FOBK first annual winter

The Friends of Boulder Knoll had their first annual winter celebration today. They shared their plans for the upcoming growing season, including the creation of a CSA. I think CSA stands for crop-sharing agreement. Basically, a professional farmer tends the crops with help from CSA members. Then over the course of the season you get crops on a weekly basis.

I'm sure the 40 slots will quickly fill. So if you're interested, you should act fast.

Here are the details:And here are the planned crops of which members will partake:The event was graciously hosted by Greg Melville.

Tim White

George Washington's farewell address (6/51)

The sixth of 51 paragraphs in George Washington's farewell address:

In looking forward to the moment, which is intended to terminate the career of my public life, my feelings do not permit me to suspend the deep acknowledgment of that debt of gratitude, which I owe to my beloved country for the many honors it has conferred upon me; still more for the steadfast confidence with which it has supported me; and for the opportunities I have thence enjoyed of manifesting my inviolable attachment, by services faithful and persevering, though in usefulness unequal to my zeal. If benefits have resulted to our country from these services, let it always be remembered to your praise, and as an instructive example in our annals, that under circumstances in which the passions, agitated in every direction, were liable to mislead, amidst appearances sometimes dubious, vicissitudes of fortune often discouraging, in situations in which not unfrequently want of success has countenanced the spirit of criticism, the constancy of your support was the essential prop of the efforts, and a guarantee of the plans by which they were effected. Profoundly penetrated with this idea, I shall carry it with me to my grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence; that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual; that the free constitution, which is the work of your hands, may be sacredly maintained; that its administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue; than, in fine, the happiness of the people of these States, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete, by so careful a preservation and so prudent a use of this blessing, as will acquire to them the glory of recommending it to the applause, the affection, and adoption of every nation, which is yet a stranger to it.

Possible money saver on trash hauling contract, please call the Town Manager at 271-6660

As I explained yesterday, several Council members are vehemently opposed to issuing a bid for anything other than a one year contract with manual collection. And since the rhetoric has gotten quite heated since Tuesday's Council meeting, I thought I should offer the comments that spoke most clearly for me.

Tom Ruocco offered this in an email with quotes from the Feb 10 Council meeting minutes:

There was little discussion about a contract term, but I think the clearest message came from Michael, as stated below:

"Town Manager Milone commented on some of the questions and gave some history on the issue. Relative to a one year contract, the concern is there will be a more competitive rate going out 3 to 5 years, and with one year it is unlikely there will be a proposal on the toters. With the automated process there is significant up front capital cost and the hauler will want a long term relationship with the community if they invest that much money. With a one year contract out to bid it is unlikely there would be a competitive price because there is no guarantee to the hauler that it would continue the service."

Later in the meeting:

"Mr. Milone said if anything is done, it should be a long term contract because a one year contract will not provide the most competitive figure needed."

(You can see most of the video of this discussion by clicking here)

For me, this begs the question:

Why is the Solid Waste Chair, Matt Altieri, opposed to simply issuing a bid for one, three and five years contracts?

I'm 100% agreeable to keeping it simple and skipping the idea of automated collection. But all options are being rejected.

Again, why?

Of course, we may never know why. But there is something I request you do.

If you are concerned about your taxes and don't want to spend money unnecessarily, then call the Town Manager's office (271-6660) as soon as possible. Ask him to convey your concerns to the Council that - in an effort to save money - we should keep our options open and expand the bid from

a request for manual trash collection for one year

to also include

requests for manual trash collection for three years and five years.

I'm uncertain if this will have any impact, but considering the above comments... if you have the time... I feel a quick phone call is worthwhile. Or perhaps an email to the TM and Solid Waste Committee members:

dolphinlaurad@yahoo.com
timwhite98@yahoo.com
maltieri@cox.net
mmilone@cheshirect.org

Perhaps you could forward this to your Cheshire friends and suggest they also take action?

Keep in mind that time is of the essence.

Tim White

Remember, it was only 16 phone calls that got former Councilwoman Elizabeth Esty to change her mind on senior tax relief!

Chinese & S. Korean economists on America's possible default

Some honest, if scary, economic comments on Sino-American relations (Bloomberg News, by Susanne Walker):

Possibility of Default

The U.S. is borrowing so much that it may have trouble paying the money back, said Jaemin Cheong, a bond trader in Seoul at Industrial Bank of Korea, the nation’s largest lender to small- and mid-sized companies.

“Yields are headed higher,” Cheong said in an interview. “More issuance will be needed to support the economy. The possibility of default is more and more as time passes.”

The government is depending on overseas investors to help fund its $787 billion economic plan. China is the largest overseas holder of Treasuries, with $696.2 billion, followed by Japan, with $578.3 billion.

Further into the article, a Chinese official comments:

China’s Three Elements

China’s top banking regulator said today the country will pay attention to safety, liquidity and profitability when deciding whether to buy more U.S. debt.

“How much we will invest in U.S. Treasuries will depend on the three elements,” said China Banking Regulatory Commission Chairman Liu Mingkang at a press conference in Beijing.

America needs to stop the spending spree. If we don't, then our banker - China - may do it for us.

Tim White

State Sen. Tom Gaffey's bills in 2009 (1/4)

And here's the first installment of state Sen. Tom Gaffey's bills that he introduced this year:

HB05917 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE EXPANSION OR CHANGE OF POPULATION AT STATE FACILITIES WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE HOST COMMUNITIES' LEGISLATIVE BODY.
SB00048 AN ACT REQUIRING THE STATE TO USE GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES (GAAP).
SB00057 AN ACT CONCERNING THE REGIONALIZATION OF CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATIONS.
SB00058 AN ACT CONCERNING THE REPORTING OF FEDERAL FUNDS IN LOCAL SCHOOL BUDGETS.
SB00059 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A UNIFORM START DATE FOR CONNECTICUT SCHOOLS.

I hope Sen. Gaffey is putting his weight behind SBO0048. Reading the proposed bill... it would have great value by requiring honest accounting in Hartford... unlike what they use now.

Tim White

George Washington's farewell address (5/51)

The fifth of 51 paragraphs in George Washington's farewell address:

The impressions, with which I first undertook the arduous trust, were explained on the proper occasion. In the discharge of this trust, I will only say, that I have, with good intentions, contributed towards the organization and administration of the government the best exertions of which a very fallible judgment was capable. Not unconscious, in the outset, of the inferiority of my qualifications, experience in my own eyes, perhaps still more in the eyes of others, has strengthened the motives to diffidence of myself; and every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome. Satisfied, that, if any circumstances have given peculiar value to my services, they were temporary, I have the consolation to believe, that, while choice and prudence invite me to quit the political scene, patriotism does not forbid it.

RTC fundraiser dinner on Thursday night

Republished from a week ago:

First Annual RTC Dinner Meeting in Honor of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Please come and bring your friends & family to our dinner meeting on Thurs February 26th at 7:30pm at the Senior Center.

The requested donation is $5.00PP. I am also asking all members bring a dish of their choice.

Marilyn Bartoli, Chairwoman
Republican Town Committee

Also David Schrumm's annual spaghetti dinner will be Friday March 13, 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Solid Waste Committee refuses to bid anything but a one year contract for manual collection

Last night it was too late to comment on the Solid Waste meeting and the trash hauling discussion. But with the whole issue turning unbelievably political today (via emails), I really need to begin explaining this.

The result of last night's meeting was fairly simple - the Solid Waste Committee made clear to the Town Manager that he should move forward on issuing a bid for a one year contract. Altieri and Decaprio supported this idea. I strongly opposed it, but tried to keep it simple.

I suggested we issue a bid similar to the one that we issued five years ago:

But I suggested that instead of asking for both

1) hauling & tipping bids and
2) hauling only bids

We ask for the hauling only bids, but split that into requests for one year and five year offers.

Rather surprising to me, this idea was rejected. I tried to make clear that I wasn't demanding the Town move to automated hauling or demanding the Town enter into a five year contract. I simply wanted options... same as we had five years ago.

Again though, my suggestion was rejected by Altieri and Decaprio. They insisted that the Town offer a bid that requested only a one year contract with manual collection.

Altieri, Decaprio and the TM defended their position by talking of their concerns:

1) contract complications
2) recyclable market uncertainties
3) contract uncertainty with a start date for automated collection

The first two issues are strawmen.

The "contract complications" refer to the fact that since the Town's contract for trash disposal services with CRRA expires in one year... and a new contract with Covanta will replace it... then a five-year trash hauling services contract begun on July 1 2009 would be complicated because it would relate to two trash disposal contracts and will require two contracts. But this is bogus. Either way, the Town will be engaging in two separate contracts... even if the Town executes a one year contract now... we'll still be executing another contract in 12 months.

The "recyclable market uncertainties" is a reality, but it's also a rather hypocritical argument. At other times last night, arguments were made for "budgetary certainty." And there was a great deal of consternation regarding future budgets. But if that's a real concern... one would want a long-term contract for trash hauling services now... right? Of course, that's not the real concern.

The third issue is avoidable by simply eliminating the automated option. Instead, we could simply request two options:

1) manual pickup for one year
2) manual pickup for five years (or some length of time greater than one year)

But the other people at the meeting were vehemently opposed to anything other than issuing a bid for manual pickup for one year. And the conversation even harkened back to the Council meeting when Altieri requested a bid waiver... noting most Council members seemed to be calling for bidding the contract for one year. And that's fair enough. But then why have the Solid Waste Committee discuss it further? And why does Chairman Altieri refuse to entertain new ideas? He seems to oppose anything that wasn't discussed at the Feb 10 Council meeting. That's leadership for ya - working in an open-minded, collaborative style.

Speaking only for myself obviously... subsequent to the February 10 meeting and upon further consideration... I concluded that requesting other bid offers made sense. It's basically what we did five years ago. So why not do it now?

But the Solid Waste Chair would have none of it. He insisted on moving forward with a request for only a one year manual collection. And that's what staff intends to do.

There's a problem with a one year contract though. It's entirely possible that without several years to amortize the capital costs for equipment... one would have to absorb all those costs during one year... driving up the cost of the one year contract.

So I think it's fair to expect that bids for a one year contract will be higher than if we requested bids for five years.

My question: Why not issue a bid for multi-year contracts?

Sure they claim that there are "unknowns" with the recyclable markets. But then their presumption must be that the recyclable market will rebound next year. And if that's the case, are these same people asserting that the economy will recover next year? Seems doubtful to me that the recyclables market will recover next year, if the economy hasn't recovered.

I have to wonder if there are any unspoken reasons for why the Solid Waste Committee refuses to issue a bid that requests multi-year service contracts.

One last note... at the meeting I again took partial blame for not having acted sooner on this. I didn't hear anyone else say anything of that nature though - shocker.

Tim White

Ron Paul explains the economic problem and the solution

In the first two minutes of this clip, Ron Paul explains America's fiat monetary system in which the government counterfeits money tells us that money grows on trees:



Tim White

New media vs. old media

While the upstart online newspaper the New Haven Independent is reporting on union concessions in exchange for no layoffs in New Haven... the Courant is laying off 100 staff.

Old media has problems. The dinosaurs will die.

Tim White

George Washington's farewell address (3/51)

The fourth of 51 paragraphs in George Washington's farewell address:

I rejoice, that the state of your concerns, external as well as internal, no longer renders the pursuit of inclination incompatible with the sentiment of duty, or propriety; and am persuaded, whatever partiality may be retained for my services, that, in the present circumstances of our country, you will not disapprove my determination to retire.

State Rep. Vickie Nardello's bills in 2009 (3/3)

And here's the third installment of state Rep. Vickie Nardello's bills that she introduced this year:

HB05630 AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LICENSURE FOR AN ADVANCED PRACTICE DENTAL HYGIENE PRACTITIONER.
HB05904 AN ACT CONCERNING THE POSTHUMOUS AWARD OF RIBBONS AND MEDALS TO VETERANS FOR SERVICE IN TIME OF WAR.
HB06495 AN ACT CONCERNING PARTICIPATION OF TOWNS IN CHARTER SCHOOLS AND INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOLS.
SB00772 AN ACT CONCERNING THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

Tim White

The fall of the Soviet Empire

Until today, I had only heard Ron Paul discuss the America economy in terms similar to the fall of the Soviet empire. But if you watch Glenn Beck interview Ron Paul, you'll see Moveon.org benefactor, George Soros, make the same analogy:



I really wish Obama would start a national dialogue on monetary policy and our current monetary system. The lack of public discourse on these topics for the past hundred years would necessitate that we all have time to digest the information. Then President Obama could make his pitch for whatever policies he chooses.

Tim White

Solid Waste meeting 2/24/09

The Solid Waste Committee met tonight. I'm gonna hit the sack though. So maybe I'll post on it tomorrow.

Tim White

Bernanke must be a brain surgeon

Flashback to when a $29 billion bailout was big...

From Reuters by Mark Felsenthal on Wed Apr 2, 2008:

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday conceded for the first time the U.S. economy may slip into recession, but said growth should pick up later this year as the impact of interest rate cuts and other emergency steps take root.

Helicopter Ben is so smart!

Bernanke told a congressional panel that the economy appeared to be growing, but warned it could shrink in the first half of 2008. It was Bernanke's first testimony on Capitol Hill since the U.S. central bank helped rescue investment bank Bear Stearns in mid-March, an action he defended as averting a collapse that would have been calamitous.

Thank goodness we averted that calamity!

And today we hear more nonsense from Bernanke...

From the NYTimes' Catherine Rampell:

He urged support for the significant — and in many cases, unpopular — fiscal and monetary interventions the government has made into the economy thus far.

“If actions taken by the administration, the Congress, and the Federal Reserve are successful in restoring some measure of financial stability — and only if that is the case, in my view — there is a reasonable prospect that the current recession will end in 2009 and that 2010 will be a year of recovery,” Mr. Bernanke said.

Bush's bailout was a mistake and Obama's stimulus is not much better. Both measures increased the likelihood of a collapse of the dollar.

These bad policies must end... and calling for a halving of the federal deficit isn't enough. China is already far too influential in American fiscal policy as a result of us being indebted to them.

Ben Bernanke and all the economic insiders (i.e. Geithner) need to go. They're just a bunch of economists who think they're smarter than you and me. Yet their own records clearly demonstrate they are not brain surgeons.

Tim White

Council / BOE meeting 2/24/09

The full Council met tonight with the Board of Education. The topic was the budget.

Of interest was a potential request for a bid waiver for the school bus contract. Paul Calaluce explained his concern that a contract extension has been offered. It would be a five-year extension, including increases of 4.8% the first year and 4% each additional year. Paul also shared his concern that similar contracts have been seeing annual increases of 10%. So his feeling is that the BOE (and Council) should waive the bid. I'm uncertain about this. I generally don't like waiving bids, but am open-minded... depending on additional information. For instance, I asked when those "10% bids" happened. That is, if the proposals were being drawn up before the economy entered free fall... then the numbers will probably be impacted. Alternatively, if the bids were from a few weeks ago... the "10% bids" are probably similar to bids we would receive today. Anyway, this was just a comment from Dr. Florio about what is coming down the pike.

Then the discussion jumped over to different parts of the budget... and most everyone had something to say. But the most relevant point came from Jimmy Sima. He asked what line items were getting cut from the budget in relation to the $1.1 million BOE cut... as well as where other likely cuts would be made.

For some reason Council Chairman Matt Hall commented on how that never happens... which is partly true. My recollection of recent BOE budget cuts is that they don't offer any suggestions about what will be cut. But I always remembered Jimmy Sima offering specific changes... it's just that other Board members basically refused to acknowledge that Jimmy had done his homework. And if they acknowledged it, they may need to agree / disagree with his suggestions.

Another comment that caught my attention was when Laura Decaprio said something about how there's no fluff in the budget (if I heard her correctly). Of course, that's what I heard back in 2006 from BOE members... who were none-to-pleased when I sent this letter to the Herald detailing the fluff in the budget. But I'm "sure" there's no fluff in there now!

Anyway... this post is running long. Did anyone even see tonight's meeting? Between the UConn girls playing and President Obama speaking... I'm guessing not-too-many residents watched tonight's meeting.

Tim White

George Washington's farewell address (3/51)

The third of 51 paragraphs in George Washington's farewell address:

The acceptance of, and continuance hitherto in, the office to which your suffrages have twice called me, have been a uniform sacrifice of inclination to the opinion of duty, and to a deference for what appeared to be your desire. I constantly hoped, that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives, which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement, from which I had been reluctantly drawn. The strength of my inclination to do this, previous to the last election, had even led to the preparation of an address to declare it to you; but mature reflection on the then perplexed and critical posture of our affairs with foreign nations, and the unanimous advice of persons entitled to my confidence impelled me to abandon the idea.

State Rep. Vickie Nardello's bills in 2009 (2/3)

And here's the second installment of state Rep. Vickie Nardello's bills that she introduced this year:

HB05032 AN ACT CONCERNING MISSING PERSONS.
HB05087 AN ACT CONCERNING IMPROVED CARE AND SUPERVISION OF PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.
HB05106 AN ACT CONCERNING PARTICIPATION OF TOWNS IN CHARTER SCHOOLS AND INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOLS.
HB05168 AN ACT ESTABLISHING MISSING PERSONS DAY.
HB05569 AN ACT CONCERNING THE INVESTIGATION OF MISSING PERSON REPORTS.

Tim White

DB plans: the Council's inaction continues

The Town of Cheshire currently offers town employees two basic types of pension plans:

1) defined benefits (DB)
2) defined contributions (DC)

Here's an explanation of the differences.

And here's a recent history* of the Town Council's inaction on pension plan reform.

If you read the history, you know I'm of the opinion that the Town needs to move from DB plans to DC plans. DB plans are simply too risky for the taxpayer. This has been clearly demonstrated by the reality that the Town's DB plans are now underfunded by $20,000,000.** Furthermore, if employees had been controlling their own destiny... they may have placed their money elsewhere - in safer investments. And they may not have experienced the dramatic losses taken by the Town's DB plan.

And since the Council's inaction on ending DB plans continues, I again raised this topic (at the February 10 Council meeting):



Unfortunately, I may not have been clear. Best I recall, the Council discusses collective bargaining agreements in executive session - not pension options for non-union staff. And we also discuss current employees, not future employees. But for further clarification, here's a breakdown of the types of town ee's:

In this context, I'm concerned only with future non-union employees.

And with regard to future non-union employees, I want this Council on the record as to whether it wishes to continue offering DB plans to future non-union employees. I mean, this Council's inaction is unacceptable.

Furthermore, since last June the town has continued to hire non-union employees... employees who now are probably in the DB plan... the same DB plan that seems to lose money everyday.

I'm tired of adding to this underfund long-term liability and want Council members to explain why they feel the Town must continue offering DB plans to future non-union employees. This lack of leadership must end. The issues are too serious for this sophomoric approach to governing.

Tim White

* I wrote this post in November 2008 and it covered the preceding three years or so.
** $20,000,000 is my current estimate.

Rennie questions Dodd's home in Ireland

The Courant's Kevin Rennie is questioning Sen. Chris Dodd about his Dodd's home in Ireland. But Dodd dismissed the questions as being politically-motivated.

Tim White

Councilman Turf is probably getting nervous

From the WRAs Paul Hughes:

Rell is recommending the Democrat-controlled House and Senate cancel $389 million in state bonding that lawmakers have authorized.

Tim White

Ruocco encourages attendance at Feb 24 Council meeting

There will be a special joint meeting of the Town Council and Board of Education on February 24. The meeting will will immediately follow an earlier 6:45 meeting of the Council. All citizens are encouraged to attend. I do not know if public comments will be allowed, as there are no action items. However, the budget issues are very important this year to so many of you, that you may want to start now in understanding what the Council plans to do. We all need to understand what is putting so much pressure on the budget and taxpayers.

The agenda is here. It's very light on detail, and part of our meeting may be held during Executive session. However, the overall theme of the meeting is the budget process and should be discussed to some extent in public.

Some details may include, but would not be limited to the Transportation contract; the Stimulus Package (specifically the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Grant); Medical Benefits and the trust fund, and the Employee Bargaining Units.

Additional discussion items may also involve the Capital Non-Recurring fund and its impact on the Education budget, the potential funds that could be available from the Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority and the possibility of developing the FY’10 budget with a multi-year time line in mind.

Thank you once again. Please send along any thoughts you may have.

Tom Ruocco

State Rep. Vickie Nardello's bills in 2009 (1/3)

And here's the first installment of state Rep. Vickie Nardello's bills that she introduced this year:

HB05009 AN ACT CONCERNING THE POSTING OF MINUTES FROM PUBLIC AGENCY MEETINGS ON TOWN WEB SITES.
HB05016 AN ACT CONCERNING AN AGREEMENT AMONG THE STATES TO ELECT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BY NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE.
HB05018 AN ACT REQUIRING A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS MANDATED IN THIS STATE.
HB05019 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE USE OF A PRESCRIPTION DRUG HISTORY AS AN UNDERWRITING TOOL TO DENY INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE.
HB05030 AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PRESCRIPTION DRUG ACADEMIC DETAILING PILOT PROJECT.

I haven't gotten into the details of these, but on the surface I disagree HBO5016.

Just today, George Will explained the reason for the electoral college as he challenges Sen. Russ Feingold's call for a Constitutional amendment prohibiting gubernatorial appointments to vacated Senate seats:

The Framers gave the three political components of the federal government (the House, Senate and presidency) different electors (the people, the state legislatures and the Electoral College as originally intended) to reinforce the principle of separation of powers, by which government is checked and balanced.

I think any action to modify the Constitution should be taken with great care.

Tim White

George Washington's farewell address (2/51)

The second of 51 paragraphs in George Washington's farewell address:

I beg you at the same time to do me the justice to be assured that this resolution has not been taken without a strict regard to all the considerations appertaining to the relation which binds a dutiful citizen to his country; and that in withdrawing the tender of service, which silence in my situation might imply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future interest, no deficiency of grateful respect for your past kindness, but am supported by a full conviction that the step is compatible with both.

Building Assessment Consultant discussion - Feb 10

Here's the 27 minute discussion regarding the proposed hiring of a consultant to assess the buildings:



I don't have the cost handy, but it's in the neighborhood of $150,000. While I believe there's value offered in the service, I don't see the need to spend this money right now.

Tim White

George Washington's farewell address (1/51)

The first of 51 paragraphs in George Washington's farewell address:

The period for a new election of a citizen, to administer the executive government of the United States, being not far distant, and the time actually arrived, when your thoughts must be employed designating the person, who is to be clothed with that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprize you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made.

President Washington was born on February 22, 1732.

Journal Register Co. files Chapter 11

From the AP:

The Journal Register Co. filed Saturday for Chapter 11 protection from its creditors and said slumping advertising revenue and circulation are to blame.

The Journal Register Co. owns the New Haven Register.

IMO, they need to revamp their revenue model. They could make much better use of the web... an area in which the MRJ has done a good job over the past year... so it's not as if only big name newspapers can be successful with the web.

A newspaper just needs to be creative. And that creativity offers benefits. For instance, while there have been widespread reports of newspaper layoffs... my understanding is that the MRJ has been creating jobs in their "new media" department.

And if you didn't know, Chapter 11 relates to a reorganization. Chapter 7 is liquidation.

Tim White

Cyber crime hits banks in Cheshire

From the WRA:

Hackers targeting a New Jersey-based credit card processing company collected personal financial information on thousands of consumers and are believed to have swapped the information in an online black market...

Investigators believe some of the stolen information traveled over the Internet, possibly to Eastern Europe, before ending up in the hands of American thieves. Among the victims were an undetermined number of local customers of banks in Cheshire, Litchfield and Naugatuck. (BY JONATHAN SHUGARTS)

Tim White

Why is Obama suddenly concerned with deficit spending?

Back in January (see here and here) and last September I opined on the rise of China's influence on the U.S. government. And on February 11 I mentioned this report by Bloomberg News:

China should seek guarantees that its $682 billion holdings of U.S. government debt won’t be eroded by “reckless policies,” said Yu Yongding, a former adviser to the central bank.

The U.S. “should make the Chinese feel confident that the value of the assets at least will not be eroded in a significant way,” Yu, who now heads the World Economics and Politics Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in response to e-mailed questions yesterday from Beijing. He declined to elaborate on the assurances needed by China, the biggest foreign holder of U.S. government debt.

Then yesterday (Feb 20), CNN reported on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to China:

"Human rights cannot interfere with the global economic crisis..." Clinton said in talks with China's foreign minister.

And now on February 21 the APs Liz Sidoti is reporting:

Barack Obama wants to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term

Now returning to my February 11 post, I repeat:

it'll be difficult for the US to continue with the printing presses running 24/7... and not start getting some serious pushback from the people who financed our credit card spending spree for the past decade.

And since Obama just spent $787 billion to stimulate the economy, why is he suddenly concerned with deficit spending?

Well, I see these recent events:

1) Obama turned on the printing presses and says we must accept deficit spending.

2) China signaled its concern with money growing on trees.

3) Hillary spoke to Chinese officials privately.

4) Obama says he intends to address deficit spending.

Yup. I don't see how else to interpret these events.

The PRC* just told HRC to tell Obama to slow down his spending spree.

Sure looks to me as though America is now taking direction from China on monetary policy and fiscal policy.

Tim White

* People's Republic of China

Council agendas 2/24/09

There's a few Council-related meetings on Tuesday night:

TOWN COUNCIL SOLID WASTE COMMITTEE
6:30 P.M., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Discussion: Solid Waste/Recycling Collection contract.

SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
6:45 P.M., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Discussion: Linear park pending litigation, executive session.

JOINT SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL AND BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING 6:45 P.M. SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009

Discussion re: FY 09-10 budget issues, possible executive session.

Tim White

Schiffbomb breaks $20,000

It's 9:22pm EST and the Draft Peter Schiff for US Senate 2010 campaign just crossed the $20,000 mark.

Pretty impressive fundraising for a guy who is not a candidate and is entirely unrelated to the grassroots events.

The fundraiser is being conducted at Schiff2010.

I'm torn right now between two undeclared candidates: Schiff and Sam Caligiuri.

Tim White

State Rep. Elizabeth Esty's bills in 2009 (2/2)

And here's the second half of state Rep. Elizabeth Esty's ten bills that she introduced this year:

HB05863 AN ACT CONCERNING THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MUNICIPAL HISTORIANS.
HB05973 AN ACT ELIMINATING RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS.
HB06130 AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROHIBITION OF SOLAR PANELS.
HB06201 AN ACT CONCERNING RETURN OF UNUSED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TO PHARMACIES.
SB00295 AN ACT ESTABLISHING MEDICAL LOSS RATIO TRANSPARENCY.


Tim White

Trash hauling bid waiver vote on February 10

Here's the first 45 minutes of the discussion:

And here is the final minute or so:



Due to the videotaping, there's a gap between to the two videos.

Tim White

Caligiuri for US Senate 2010?

Although the story appears to have begun with the WRA (the hometown paper where Sam Caligiuri was once mayor), it appears to have gone viral quite quickly.

Others around the state are already running the story, including:

Genghis Conn at CTLocalPolitics

Christopher Keating at the Courant's Capitol Watch

Shelly Sindland mentions his likely candidacy on her personal blog

And WTNH has both a written piece and video:



My two cents:

A few months ago, I saw Sam in Town Hall. I asked him to run against Senator Chris Dodd. At the time, Sam indicated the fundraising was a hurdle he'd rather not cross. And with public funding for state-level races, I figured he wasn't interested. Regardless, the WRA reports:

If Republicans nominate him, Caligiuri said, Dodd will outspend him, but he is confident that he could raise enough money to run a competitive and successful campaign.

So I think Sammy is basically going for it.

As for my personal feelings, I think Sam could do a fine job as a US Senator. But I've already gotten involved with the Draft Peter Schiff for US Senate 2010 campaign. So now I'm wavering.

The two issues most important to me for 2010 are monetary policy and fiscal policy.

I'm comfortable with both Peter and Sam on fiscal policy. And I'm quite comfortable with Schiff on monetary policy (he rejects fiat money - a policy under which money grow on trees). But I have no idea where Sam stands on monetary policy. So with nothing more than a Draft Schiff campaign ongoing... I will be asking Sam Caligiuri about his views on monetary policy.

I believe very strongly that we need to transition away from fiat money and return to some form of sound money.

Tim White

p.s. As for Rob Simmons, I could vote for him. But I don't have any sort of real desire to support him. I'd strongly prefer either Peter or Sam over Rob.

Attorney fees & a response to a personnel question

Here's a breakout of the town attorney fees. It's also a followup to something I promised on Monday... which was a followup to two previous posts (here and here) in which I asked the Personnel Committee Chairman:

In relation to personnel issues, how much have the attorneys' fees been for the period from July 1 2007 to Dec 31 2008? And generally speaking, what have been the issues?

No word yet on the nature of the personnel issues. But since the number is less than $3,500 and lawyers have high hourly fees... at this time, I'm not planning to followup on this.

Tim White

CNBCs Rick Santelli on the bailouts

CNBCs Rick Santelli comments on the various bailouts / stimulus packages. It's a fun watch, if you feel that Obama's mortgage bailout includes too much encouragement of poor decision-making... as I do.

Tim White

Trash hauling contract - further discussion next week

As a followup to yesterday's post on the need for the Council to act on the trash hauling contract... I got an email from the Solid Waste Chairman, Matt Altieri. He said he didn't get my emails, but Councilman Ecke forwarded him my email from yesterday. Fair enough. I know I have problems with email sometimes.

Anyway, he's seen my suggestion for requesting bids on several different trash hauling options, such as:

1) 1 yr contract only - standard pickup
2) 6 yr contract only - standard pickup
3) 1 yr contract (standard) + 5 yr contract (automated)
4) 3 mos contract (standard) + 5 yr contract (automated)

And he said there will be a Solid Waste meeting (including discussion on the trash hauling contract) next Tuesday before the full Council's special meeting.

Hopefully we can take some action expeditiously.

Tim White

State Rep. Elizabeth Esty's bills in 2009 (1/2)

State Rep. Elizabeth Esty introduced ten bills this year. Here are the first five:

HB05430 AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH CARE PROVIDER CONTRACT STANDARDS.
HB05435 AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY INSURANCE COVERAGE AND GUIDE DOGS.
HB05436 AN ACT CONCERNING AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY INSURANCE COVERAGE AND GUIDE DOGS.
HB05507 AN ACT CONCERNING THE OPERATION OF LOW EMISSION VEHICLES IN THE HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANE.
HB05766 AN ACT CONCERNING PER PUPIL GRANTS FOR NONRESIDENT STUDENTS AT INTERDISTRICT MAGNET SCHOOLS.

Tim White

Peter Schiff moneybomb - Feb 21

The Draft Peter Schiff for U.S. Senate 2010 team has scheduled their first Paulista-style moneybomb for this Saturday, Feb 21. Click to see SchiffBomb.com.

At minimum, Peter can talk monetary policy. And he's a sound money guy. That is, he knows money doesn't grow on trees (i.e. - Keynesian fiat money).

Tim White

Trash hauling bid - Council must act

As I mentioned last Friday, the Town needs to take action - if it is to ensure uninterrupted trash hauling on July 1. And though I emailed Councilmen Ecke and Altieri twice last week with ideas for moving forward... I hadn't heard back from either of them by tonight... so I emailed them a third time.

Maybe there's a problem with email?

If I don't hear back from them sooner, I'll probably call them this weekend (it's too late to call tonight). I'm hoping they already have a plan for moving forward. But if they don't, my idea is to issue a bid request for several options:

1) 1 yr contract only - standard pickup
2) 6 yr contract only - standard pickup
3) 1 yr contract (standard) + 5 yr contract (automated)
4) 3 mos contract (standard) + 5 yr contract (automated)

Though I'm not an expert, that seems to me to be a reasonable way to address the short time frame... while still bidding the contract.

Tim White

Obama's foreclosure rescue plan

The NYTimes' David Leonhardt reports on the nature of the likely recipients of Obama's foreclosure rescue plan:

Many took out loans they were never going to be able to afford

Seriously, I live in America?

Have we officially prohibited personal responsibility?

This is beyond ridiculous. I mean, I know some people were hoodwinked... but apparently there were many, many people who knowingly took loans they knew they couldn't afford. And now I have to pay to keep them in their house?!

Tim White

The town government's sustainability initiative

From the Herald's Josh Morgan:

Town Manager Michael Milone has said a sustainability initiative is needed around Cheshire’s buildings that will encourage employees to recycle more cans and bottles, but as Milone explained, there are other things that can be done to benefit the environment. “We are trying to be more environmentally conscious,” Milone explained. “Just simply recycling is not the be all and end all.”

I commend the Town Manager for taking action within town government.

I'm looking for increased recycling at the household level via the next trash hauling contract.

Tim White

Sweeping dust off the deck of the Titanic

I don't have cable TV, so I've missed much of what others have seen on the debate over Obama's stimulus package. But the web offers plenty of information.

As I see it, the GOP talking points include some very legitimate concerns about spending. But Washington Republicans have two bigger problems:

1) the supporters of Bush's bailout lack credibility, and
2) yelling about wasting a million bucks in a trillion dollar package is like sweeping dust off the deck of the Titanic in an effort to "lighten the load."

The Republicans were right to reject the stimulus package. But they were wrong in failing to offer an alternative on such a major issue - the economy.

Too bad they continue to ignore the very real issue of monetary policy. If they were smart, they'd start substantive discussions on monetary policy (sound money vs. fiat money) and resurrect the image of the father of President Obama's Democratic Party - Andrew Jackson slaying the central bank:Tim White

What is "inflation?"

In The Revolution: A Manifesto, Ron Paul explains inflation:

Ludwig von Mises used to say that governments will always try to get people to focus on prices when thinking about inflation. But rising prices are a result of inflation, not inflation itself. Inflation is the increase in the money supply. If we understood inflation that way, we would instantly know how to cure it: simply demand that the Federal Reserve cease increasing the money supply. By focusing our attention on prices instead, we are liable to misdiagnose the problem, and we are more apt to accept bogus government
"solutions" like wage and price controls, as in the 1970s.

Unfortunately, the MSM is more interested in Helicopter Ben's thoughts and actions:

Federal Reserve policy makers introduced a long-term U.S. inflation estimate, with most officials aiming to anchor public expectations at a 2 percent rate...

“Increased clarity about the FOMC’s views regarding longer-term inflation should help to better stabilize the public’s inflation expectations, thus contributing to keeping actual inflation from rising too high or falling too low,” Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said today in a speech in Washington. (Bloomberg News, By Steve Matthews)

The public's expectations have nothing to do with inflation.

Inflation occurs when money grows on trees.

Tim White

Cheshire company expanding in Newington

From the WRAs Marc Silvestrini:

ETTER Engineering Co. Inc. of Cheshire will be relocating its manufacturing facility and offices to its new headquarters in Newington.

The company, which was established in Hamden in 1940 and moved to Cheshire in 1990, manufactures, services and distributes parts, equipment and systems for the natural gas, combustion, process heating and industrial heating industries.

Tim White

Cheshire's award-winning essayist

A student at St. Bridget's was honored for her award-winning essay. Click here to see as:

Madison Manware, a fifth-grader at St. Bridget School in Cheshire, receives her first-place honors from Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, left, and state Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Cheshire, at the state Capitol. (NHR, by Patricia Villers)

Tim White

Non union wage increases FY09

As promised yesterday... here is a followup to two previous posts (here and here) in which I asked the Personnel Committee Chairman:

For the current fiscal year, what were the payraises given to non-union staff? I don't want to know any specifics, but I am wondering about "salary banding" changes.... I don't want to know any names. I'm just wondering about general changes in the non-union salary bandings.

And though the Personnel Chairman seemed disinterested since he asked me to contact staff, the Town Manager promptly responded with this:Additionally, there was explanation given that some of these numbers were geared toward maintaining parity. Personally, I disagree with that. But I respect the TMs decisions.

Instead, I question the judgment of elected officials who seem to dismiss this out-of-hand. But why be surprised? We already know some people are willing to say anything to get elected, then promptly "forget" their campaign promises to town employees.

Tim White

Let the bail outs roll!

Sung to The Cars' classic tune:

Let the bail outs roll
Let them knock you around
Let the bail outs roll
Let them make you a clown

- American Presidents, since 2008

And now from the NYTimes' (By BILL VLASIC and NICK BUNKLEY):

The price tag for bailing out General Motors and Chrysler jumped by another $14 billion Tuesday, to $39 billion, with the two automakers saying they would need the additional aid from the federal government to remain solvent.

In return, the two companies also promised to make further drastic cuts to all parts of their operations...

G.M., for example, said it would cut 47,000 more of its 244,000 workers worldwide; close five more plants in North America, leaving it with 33...

Ahhh... job creation you can believe in!

All kidding aside... Bush's $700 billion bailout was wrong and so is Obama's stimulus package.

As I said last September, it's pain now or pain later. I say pain now. That means ending these bailouts and stimulus packages that are devaluing the dollar and increasing the importance of countries with a less-than-stellar record on freedom.

Tim White

RTC fundraiser - Thursday Feb 26

First Annual RTC Dinner Meeting in Honor of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Please come and bring your friends & family to our dinner meeting on Thurs February 26th at 7:30pm at the Senior Center.

The requested donation is $5.00PP. I am also asking all members bring a dish of their choice.

Marilyn Bartoli, Chairwoman
Republican Town Committee

Also David Schrumm's annual spaghetti dinner will be Friday March 13, 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Caligiuri wants trash haulers licensed

From the NHRs Luther Turmelle:

State Sen. Sam Caligiuri, R-Waterbury, is backing legislation that would require trash haulers in the state to be licensed by and under the oversight of the state Department of Consumer Protection.

Caligiuri, whose 16th District includes Cheshire, Southington, Waterbury and Wolcott, last week testified before the legislature’s General Law committee regarding Senate Bill 324, which he introduced this session. Caligiuri backed a similar piece of legislation last year.

“We need this bill in order to protect the public and consumers from the small minority of haulers who engage in illegal practices,” Caligiuri said. “These practices are anti-competitive, which ultimately hurts consumers.”

An example of the practices Caligiuri refers to are schemes to prevent competition and inflate prices that were uncovered and resulted in 29 federal indictments in June 2006.

I'm normally opposed to the state requiring a license for every little thing, but in this case... at least for some time, say ten years, I think this makes sense.

Also worth noting is that while Senator Caligiuri is fighting for good government, he likely faces real serious pushback. Not to be forgotten, in June 2007 the Courant described the problem this way:

Sen. DeLuca: James Galante's man in the legislature.

Someone needs to tackle this. I'm proud that Senator Caligiuri is tackling this and trying to rebuild the public's confidence.

Tim White

State Rep. Mary Fritz' bills in 2009 (8/8)

Here's the eighth installment of Cheshire's most prolific legislator:

SB00646 AN ACT EXCLUDING SEXUAL ASSAULT AND OTHER VIOLENT CRIME VICTIMS FROM JURY SERVICE IN CERTAIN CRIMINAL CASES.
SB00664 AN ACT CONCERNING BILLING FOR ASSISTED LIVING SERVICES COVERED BY LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE.
SB00716 AN ACT ELIMINATING THE REDUCTION OF BENEFITS PAYABLE UNDER A LONG-TERM DISABILITY POLICY BY AMOUNTS RECEIVED BY THE INSURED IN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS.
SB00724 AN ACT CONCERNING IMMUNITY FOR CERTAIN VOLUNTEERS.
SB00732 AN ACT REQUIRING THE USE OF AN IGNITION INTERLOCK DEVICE UPON A FIRST DRUNKEN DRIVING CONVICTION.
SB00755 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF ASTHMATIC INHALERS AND EPINEPHRINE AUTO-INJECTORS WHILE AT SCHOOL.
SB00759 AN ACT AUTHORIZING BONDS OF THE STATE FOR REGIONAL FIRE SCHOOLS.
SB00768 AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF WHISTLEBLOWERS.
SB00781 AN ACT CONCERNING THERAPEUTIC CONTACT LENSES.

Tim White

Housing authority and the proposed expansion

From the MRJs Jesse Buchanan:

Residents of the Beachport affordable housing complex on Rumberg Road voiced questions and concerns about a proposed affordable housing development at the Housing Authority meeting Tuesday.

Discussion focused on the impact the 14 units of housing would have on traffic and the ability to exit Rumberg Road onto West Main Street. A traffic study conducted by the Housing Authority concluded that the addition of housing units wouldn't impact the situation which is caused primarily by heavy traffic on West Main Street....

Bruce Klein, the chairman of the Housing Authority, said affordable housing was attractive since it allowed people who work in town to afford to live there...

The proposed housing development must receive approval by the Planning and Zoning Committee and then funding must be secured. The project is ready to begin since all the design work has been done and he thought prospects for state funding were good.

Tim White

Light posting - vacation weekend

Sorry for the light posting this weekend. I've been gone on a short getaway. Hopefully be back posting tomorrow with some new pieces, including an update on a recent constituent question about non-union payraises by jobgrade.

Hope everyone had a good Presidents Day Weekend!

Tim White

Geithner, China & Saudi sittin' in a tree...

As concerning as this economic downturn is... it's really a symptom of a much bigger issue - the redistribution of wealth from developed nations to developing nations.

The most noticeable factor for most of us has been the shift of manufacturing jobs to Asia and Latin America. More recently the service sector has been bleeding jobs from America and Europe to BRIC and elsewhere.

But the redistribution of wealth is now moving full steam ahead with a sellout of American interests under the auspices of the global economic crisis. Gone are the days of the G-7 (Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA). Now America is sitting at the G-20 table.

As Bloomberg News reports:

The Group of Seven, whose finance chiefs convene this weekend in Rome, is ceding its traditional power to rebuild the world economy to a broader body of governments that now wield greater sway over global growth.

As U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet join their G-7 counterparts, it’s the Group of 20 that occupies the vanguard responding to the financial crisis.

The shift in influence to the group, whose membership ranges from the U.S. to China to Saudi Arabia, reflects the fact that industrial nations lack the resources to fix the world’s economic woes alone. That curbs the G-7’s scope to deliver new initiatives this week, say economists and former officials.

The internationalists will rejoice! But I fall into the camp that places America and freedom first.

While Geithner would love for me to forget about that little incident in Tiannenman Square, I won't. See I care about the "little things," such as transparency and freedom of speech.

Why should I trust China about anything?

But what I don't understand at all is... why does Obama stick with this guy?

Geithner has clearly demonstrated that he places himself before country. And now Obama is asking him to sit down at a table with China and Saudi... and come up with some sort of fair deal on economic policy reforms? Please.

Why should I trust Geithner about anything?

Someone needs to ask Obama that since he ran against "Bush's failed economic policies," what exactly is his vision of economic change? I mean, is Geithner a Bush guy or not? If so, what is Obama's change?

Of course, there is no change. And that's the way the billionaire bankers want it... with Bush, Obama and all Presidents - going back to before Obama was born - drinking their kool-aid.

Unlike his predecessor, I think Obama will admit it when he makes a mistake. I hope it's not too long before Obama realizes he made a huge mistake with Geithner... and gets rid of him on the spot.

Geithner has got to go.

Tim White

Reduced funding for prison PILOT money

The MRJ is reporting on a likely decrease for Cheshire's prison PILOT money.

Tim White

Sobol on the BOE budget vote

From the MRJs Jesse Buchanan:

After rejecting the budget proposed by school Superintendent Greg Florio, the Board of Education passed a budget reduced by $1.1 million...

The reductions were not enough according to Alan Sobol, though. He said 64 percent of the town's budget goes to education, and said to place that burden on taxpayers was unfair. The school system will have more than 200 fewer students next year and Sobol wants the district to reconsider staffing levels.

"I don't think the reductions we have will restructure and retool the school system, which is what we have to do," he said. "I want to see bold, innovative changes."

Also last night, Alan mentioned that there are currently 23 more teachers in the schools than in the 04/05 year (the zero budget). Yet student enrollment has dropped several hundred students.

From my perspective, that doesn't make much sense.

Read the full article... there's a lot more in there.

Tim White

Ron Paul on legislating the stimulus package

Although the audio isn't great because of the wind... Congressman Ron Paul offers some truly interesting insights into how scary the legislative process is in Washington:



Tim White

Action needed to maintain continuous municipal trash hauling

Since the Town's trash hauling contract expires on June 30, I think it'll be worthwhile to keep everyone aware of my efforts to ensure the Town will be collecting trash on July 1. To that end, on Wednesday night I emailed Councilmen Altieri and Ecke... looking for a way to move forward. And since I didn't hear anything back by Thursday night, I emailed them this last night:

Matt / Mike...

In 2004 we issued a bid with multiple trash hauling options. Perhaps we issue a bid with several options again, such as:

1 yr contract only - standard pickup
6 yr contract only - standard pickup
1 yr contract (standard) + 5 yr contract (automated)
3 mos contract (standard) + 5 yr contract (automated)

Thoughts?

Tim

My goal is simply to offer new ideas for how to move forward, ensuring uninterrupted municipal trash collection. And with that in mind, you should know that Jimmy Sima is also working to ensure a timely bidding of the trash hauling contract.

He found this info on the "Connecticut Procurement Daily":

Of course, bidding time constraints were already discussed at Tuesday's Council meeting - noting that the contract could be bid and awarded prior to the April 17 deadline for next year's budget. So to see a Town going to bid just yesterday (Feb 12) with bids to be opened by March 17 is not surprising.

Regardless:



(Please note the above video is an extended version of the video I normally use. At the end, it offers a bit of color analysis by Obi-Wan Kenobi.)

But seriously... action is needed to maintain continuous municipal trash hauling services. I hope this doesn't turn out to be another "performance contracting" situation in which the majority needs to get information... then gets the information... then falsely blames me for not informing them.

Tim White

Talking Points Memo on trash hauling

From the MRJs Editor's Notepod:

Cheshire: Contract for waste removal won't be waived. Given the particular history, I can see why members had some general concerns.

Oftentimes I disagree with the editorial board of the MRJ, but not this time. In fact, it's refreshing to be reminded that their editorial board doesn't take their TPM from Town Hall.

And while on this topic, I should mention two events in the runup to the deadlocked vote:

1) The first meeting discussing this bid waiver was a few weeks ago. After that meeting, I was very clear with Councilmen Altieri and Ecke that the history of the contract was a real concern for me.

2) Several minutes before the start of Tuesday's meeting (during the Solid Waste meeting) I suggested that the issue could be tabled during the full Council meeting... until we had more time to consider... perhaps to have a vote at a second meeting in February.

Tim White

State Rep. Mary Fritz' bills in 2009 (7/8)

Here's the seventh installment of Cheshire's most prolific legislator:

SB00388 AN ACT DELAYING REVALUATION.
SB00451 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A SILVER ALERT SYSTEM.
SB00549 AN ACT CONCERNING THE RETENTION AND USE OF EPIPENS BY STUDENTS WHILE AT SCHOOL.
SB00602 AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF SOCIAL SECUTIRY NUMBERS AS REQUIRED IDENTIFICATION FOR OPENING AN ACCOUNT WITH A PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY.
SB00605 AN ACT ESTABLISHING HONOR OUR HEROES DAY.
SB00608 AN ACT CONCERNING CERTAIN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS THAT ARE REJECTED BY THE STATE ELECTIONS ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION.
SB00619 AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR CHANGES TO FORECLOSURE PROCEDURES.
SB00641 AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTIONS BASED ON BRAIN TRAUMA.
SB00645 AN ACT EXTENDING CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS FOR CERTAIN FULL-TIME STUDENTS.

Tim White

Trash hauling vote - who is kidding who?

This week I've been disappointed with several people about comments over the attempt to waive the bid for the Town's million-dollar trash hauling contract. IMO, the crux of the issue is the ridiculous claims of omniscience when we hear "This is a fair price!"

Comments such as this:

Ecke added there was no indication that the Cheshire waste contract had been tainted by racketeering. (MRJ, Jesse Buchanan)

Or this comment declaring that the 2004 bid process had a "level playing field":



make it obvious that there are people behind the Council desk who are pretending as though this never happened:

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, WALLINGER today admitted that, along with others, he conspired to perpetuate a system, commonly called the “property rights system.” Carters engaged in the property rights system would not service or compete for other carters’ customers. The property rights system essentially destroys free enterprise, allowing the participating carters to artificially inflate their prices and leaving waste removal customers with no other options. In this scheme, which was directed at commercial and municipal customers, participating carters agreed to quote inflated prices to customers controlled by other carters. (Source: DOJ website)

I couldn't believe the degree of intellectual dishonesty, so I did some of my own investigative work on the four companies that bid in 2004:

AJ Waste Systems
Trash Master
Waste Management
American Disposal

I presume Councilman Ecke and his boss



had heard that our trash hauler had some legal problems. But obviously Mr. Ecke was unaware of any other bidders being involved in racketeering. So maybe Mr. Ecke should begin reading the Danbury News Times?

As recently as January 26, 2009, The News Times reported that American Disposal was part of the $100 million Galante trash hauling empire that was engaged in the "property rights system."

Though on the flip side (based on accounts I've heard), Waste Management was completely clean and had nothing to do with the bid rigging.

And I haven't heard anything about Trash Master - good or bad.

So this is in the court of public opinion now. In my opinion, the Council is misrepresenting reality. And that's not to say we're getting an unfair price. No, not at all. I'm simply saying we have no idea if we're getting a fair price - yet this is their claim.

We won't know a "fair price" until true competition has a chance to bid on contracts and flourish.

Tim White