Connecticut
Post posts about what is happening in the State of Connecticut.
Of, By and For the People
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 11:59Some have compared the recent Citizens United ruling at the U.S. Supreme Court which held that corporations have the same rights of free speech to try and independently influence elections in our country as real people do, to the Dred Scott Ruling a hundred and fifty years ago. Let us hope that this comparison is valid in a few ways, but not others.
The Dred Scott ruling held that people of African descent were not protected by the Constitution. Within a few years, the United States was embroiled in a Civil War that led to the end of slavery. Let us work together to make sure that the Citizens United ruling will lead to an end of undue political influence of corporations, but hopefully, without a civil war.
The ruling has drawn close attention in Connecticut where the Citizens Election Program, a program designed to fight against undue political influence of political insiders is also in the courts.
Today, Zogby Internation released a poll showing that 79% of people polled in Connecticut support the Citizens' Election Program. In addition, “41 percent indicated they would be less likely to vote for a politician who voted against updating the popular program. “
Beyond fixing the current issues with the program and making sure that it is properly funded, State Representatives are discussing ways to limit the effect of the Citizens United ruling. State Representative Bob Godfrey has suggested that we:
apply the same requirements to corporate ads as we do to everyone else. For example: the ad must include a disclaimer by the CEO that "Paid for by XYZ Corporation. I'm CEO Smith, and the shareholders have approved of this ad." The shareholders (owners of the company) would have had to done exactly that, too.
While this won’t completely erase the negative effects of the Citizens United decision, it is a step in the right direction. Another step in the right direction is to support the Fair Elections Now Act, sponsored by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.
Some legislators have commented about not hearing from their constituents about this issue. They compare the lack of apparent outcry to the vast concerns raised about marriage equality. This is a false comparison. Marriage equality goes to fundamental beliefs about religion and equality and is a hot button issue for many. It is an unfortunate fact, that many people take their religious obligations much more seriously than their civic obligations. Yet the underlying message stands firm. We must contact our legislators to get them to fix the Citizens Election Program and make sure it is properly funded. We must also speak with our family, friends and neighbors to help them understand the importance of defending our democracy from undue influence of the wealthy and well connected.
(Cross-posted at MyLeftNutmeg.)
Random Updates
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 01/23/2010 - 13:58First the first time in many days, I’ve caught up on the email, and read my minimum quota of blog posts. By caught up on email, I mean that I’ve read every email that has come into my two main email accounts this month. I still have 167 to reply to and 92 of them are marked urgent in my in box, and with another 43 marked urgent stuck away in various folders.
Some emails will be a bit of work to respond to. I’ve been helping various people out with their websites, and some of the responses are long. Others, should really be worked into blog posts, but I may not ever get around to giving them the attention they need. So, instead, I’m going to highlight various things
Grapski v. Alachua
One issue I’ve been following closely is the case of Charlie Grapski and his various issues with assorted authorities in Alachua County Florida. Earlier this month, Circuit Judge James Nilon called Charlie Grapski a ‘bully’.
Circuit Judge James Nilon shook his head as he looked at Alachua political activist Charles Grapski. …
“That day, you didn’t want to seek access to the courts,” Nilon said. “…You couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Nilon said Grapski uses his “intellect to bully people.”
“In my view, you don’t know where your individual liberties end,” Nilon said.
A few weeks later, A state district court ruled that Alachua violated state open records law. Charlie Grapski wouldn’t seek no for an answer when the county was breaking the law. Instead of being arrested and bullied by the police, he should have been given a medal.
Upcoming Events
January 25th Robert Burns Birthday! Hoist a dram to wash down a bite of haggis as we honor the famous Scottish Bard. Also, the Beecher Road Parent Teacher Organization is having a big meeting in the evening.
January 26th, 9:30 A Forum on State Budget Reform and Connecticut’s Economic Development Strategies will take place in the Old Judiciary Room at the State Capitol in Hartford.
January 29th The movie, “The End of Poverty?” will return to New York City showing at the Cinema Village.
January 31st A Democratic “Party for the Party” will take place Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 PM at The Fat Cat Company, 9 Wall Street, Norwalk, CT. This is a free party with a chance to meet candidates for Senator, Governor, Congress, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Comptroller, Attorney General and the State Legislature.
February 5th and 6th For those of you interested in traditional journalism, the New England Newspaper and Press Association 2010 Convention will take place in Boston.
February 6th For those interested in newer forms of journalism, PodCampWesternMass will take place Westfield State College.
A final note: Today is National Pie Day. Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford, CT is having a special pie sale today and tomorrow to celebrate.
There are a lot of other random updates that I should include, but that’s good enough for now. Time to step away from the computer and enjoy the beautiful day.
Wordless Wednesday 2 - The Hot Tub
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 13:48
Okay, I'm breaking all the rules today. I'm putting up a second Wordless Wednesday post, and I'm not doing it wordlessly. For my political friends, Wordless Wednesday is an Internet Meme where participants put a picture up on their blog that they find interesting. We all visit one another's blogs and appreciate the pictures.
For those of you who are looking at this from Wordless Wednesday, it is worth noting that a former Governor of Connecticut fell from grace and ended up in prison after accepting gifts, including a hot tub. So, it is amusing to see an article about a candidate for Secretary of State, the chief elected officer responsible for fair elections in our state and an add stating "Compare hot tub quotes and save big"
Collins Foundation 2010 M.L. King, Jr. Day Breakfast and Food Drive!
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 12:07This morning, I live streamed the Collins Foundation 2010 M.L. King, Jr. Day Breakfast and Food Drive in Cromwell, CT.
Harmful New Disruptions to an Election In‐Process
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 01/17/2010 - 21:39Colin McEnroe has an interesting blog post up about the latest flap about whether Susan Bysiewicz is legally qualified to be Attorney General.
Colin focuses on her comment about her ‘staff’. I think this is a non-issue. Clearly, she should be speaking with her campaign staff about this. It would also seem clear that the staff of the person in charge of running elections should have an opinion about this. For that matter, staff does not necessarily mean paid staff in a campaign.
More importantly, people are starting to point to the Connecticut Constitution which states “Every elector who has attained the age of eighteen years shall be eligible to any office in the state”
Colin writes:
The problem is that the AG statute is in conflict with the Constitution. So, to prevail in that way, Byswiewicz would have to seek to have the statute struck down, which would take time and be messy and call attention to this whole issue of her qualifications.
To which I replied on his blog that
The Connecticut Constitution does seem pretty clear in favor of Ms. Bysiewicz. However, I don’t view her seeking to strike it down as being messy or detrimental. It would keep her name in the spot light. It would show her as fighting for the people of Connecticut and not beholden to the lawyers’ lobby. I suspect she would easily prevail and she could then use that as an example of her qualifications.
Even more importantly, it will take the focus off of how on January 5th, her campaign sent out a press release about filing an amicus brief in Green Party of Connecticut v. Garfield in which she said,
“Now, we risk not just falling backward, but creating harmful new disruptions to an election in‐process. For that reason, it is vital that the Court hear from someone this law directly affects, an actual candidate who has pledged to participate in the Citizen Election Program in 2010."
Then, while the Second Circuit was hearing oral arguments, announced that she would not participate in the Citizen Election Program in 2010.
Ms. Bysiewicz’ decision not to participate in the Citizen’s Election Program is a harmful new disruption.
