With our attention at keeping government honest, here is an interesting Associated Press article on e-mails between the public and governmental agencies and the publics right to access them.

I am hopeful our Town Government will take note of this. Also, I have received many calls about the municipal gas use situation. I will be keeping up with this. I also have received disturbing information regarding landscaping. That is all I can say right now.
Boy the list keeps growing: grass cutting, snow removal, car washing. I am sure I will hear more.

FYI, one of our Town Council members should know better than to ask on the spur of the moment for an executive session to discuss something when the executive session is not spelled out on the agenda. I am glad for once that Matt Hall intervened and corrected the situation.

Cheshire T.G. TAKE NOTE:

Sunshine Week: State moving to archive voluminous e-mail

MONTREAL MUNICIPAL GAS USE RIOT

On Friday, I received a voice mail message on my home phone from a resident who had read my letter to the editor in the March 13th edition of the Cheshire Herald.

This person who did not identify himself, claims that he was “in the position” to know that the State of Connecticut was planning on building three new prisons in Cheshire which would house 3,000 more inmates, but according to the caller, the only thing stopping all of this from happening was the situation with the towns sewage treatment plant being at or over capacity.

I am emphasizing, that I cannot VERIFY this information but I thought it was worth mentioning on my website for a talking point. This caller stated several times that he had tried to give this information to the local press, but nothing was ever done about it.

I know in 2007, there was talk of renovating the old wing of the Cheshire prison to possible house a few hundred more inmates. And, with this continuous talk of tougher sanctions on inmates, parolees and the three strikes law, one must take all of the above into consideration.

Now I did come across “The Real Costs of Prisons Weblog.”

Here is a post from it which includes an article from the New Haven Register talking about possible prison expansion but not to the extent this caller claims might be in the works. The idea of having 3000 more prisoners on top of the 3000 already in place seems a little far fetched, but with the State of Connecticut who knows? If the state plans on toughening up repeated offender laws and the way crime is going in Connecticut, it would not be hard to fill up that extra space now would it.

Click here for article

Now I know some of you have expressed concern over the tough language I used in my last post. As you know, I am very shy and reserved. So you know I must be very concerned when I have to speak up and use phrasing that some might deem offensive.

I believe it is the obligation of every resident in every town and city in America to be the watchdog over their local governments. Unfortunately, most people don’t feel this way.

Most people claim they are too busy with work or family life to take a somewhat active part in the goings on of their community. That to me is a shame.

Now I am not saying that everyone in town has to show up to every single Board of Ed meeting, Planning and Zoning meeting or Town Council meeting. But, it would be nice if every once in a while, some of you took some sort of interest in how your town runs and how your money is being spent.

As I stated in a post long long ago, I wish you people would have adopted me years ago. I would have loved to have been your kid. Since none of you have time to care about how the government spends your money, you probably don’t give a rats behind (see I am being nice now with the words), on how your child spends yours either!! BOY, I missed out!!!

And as far as this municipal gas use goes, what is the matter with the rest of you on the Town Council? Can you speak? Especially the Republicans!! Tim White had the courage to bring up a legitimate issue and you just sat there? SPEAK UP!! We did not elect mannequins!! Or did we?

I am not saying or I am sure Tim isn’t either, that we don’t trust the people in power; i.e. the Town Manager or the Police Chief. No. This policy now of putting in a code is a recipe for disaster. How do you know Town Government, that I don’t know this code?

You don’t!!

This system or lack of it now where each department polices itself invites fraud because any person who wants to take advantage can .

Let’s consider the following scenario: “OK Ms. Lawbreaker, you have been convicted of a violent felony. Just make sure you show up at the prison tomorrow to start your sentence. We are leaving it up to you to police yourself to make sure you do the right thing.”

Sound assinine!! Sure it does. Just like asking people to police themselves with other peoples money. Not going to happen!!!

Are people driving town cars out of state for personal uses? The public doesn’t know. These proposed safeguards that I spoke about at the Town Council meeting of March 11th prevent embarassing articles that I and Councilor White had on our websites.

Believe it or not, it hurts when someone says something bad about our town because it is an attack on all of us who reside here. It is just a preventative measure, not a fingerpointing accusation or a trouble making statement.

It is to prevent something bad from happening.

Mannequins

(Androides), automation; Poupees ,(Dolls)

Recently, I have been having second thoughts about this website or blog or whatever the hell they call everything now. I wonder if what I have been trying to do or say over the past four years has made an impact. I don’t know.

And, coupled with the events over the past several days has just heightened the tension between myself, my supporters and the Town Government.

Frankly, I just think I am wasting my talent on Cheshire.

(Oh here we go, the stupider than Jupiter on you know who’s blog will be throwing another anonymous tantrum).

I actually was rethinking this meeting I will be having also. I will have to see how things go.

As you know, I am always involved in something or butting heads with some authority figure but that is how I am. I fight for my rights, and families rights and I *UCK the system whenever I can. I just did it a few weeks ago and boy are they upset. TOO *UCKING BAD!!!

That is how I was brought up. Speaking of the system, many of you are wanting to know why I am running the series on the Weather Underground. I thought it would be interesting for those of you who were not around in the 60’s or 70’s.

I probably should not say this because the Government already monitors this website because of the word “Underground”, but one of my relatives had connections with the Weathermen. I remember my family being proud of her. They paraded her around like she was Cleopatra.

I know some of you think the Weathermen and SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) were radical and out of control. Well maybe. I do believe in some dialogue with the authority. They did not.

These people no matter what you think of them, really believed in what they were doing and were willing to pay the price and did. Some of these people were in jail for over 10 years for what they did. But, the majority of them got off because the FBI did not believe in the search and seizure clause of the U.S. Constitution.

I wonder what you would think of this: a group of people decide they do not like what their country is doing even though they live far away from the mother country which they pledge allegiance to.

They claim the taxes are unfair. They are not being represented fairly. Their voices are not being heard. What do they do? They form their own militia for God’s sake. They start a “war”–a “Revolutionary War.” They kill people. They blow things up. This goes on over several years. Who were they? Sound like a radical 60’s group? Sort of. Instead it was in the 1760’s and 1770’s. I have spoken about these radicals before.

Who were they? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, Paul Revere? Remember them? They fought the “establishment” for what they believed in. Enough said.

Now it is budget time. I haven’t really gotten into the budget but it looks as reasonable as it can be. Apparently the increase is a little over 4 percent. Now as many of you know, Trumbull has been in the news because their operating budget proposed a whopping 11 percent increase!! People were furious. Could you blame them. Many people, including seniors and those on a fixed income were livid beyond belief. Over 500 residents packed a public hearing last week to express their outrage. (You wouldn’t see 500 people in the Cheshire Town Council Chambers even if the town were giving money away.)

I guess the budget was pared down to a six percent increase which is still a lot and for all you mall lovers out there—Trumbull has Westfield Shopping Park and the town still had to pump up the taxes.

I have a link to both Cheshire’s “proposed” 2008-09 budget and Trumbull’s budget.

Trumbull and Cheshire are a lot alike demographically. The population is nearly the same, except Trumbull has about three or four thousand more residents. The square miles is identical. And the per household income is nearly the same. Believe it or not, Cheshire’s per household income is HIGHER. Trumbull, which is in Fairfield County, has a PHH of $90,000 and Cheshire’s is $98,000.

So look at the “proposed” Cheshire Town operating budget and look at Trumbull’s and decide if you see a difference. I did. Trumbull breaks everything down to the last penny. They break down every piece of equipment they spend money on; how much salt and sand they throw on the roads–everything. I am going to put on Trumbull’s website homepage and notice the difference their also. Why? Because they have an elected official!!! A First Selectman!!! Voted in or out!!!

So here it is:

Cheshire’s “proposed” operating budget for 2008-09

Trumbull’s Website Home Page (click on proposed operating budget for 08-09).

Oh by the way, my letter to the Editor is in this weeks Cheshire Herald. In it I talk about the Town Employee Gas Use policy which the wimp outs on the Town Council did not bother to follow up on!! It figures.

Cheshire Herald link

Breaking News: Woman Sits on Toilet for TWO YEARS!! She must have eaten at 2000 Flushes Buffet!!

Click here for video

I went to the Town Council meeting Tuesday night to read the article I had posted about using a gas card for municipal employee gas usage at local gas stations instead of having a town gas pump that invites fraud.

I still don’t know if we have a town policy regarding employee use of the municipal gas pumps. Now people have called me outraged over this issue and a few of them actually said they were going to watch the pumps and film it to make sure there is no mis use. I think that is a good idea, but unfortunately, unless you know whose car belongs to whom, it would be extremely difficult to monitor this situation, no less accuse people.

As someone said to me on the phone today, they see certain people at the grocery store all the time but not at the gas station. I told them I saw the Town Manager at the gas station with his son several weeks ago. They were in a U Haul van. That is all. Now you know my eyes are good.

While at the Town Council meeting, a local resident brought up E.D. can you believe it. What is up with some people? Oops SORRY!!

With that in mind, I thought I would expound on the seriousness of the growing number of uninsured in this country.

BREAKING NEWS: READ WFSB ARTICLE ON F&S CLOSURE POSSIBLY AFFECTING CHESHIRE BIODIESEL  PLANT. CLICK ON MY NEWSFEED ON RIGHT HAND COLUMN.

Most Americans have health insurance through their employers. But, employment is no longer a guarantee of health insurance coverage.

As America continues to move from a manufacturing-based economy to a service economy, and employee working patterns continue to evolve, health insurance coverage has become less stable. The service sector offers less access to health insurance than its manufacturing counterparts. Further, an increasing reliance on part-time and contract workers who are not eligible for coverage means fewer workers have access to employer-sponsored health insurance.

Due to rising health insurance premiums, many small employers cannot afford to offer health benefits. Companies that do offer health insurance, often require employees to contribute a larger share toward their coverage. As a result, an increasing number of Americans have opted not to take advantage of job-based health insurance because they cannot afford it.

Who are the uninsured?

• Nearly 47 million Americans, or 16 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2005, the latest government data available.¹
• The number of uninsured rose 2.2 million between 2005 and 2006 and has increased by almost 9 million people since 2000.¹
• The large majority of the uninsured (80 percent) are native or naturalized citizens.²
• The increase in the number of uninsured in 2006 was focused among working age adults. The percentage of working adults (18 to 64) who had no health coverage climbed from 19.7 percent in 2005 to 20.2 percent in 2006.1 Nearly 1.3 million full-time workers lost their health insurance in 2006.
• Nearly 90 million people - about one-third of the population below the age of 65 spent a portion of either 2006 or 2007 without health coverage.³
• Over 8 in 10 uninsured people come from working families - almost 70 percent from families with one or more full-time workers and 11 percent from families with part-time workers.²
• The percentage of people (workers and dependents) with employment-based health insurance has dropped from 70 percent in 1987 to 59 percent in 2006. This is the lowest level of employment-based insurance coverage in more than a decade.^{4, 5}
• In 2005, nearly 15 percent of employees had no employer-sponsored health coverage available to them, either through their own job or through a family member.⁶
• In 2006, 37.7 million workers were uninsured because not all businesses offer health benefits, not all workers qualify for coverage and many employees cannot afford their share of the health insurance premium even when coverage is at their fingertips.¹
• The number of uninsured children in 2006 was 8.7 million - or 11.7 percent of all children in the U.S.¹ The number of children who are uninsured increased by nearly 610,000 in 2006, the second year that the number of uninsured children increased.
• Young adults (18-to-24 years old) remained the least likely of any age group to have health insurance in 2005 - 29.3 percent of this group did not have health insurance.¹
• The percentage and the number of uninsured Hispanics increased to 34.1 percent and 15.3 million in 2006.¹
• Nearly 40 percent of the uninsured population reside in households that earn $50,000 or more.¹ A growing number of middle-income families cannot afford health insurance payments even when coverage is offered by their employers.

Why is the number of uninsured people increasing?

• Millions of workers don’t have the opportunity to get health coverage. A third of firms in the U.S. did not offer coverage in 2006.⁴
• Nearly two-fifths (38 percent) of all workers are employed in smaller businesses, where less than two-thirds of firms now offer health benefits to their employees.⁷ It is estimated that 266,000 companies dropped their health coverage between 2000-2005 and 90 percent of those firms have less than 25 employees.
• Rapidly rising health insurance premiums are the main reason cited by all small firms for not offering coverage. Health insurance premiums are rising at extraordinary rates. The average annual increase in inflation has been 2.5 percent while health insurance premiums for small firms have escalated an average of 12 percent annually.⁴
• Even if employees are offered coverage on the job, they can’t always afford their portion of the premium. Employee spending for health insurance coverage (employee’s share of family coverage) has increased 143 percent between 2000 and 2006.⁸
• Losing a job, or quitting voluntarily, can mean losing affordable coverage - not only for the worker but also for their entire family. Only seven (7) percent of the unemployed can afford to pay for COBRA health insurance - the continuation of group coverage offered by their former employers. Premiums for this coverage average almost $700 a month for family coverage and $250 for individual coverage, a very high price given the average $1,100 monthly unemployment check.⁹
• Coverage is unstable during life’s transitions. A person’s link to employer-sponsored coverage can also be cut by a change from full-time to part-time work, or self-employment, retirement or divorce.¹⁰

How does being uninsured harm individuals and families?

• Lack of insurance compromises the health of the uninsured because they receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates than insured individuals.¹¹
• Regardless of age, race, ethnicity, income or health status, uninsured children were much less likely to have received a well-child checkup within the past year. One study shows that nearly 50 percent of uninsured children did not receive a checkup in 2003, almost twice the rate (26 percent) for insured children.¹²
• The uninsured are increasingly paying “up front” — before services will be rendered. When they are unable to pay the full medical bill in cash at the time of service, they can be turned away except in life-threatening circumstances.⁷
• About 20 percent of the uninsured (vs. three percent of those with coverage) say their usual source of care is the emergency room.²
• Studies estimate that the number of excess deaths among uninsured adults age 25-64 is in the range of 18,000 a year. This mortality figure is more than the number of deaths from diabetes (17,500) within the same age group.¹⁰
• According to one study, over a third of the uninsured have problems paying medical bills. The unpaid bills were substantial enough that many had been turned over to collection agencies - and nearly a quarter of the uninsured adults said they had changed their way of life significantly to pay medical bills.¹³

What additional costs are created by the uninsured population?

• The United States spends nearly $100 billion per year to provide uninsured residents with health services, often for preventable diseases or diseases that physicians could treat more efficiently with earlier diagnosis.¹⁴
• Hospitals provide about $34 billion worth of uncompensated care a year.¹⁴
• Another $37 billion is paid by private and public payers for health services for the uninsured and $26 billion is paid out-of-pocket by those who lack coverage.¹⁴
• The uninsured are 30 to 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized for an avoidable condition, with the average cost of an avoidable hospital stayed estimated to be about $3,300.14
• The increasing reliance of the uninsured on the emergency department has serious economic implications, since the cost of treating patients is higher in the emergency department than in other outpatient clinics and medical practices.¹¹
• A new study found that 29 percent of people who had health insurance were “underinsured” with coverage so meager they often postponed medical care because of costs.¹⁵ Nearly 50 percent overall, and 43 percent of people with health coverage, said they were “somewhat” to “completely” unprepared to cope with a costly medical emergency over the coming year.¹⁵

Getting Everyone Covered Will Save Lives and Money

The impacts of going uninsured are clear and severe. Many uninsured individuals postpone needed medical care which results in increased mortality and billions of dollars lost in productivity and increased expenses to the health care system. There also exists a significant sense of vulnerability to the potential loss of health insurance which is shared by tens of millions of other Americans who have managed to retain coverage.

Every American should have health care coverage, participation should be mandatory, and everyone should have basic benefits.

I had a few minutes of free time at work today, (don’t tell them) and I was able to do some research on municipal gas usage.

I checked the Cheshire Town Charter but I did not find a gas use policy for employees. I don’t know if I looked at everything, but I did find some other municipalities throughout the country that addressed this issue.

In Madison, Wisconsin, the police and town employees are issued a gas card. The gas card can only be used at specific gas stations.

The card can be used at these locations 24 hours a day even when the pumps are technically “closed.”

The cards are set up in a special way which requires the user to put in a four digit pin number when using the card; entering the vehicle’s odometer reading and the vehicles VIN number. A receipt is printed which the municipal employee is to keep for his or her records.

Reciprocal agreements are in place with other towns and even other states in the event a municipal employee or a police officer has to travel out of the local area.

Now I know from watching the Town Government Channel that our snowplows have the Global Positioning System (GPS). I think Cheshire or even the state of Connecticut for that matter should take a lead from Delaware which employs the use of GPS on all town vehicles.

And on Islip, Long Island, the installation of GPS on all municipal vehicles has resulted in a $14,000 savings in gas purchases over a three month period. According to the article this information came from, since employees know they are being watched, town vehicles are no longer being used for personal reasons.

Islip has also installed video cameras at their town gas pumps.

In Denver, Colorado, GPS equipped vehicles have resulted in 5,000 fewer vehicle driven miles.

Locally, Trumbull Connecticut is cutting back on purchasing municial vehicles, opting to van pool town employees to and from work.

And in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, employees using town vehicles must keep a log.

I recommend the Madison, Wisconsin policy since this eliminates the need for a town gas pump, cutting down on abuse. All employees using town vehicles have to go to a specific gas station the city has an agreement with. Most gas stations these days have video cameras installed so that makes it even harder to misuse this privilege.

I like the idea of having to put in the gas card’s pin number and the vehicles VIN number. That eliminates the use of personal vehicles being filled up at a town pump.

The way I see it, if there are not any town pumps, there cannot be abuse. Eliminate the town pumps in Cheshire and go with the Madison, Wisconsin idea.

Now at Tuesdays Town Council meeting we will again be talking about Cheshire’s favorite topic–no not ME!! BID WAIVERS.

Now the one for the TASERS is understandable because there is one company TASER International. I have featured this company on my website. It is NOT A BLOG!!!

The first bid waiver will be for the purchase of more tasers through the Police Gift account. Ok, but how many TASERS do we need? Are we using them? Come on!!

The other bid waiver is for the taking down of this nasty bubble that looks like it got dragged through the mud in plain English. It is horrible. Get rid of it now!!! I think who ever thought of putting up this dopey thing in the first place should get TASERED!!

Oh, speaking of bid waivers, it is interesting to note that in the Town of Madison, Wisconsin Purchase Order Policy “COMPETITIVE BIDS ARE REQUIRED” and bid copies are retained on purchases over $15,000 as required by state statute. This policy was adopted April 7, 2003. Also, purchases between $5,000 and $15,000 must be posted as required by state statute.

Get on the stick Cheshire and can these bid waivers.