We live in one of the greatest democracies the world has ever seen. Please, do your part by educating yourself about the candidates before you cast your vote.
Feel free help by passing this message on to others.

Leila

Two-year old campaign ad and current campaign ad. Click to enlarge.

Please note that Public Act 05-227 specifies new requirements for the installation and operation of all OWFs installed after July 11th 2005. See also DEP fact sheet entitled Public Act 05-227 and Outdoor Wood Burning Furnaces. See : http://www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/air/wood_stove_furnaces/owf.pdf

“Yes, OWFs produce a lot of thick smoke, which in addition to being a nuisance to neighbors has serious health and air pollution impacts. Smoke from OWFs contains unhealthy amounts of particulate matter (PM), dioxin, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, formaldehyde and other toxic air pollutants.

from Thomas Friedman’s Can’t Keep a Bad Idea Down
“Let’s have more tax cuts, unlinked to any specific spending cuts and while we’re still fighting two wars — because that worked so well during the Bush years to make our economy strong and our deficit small.”

from Kos

President Obama reminds us in his weekly address that in addition to the above accomplishments, one of his greatest was passage of the Financial Reform Act and the creation of a stronger Consumer Protection Agency.

Both of these accomplishments help protect middle class families from Wall Street greed and corporate exploitation.

President Obama stated, “Our economy depends on a financial system in which everyone competes on a level playing field, and everyone is held to the same rules – whether you’re a big bank, a small business owner, or a family looking to buy a house or open a credit card. And as we saw, without sound oversight and common-sense protections for consumers, the whole economy is put in jeopardy.”

But it seems that the Republicans are in denial of the Great Recession and the causes of it because House leaders are already talking about repealing these bills.

President Obama sums it up nicely in his address:

“The special interests poured millions into a lobbying campaign to prevent us from reforming the system – a system that worked a lot better for them than for middle class families. Some in the financial industry were eager to protect a status quo that basically allowed them to play by their own rules. And these interests held common cause with Republican leaders in Washington who were looking to score a political victory in an election year.”

I wonder why the Tea Party isn’t angry about this? I thought they were for American families and against entitlements? Yet they are running under the umbrella of the Republican party who spin the web of corporate welfare.

from John 

See “Iran expands economic influence on Iraq“ 

Everyone’s focused on the impact of the Great Recession and its economic impact on our lives today. No one seems to remember that the Obama Administration inherited both the Iraq War and the Recession which were the benchmarks of eight years of Bush-Cheney. Let’s face it, there are no quick fixes for these two disasterous results of Bush-Cheney unless you are an ignoramous. Let’s not forget how our situation came about.

I was against the Iraq War since the War’s inception on March 20, 2003, e.g. “Operation Iraqi Liberation”. First and foremost, the cost in innocent human lives has now been estimated at about 120,000, but more realistically well over 200,000. Furthermore, >4400 US soldiers have lost their lives to date and >32,000 have been wounded trying to save us from “Weapons of Mass Destruction” – the Bush-Cheney lie drummed up to justify the War. The monetary cost of this War will ultimately be over three trillion before the dust settles. We and our children will be billed for this War for generations to come. But more tragically, this war has undermined our ability to deal more effectively with the greater emerging military threats of Iran, Afganistan, and Korea, address important national needs, and form international alliances to effectively address other more important global issues in addition to our domestic needs. Read the rest of this entry »

Db and the conservative contributors to this website just don’t get it, no matter how many times they are told. They are blind to logic and their rhetoric red lights go off the second someone progressive starts to logic with them. They clang away with fear tactics and fox news talking points, but offer no solutions-ironically mirroring the National Republican Party.

Stimulus spending was needed to get our country out of the vicious economic cycle we faced after 8 years of Republican led policies of tax cuts for the wealthy. The result was rising deficits, the worst employment growth and income growth in post-World War II U.S. history, and a country crippled as it entered into the Recession.

This mess, along with two wars, was dumped into President Obama’s lap. Decisions had to be made with no perfect options.

President Obama’s recovery stimulus was a step in the right direction however. Many prominent economists agree, but feel the stimulus did not reach as far as it should because of concessions to Republicans. Contrary to tea party myth, President Obama wanted bipartisan support and worked diligently to obtain it, but the Republicans had a political agenda instead. Read the rest of this entry »

from Kos

President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $288 billion in tax cuts and benefits for millions of working families and business.

The consensus amongst liberal and conservative economists (including Bush, McCain,and Reagan’s economic advisors) was that stimulus spending was necessary to break the cycle of unemployment, foreclosure, and decreased consumer spending.

Obama is not a tax and spend liberal. He made difficult choices to do what was right for this country.

The Republicans, however, fought this every step of the way because they wanted Obama and the democrats to fail so they could regain power. As a result, the stimulus was not as strong as it could have been and the Republicans spun the story for suckers like DB and Trying. The GOPhers now look like they are headed back into power and haven’t a clue what to do except “stop the spread of socialism” and “cut spending”-but they never say where (hint: your social security and medicare).

A vote for Republican is a vote for corporations, CEO’s, too big to fail banks, health insurers, who don’t want to be regulated-and who fleece the American middle class every day. These are the people who are donating record amounts into the Republican coffers.

This table (added by Admin) was taken from Howard Smith’s Facebook page. This data comes from a spreadsheet published by the The Office of Management and Budget here Excel Table 7.1.