A prayer for Anne Giddings

A prayer offered by my father for Anne Giddings:

Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, and lord of our lives, as we undertake the work of this committee, we ask for your guidance and blessing in all we do. Give us the wisdom to know truth from falsehood, right from wrong, your will from self-will. Give us the courage to act on that wisdom so our actions reflect our understanding that, as our founders said so clearly, we are one nation under you.

And we thank you, O God, for the life of our friend and colleague, Anne Giddings. As we grieve for her and her family in this time of loss, we remember Anne as one who had a full measure of the wisdom and courage to conduct herself as your steward.

She demonstrated in her life a character built upon principles fundamental to America: self-reliance; civic pride; respect for nature; frugality not to live beyond her means; thrifty use of resources; hard work in support of family, neighbor and community; love of education; volunteerism and civic service.

Anne was a model citizen in many ways, Lord. Her quiet and sunny demeanor cheered those around her. Her work with young people touched their lives and their parents for the better. Our community and our nation have been enriched by her dedicated spirit of caring and serving and glorifying you through the work of her head, hands and heart.

We know Anne is with you, Lord. Hold her in your loving arms, bring peace and comfort to her grieving family and friends, and keep us mindful of her as a true and faithful servant who contributed in great measure to building your kingdom on earth.

Amen.

Life in the tropics... fresh coconut milk

I had a chance to pry myself away from my usual routine of deskwork and homework yesterday. I got out into the field to do hard labor. Well... it was more normal boy scout work... setting up a tent... but in the Haitian sun, it wasn't easy for a whitie who gets fried pretty easily. It was important though. The project relates to our ongoing cholera outreach, but I'll try to post more on that later. In the meantime...

This is just one of the niceties of living in the tropics... fresh coconut milk! I didn't ask for it, but the villagers found some coconuts (they grow everywhere), pulled out a couple machetes and let us quench our thirst...This is one difference from Cheshire. I've found that in the tropics around the world, they don't necessarily eat the coconut meat. But people always drink the milk. And to drink the milk, there's no need to prepare the coconut so that it looks like the coconuts you see in Stop & Shop. You just need to make a neat little hole and drink!
Tim White

Sweet Micky wins = party time... Haitian style

It's party time in Haiti! The initial Presidential election in November didn't turn out the way many Haitians had hoped. Throughout December, the country was fraught with violence. Christmas turned into a relatively peaceful January as "amended" election results were released... and a new runoff presidential election date, March 20, was announced.

The results of the March 20 election were announced today. And though I left work early to avoid any possible violence, it's obvious that Haiti has now learned the election results... and the country is quite happy.

Apparently, Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelli won the two-way race with over 67% of the vote. That's a huge win. And the joy in the streets is overwhelming. About 15 minutes ago I heard the roar of the people in all directions. The motorbikes are whizzing down the street blaring their horns.

Sweet Micky was declared President and it's party time in Haiti!

Now I just hope the "transition" goes smoothly.

And to further prove that it's party time... I have electricity tonight for the second time in two weeks. So clearly, it's party time!

Tim White

Running water and some Carnival images

The city power company stopped operating on Saturday. Thankfully, I have batteries where I live. So I had power until Monday. But then my luck ran out. Aside from the difficulties related to my online classes, it's not that big of a deal to me. If it was, I would never have come to Haiti. But it is interesting to be reminded of all the ways in which I'm "power-dependent."

For example, I generally have running water at my place. But the running water is based on gravity. And I have to get the water to the roof from the cistern in the ground. That's much easier with an electric pump. And with limited electricity -- lights only -- for a few days, the tank on the roof ran dry. So when I awoke this morning... it was back to my backpacker days for cleaning up.

It was the ole bucket-o-water, over-the-shoulder shower for me. :) Anyway... I don't consider myself a particularly fussy person, but it did make me remember how much I appreciate running water. It really is nice.

And on an entirely different topic... since I finally have a functioning web connection, here are a few images from Carnival. Here are a couple pix of the nighttime "processions" or impromptu parades:And of course, here's one of the many masked merrymakers:

Tim White

Carnival 2011 -- the procession

I finally got my computer setup for pix. Yay!

These pix are from about a month ago. It was one of the weekly pre-Carnival "processions" that passed my place every Sunday afternoon. Impromptu groups of people would just march around town. The groups usually included a band of sorts with drums and horns. And there were usually lots of masked young men covered in used motor oil. As for why they use old motor oil... I'm guessing that when you're short on money, you tend to recycle quite a bit.



Tim White

Life continues

Rodny’s services and funeral were on Saturday afternoon. I wasn’t sure if I should attend. I wanted to attend, but also wanted to be respectful.

I spoke with my boss. She’s American, but has lived in Jeremie for nearly 25 years. She told me to wear formal black and white. (I actually suspected that already as people here wear black and white for a year after the death of a loved one.) However, I couldn’t because I didn’t have any black or white. So she suggested I wear something more formal. I wore my work clothes. She said that I should wear a necktie. That made sense to me and I brought one with me, so that was good. Then she told me to avoid anything red. Well, there went the red necktie. In the end, I dressed the same as I do for work and headed downtown.

The walk there was ok. I maintained my composure.

As I approached, I was asked to pin a black sash across my chest. It had white painted letters on it and I understood that it was intended as a sign of respect. I immediately pinned it to my shirt.

I reached the Methodist Church. It was so sad to see how many people were there… obviously a very popular fellow… and only 33.

I saw some of my coworkers. I nodded, but had no interest in speaking with anyone. For the first fifteen minutes or so, I kept getting glassy-eyed. I managed to push it back though. No one was going to see me cry. I’m not sure why I felt that way. I think it didn’t seem appropriate for me… a near stranger who only knew him for a few months. I thought he was great, but it still seemed inappropriate. So I kept pushing back the tears.

The services started around 3pm. It was interesting. His casket was at the front of the church and I avoided it. I was already feeling terrible. I preferred fond memories with Rodny.

Not only was the church packed, the area in front of the church was too. So as the services began I found my way outside and listened from the porch.

There were several eulogies by family members. There was a brass band near the middle of the services. There were several choirs and our own organization led a song. Surprising to me was how vocal some women were. They were screaming and I understood why. But they also were throwing their bodies around in violent fashion. I’d never seen that before, but was told it’s traditional for women close to the lost loved one.

As 5:30pm was approaching, the services came to a close and people began exiting the church. I was told that this was the beginning of the walk to the cemetery. Pallbearers carry the casket for the mile-long walk there.

During the service I continued welling up, but still beat back the tears. The tough part for me was when I saw his brother, Max, walking down the front stairs with the casket draped in yellow and blue silk flowers. I was standing across the street and had a clear view as they descended.

I started bawling. I still tried to fight back the tears, but I couldn’t. A lady said something to me and grabbed my arm. I tried to ignore her. I was in no mood to talk. And though I couldn’t understood the words she spoke, I knew she was telling me to “let it out.” She rubbed my arm, telling me it’d be ok.

As Rodny’s casket descended further, the tears became falls and my new found friend consoled me. With no tissues around, she started wiping away the tears with her already moist hands. Rodny passed and moved up the street toward his final resting ground. As he moved out of sight, the downpour turned to a drizzle and into something of a dreary fog. She wiped the final tears away and let my arm go.

I could see now. I turned to see her face. I have no recollection if I said “mesi,” but I’m sure I managed as much of a smile as I could and moved toward the walking procession.

As I approached the tail of the line I saw some coworkers. They saw that I was barely composed. I couldn’t hide it, as much as I wanted to. One man looked at me with a smile on his face and outstretched hand saying “vie continuer.”

Tim White

Subverting the Charter is unacceptable

UPDATE: I retract this post. Not in full, but in part. There's no subversion here. Special appropriatons in excess of $350,000 do not require a referendum, if they are related to a grant. I was wrong and I sincerely apologize for that. Nonetheless, I still assert that this is not a "legal" question at all. It's a political question that should be framed as such. Again, I apologize.

Over on TPL, Tony is telling us about a recent Council / BOE meeting at which the Council Budget Committee indicated their willingness to bypass the Charter and spend $367,000 without going to referendum. This is unacceptable because the Charter requires this special appropriation – and anything in excess of $350,000 – to go to referendum.

If this happens, it will be a subversion of the Charter and should not be tolerated by those who care about good government. But I'm confident that if anyone tries to thwart their efforts, the Council will have all sorts of straw men arguments to defend their subversion of the Charter. So I offer here some explanation to good government advocates who are compelled to stop this subversion. Specifically, I'm explaining:

1) The likely reason they appear poised to subvert the Charter; and

2) The straw men they’ll likely use to defend their actions and achieve their true goal.

Why is the Council intent on subverting the Charter?

Simple.

It’s an election year. There are potential political downsides to not expeditiously forwarding this money to the BOE.

What are those downsides?

Again, simple.

The Council has been quite favorable to spending money this year on all sort of things… the turf, the trail, sidewalks, etc. And I understand that two GOP Council members are quietly advocating that the Council spend money to replace the bubble. How would it look to the voters if, after all of that, they oppose spending money on education?

The GOP Council has created a potential repeat of the November 2005 election in which the GOP lost the Council majority and every other elected body. That happened largely because the Council passed the “zero budget,” but pushed for the linear trail. Effectively, many voters concluded that the former GOP Council did not have the right priorities. It was “recreation before education.” That didn’t fly with the voters in 2005… and the current GOP Council has the same concern. They hope that by voting in favor of this special appropriation, they’ll avoid a repeat of the 2005 general election. But if that’s the case, you may ask:

Why don’t they simply vote in favor of this $367,000 special appropriation and be done with it?

Yet again, simple.

The concern about “recreation before education” is a political concern about infuriating Democrats and losing independents in the November general election. But if -- in an attempt to address the concerns of these voters -- they simply vote on this special appropriation, they face another challenge.

Incumbent Republicans face the distinct possibility of being outflanked on their right and face defeat via primary elections. And yes, that absolutely could happen. I’ve been actively following local politics for a decade. The past few months have been the first time I’ve ever heard anyone talking about local primaries… and those comments have come from a number of different people. They are people who vote, but generally have not been involved… and have now become incensed with all of the aforementioned votes on spending.

These potential primaries are also a reason for the quick vote that bypasses the Charter. The Council wants as little visibility on this issue as possible. They don’t want repeated headlines on additional spending that will further infuriate fiscal conservatives. And a special referendum would generate many additional headlines.

In my opinion, that’s the real explanation for why the Council is moving fast to move this money to the BOE.

However, the Council argues that they are legally required to transfer this money. On the surface, their explanation “It’s the law” is entirely plausible. So some additional questions must be asked to determine if their plausible explanation is a valid explanation. In other words:

Is this really about the law or is this a straw man?

Simple.

It is a straw man.

Based on reading Tony’s post, it is obvious that the Council is framing this as a legal issue. But this isn’t their primary concern. It is only a concern where it suits their purposes.

What do I mean?

Simple.

If the law is the concern, then:

1) Why are they only addressing this year’s budget? Why not prior years?

and

2) Why are they only addressing state funding for special ed? Why not ECS or other education-related state funding sources?

To these points… based on memory, I’m fairly certain that there are similar laws for other education-related state funding sources. So if this is truly about the law, then they must be consistent about all funding sources (that are similarly mandated) and vote on funding retroactively.

But it seems to me that this is not about “the law.”

And another important question… if this is about the law, then what is the enforcement mechanism? And what are the penalties? If there is no enforcement mechanism and there are no legal penalties, then couching this as a “legal” issue is a red herring.

This is a public policy question… some may call it a “political” question. Regardless, however you look at it, this is not a “legal” question. The Council is simply framing it as a “legal” question because, as I explained above, they want to get reelected. And they view this as the most politically expedient path to their reelection.

This brings me to the most critical part of this issue: the “cover” for their straw man.

Now please understand, this is fairly speculative on my part. But it is based on my seven years of Council experience. This is how I’ve seen Council majorities act in the past… and it’s done with the complicity of their political appointees.

If a voter attempts to ask “tough” questions, either the Council – or their political appointees – will often tell the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth. For example, responses are often given as a “double negative” with wiggle room:

Voter: Do you agree?
Town official: I don’t disagree.

Town officials must be pressed for crystal clear answers, not partial truths.

Now here’s where I foresee the possible “truth, but not the whole truth” come into play.

The Council will ask legal counsel (perhaps via the TM) “Is the Council legally required to transfer these special ed funds to the BOE?”

I expect that the answer will be “yes.”

But back to my previous questions...

If the law is the concern, then:

1) Why are they only addressing this year’s budget? Why not prior years? and

2) Why are they only addressing state funding for special ed? What about ECS funding? What about other sources of state funds?

Those are some of the questions that should be asked of Council members. Unfortunately, this is a situation where email is irrelevant. I’ve already tried and gotten crickets, thus far.

This is the classic situation where the bully pulpit and high visibility are required. These are questions best asked during a televised Council meeting. And the questioner must be prepared to extemporaneously parse the explanations being given. And if the “3 minute” rule is invoked, it may be necessary to have multiple voters standing ready to continue the questioning. It’s not easy, but I’d be thrilled if it happened. The Council needs to be publicly challenged on this.

But back to the title of this post… my concern is not about sending these funds to the BOE. Heck, education should always be a higher priority than recreation. That’s a no-brainer. And transferring the volatility of the state’s annual budget to the BOE is also a no-brainer.

My concern is the subversion of the Charter.

Fundamentally, this is not a legal issue. This is a Council vote like any other. And this appropriation must be sent to referendum. Failure to do so will be an intentional subversion of the Charter.

I encourage the voters to step forward and demand answers. The risk here is great. If what I’ve laid out is correct, this will be setting a precedent from which there is no return. This Council will have demonstrated that it feels it is above the law and accountable to no one.

Subverting the Charter is unacceptable, but it may still be possible to convince the Council to change course. There is still time to act.

Tim White

It was because of a protest

From the Haiti Observer:

A Bus in direction to Jeremy, overturned as the bus slammed into a roadblock made by protesters. According to Police, these protesters were upset because they were not hired for a job to which they had applied for.

9 people were pronounced dead on impact and 24 injured were transported to a Hospital in Les Cayes.

Three people were immediately arrested for this accident.

My friend died because of some stupid protesters... coupled with a bus driver who was obviously speeding. But equally horrible is that the police decided to take action after the accident. Nine people are dead and their lives could've been saved... but that's par for the course here.

Soon after I arrived last fall, I asked for the number to call if I needed the police. I wondered if it was 911. Instead I learned I should dial G-O-D. I was told "don't bother, they don't show up until you give them money for gas."

Tim White

God bless your soul, Rodny St. Clair

Isn’t God wonderful ?!
Isn’t He good to you,
to each one of you, and to me?
Turn to God each day--
put your faith, your trust, your hope
and your life in His hands.
He’ll take care of you
and you’ll have a good life.

- Father Mychal Judge

My boss, Sister Maryann, just told me that one of the guys who works for me died today in a bus crash. I'm so upset. I only knew him a few months, but I really did like him. He was such a nice guy. This is so upsetting. And it reminds me of the dangers that lie everywhere on Earth, but tend to be more pronounced and visible in the developing the world.

Tim White

Lockerbie and Cheshire

Yes, Qaddafi was behind it. And yes, Qaddafi should die for it... among other reasons. But I'm thinking about Cheshire's two murderers, Komisarjevsky and Hayes.

Some legislators like to claim that their DP repeal won't impact the two murderers. I disagree. Not only could that legislation be used for an appeal on prior DP sentences, but even worse... if they live, they may eventually get their freedom.

I don't know if that's what Lawlor actually wants -- for Komisarjevsky and Hayes to eventually be "reformed" and freed -- but when you look at the Lockerbie bomber getting out over a year ago because he was "going to die in six weeks," then it should be plain as day that the DP should stand. And Joshua and Steven should receive their penalties in an expeditious manner.

Tim White

Carnival... a.k.a. Mardi Gras!

I know it’s been a while. I’ve been busy. Between work and online school, I haven’t had much time for blogging… other than a few posts on Tony’s blog where I felt compelled to elevate the dialogue a bit.

Anyway, the past year has been rough on the Haitian people.

The earthquake, cholera, political violence and general poverty have defined a difficult year for Haitians. So I was pleased this weekend to see Carnival – Mardi Gras – in full swing. The Bourbon Street style overflow crowds were more than I enjoy, but it was good to see a lightened atmosphere.

I’ll try to post more frequently, but find it doubtful for the next month or two. I just have so much going on here… and when you couple that with an internet connection that’s slower and drops more often than AOL circa the mid-90s… and city power that’s been averaging about three hours per week for the past few weeks… it’s tough to get online and publish.

At least my internet connection may improve though. As I was walking down the street a week ago, I noticed an asian working on the cell tower that’s being installed near my office. And although I don’t speak Creole yet, I do speak a bit of Vietnamese. And the asian guy was Vietnamese. I was in luck! I now understand that the cell tower will include internet service. So I’m intending to spend some time this weekend finding more details… and hopefully getting a better web connection. And hope springs eternal when it comes to daily city power… who knows, maybe someday I’ll get both on a consistent, daily, uninterrupted basis??

If, and when, that day comes… I’ll be sure to start uploading pix. I’ve gotten some good ones since I arrived. But with my web speed… it’s a hopeless battle that times out every time.

K… now going to sit down with the litter of seven baby puppies that recently arrived. The guard dogs had them about two weeks ago. They’re adorable… just getting past the floppy stage where their four legs work at the same time and they no longer move around like baby sea turtles… pushing their hands out in front, then pulling their bodies along… priceless.

As for the local stuff… the Patch is reporting that the Council is actually considering replacing the bubble. That would be a mistake. I hope they don’t go down that path… although it’s obvious the TM is pushing more spending on the pool… and it’s also obvious that this Council takes his advice when they shouldn’t. Regardless, I’m sure the voters will remember some pretty staunch GOP opposition to spending more money on fixing the bubble as recently as August 2009. So it may not matter what Council members remember. What matters is what the voters remember.

Tim White

My dad's visit saw almost no violence

The week has come and gone and my dad has returned to the land of stars'n'stripes safely. He was here in Jeremie this week and had a memorable time. Best part of all, even though there was an election announcement on Wednesday, there was almost no violence while he was here. No "bling, bang," per se. Well... at least not until last night. We were sitting at the kitchen table when we heard the pop-pop-pop... pop. I looked at my dad and said, "yup, I'm pretty sure that was a gun... next door." And my dad said "it was a 9mm." Fun, fun.

As for me, I've been buried at work. But I expect my dad will elaborate on his adventures.

Oh... and there was one other notable highlight. As my dad arrived in Port-au-Prince, his group saw Hillary's State Department jet. It was Sunday. The election results were announced on Wednesday. Hmmm... I wonder if Hillary was discussing the results before the announcement? No doubt. And I'm sure Obama is wishing he had the same influence in Egypt. Which reminds me of one of my beliefs about US foreign policy... we should mind our own business and stop meddling in other people's affairs.

Tim White

Offical election results forthcoming...

You know in America it's "bling, bling", but out here it's "bling, bang". - Danny Archer (Leonardo Decaprio) to Maddy Bowen (my future wife, Jennifer Connelly) in the 2006 film Blood Diamond

The first round of Haiti's Presidential election was on November 28. When the first round's "preliminary" results were announced in mid-December, even sleepy Jeremie saw borderline rioting and general chaos. It's been quiet since I returned in early January, but the official results will be announced tomorrow.

I'm hoping the Electoral Council's announcement isn't setting a match to this tinderbox.

Tim White

Energy conservation plan: initial proposer walkthru

It’s taken years to get here. But with gasoline inching toward $4 / gallon, the time couldn’t be better for the Council and BOE to be moving forward with their town wide energy conservation plan.

The next step in the long process to overhaul potentially dozens of buildings is scheduled for Tuesday at 9am in Town Hall. All proposers for the energy conservation RFP are to attend a walkthrough that will include staff from both the Town (esp. Town Hall and PD) and BOE (esp. CHS and Dodd).

Including CHS is particularly helpful. You may recall that the August 2009 capital budget saw the electric retrofit for (the back 1/3 of) CHS balloon from $1.9 million to $4 million... and get indefinitely delayed. But this project is intended to cover CHS. So hopefully the two will dovetail with the lifetime savings of the improvements offsetting the capital costs of the project.

But beyond the initial four buildings, if things move forward as anticipated, the town could eventually expand the scope of the work to include all town buildings and schools. However, it was decided that a more limited group of buildings was the best approach to begin the energy conservation plan.

H/t to Councilman Steve Carroll for the head’s up!

Tim White

Thin Lizzy plays Haiti!

When I ponder the last fifty years of the men who have run Haiti:

Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier -- 1957 to 1971
Jean Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier -- 1971 to 1986
General Namphy -- 1986 to 1987
Jean Bertrand Aristide -- 1987 to 1991
General Raoul Cedras -- 1991 to 1993
Jean Bertrand Aristide -- 1993 to 1995
Rene Preval -- 1996 to 2000
Jean Bertrand Aristide -- 2001 to 2004
Gerard Latortue -- 2005
Rene Preval -- 2006 to present

I know that Papa Doc is dead. And I understand that several generals were reportedly little more than short-term Cold Wara era US puppets. Which leaves us with Rene Preval, Baby Doc Duvalier and Jean Bertrand Aristide who have run Haiti for 36 of the past 40 years.

Preval is struggling to hold onto power. Baby Doc just returned. Aristide is apparently itching for a homecoming.

It seems Thin Lizzy is playing Port-au-Prince...

Guess who just got back today?
Those wild eyed boys they’ve been away.
Haven’t changed. Haven’t much to say.
But man I still think them cats are crazy.

Tim White

No Joe = Smurf for Senate = fun in the CT-5 !!!

Joementum is retiring. Yay! From his big government domestic policy (he loves bailouts for banks) to his globalist foreign policy (there were always more countries worth bombing), Joe stood as the polar opposite of what I want in my Senator. But there’s plenty of talk about Senate hopefuls, including our own Chris Murphy. Which brings us to the previously scheduled open CT-5 seat in 2012.

Ohh… did you miss the schedule?

John Rowland (R) – ‘84 to ‘90
Gary Franks (R) – ’90 to ‘96
Jim Maloney (D) – ’96 to ‘02
Nancy Johnson (R) – ’02 to ’06
Chris Murphy (D) – ’06 to ‘12

Yup. No one holds our seat for very long. And it’s a swing district, meaning there are always viable candidates from both parties interested in a run.

But that’s history. Looking forward, who will run in our 2012 equivalent of the 2008 race for POTUS? Who will run for our open seat in this swing district? I’m guessing both sides will get a lot of interest.

For Democrats, I see:

Elizabeth Esty – Cheshire resident and a former state rep who has a liberal track record on social policies… the stuff that motivates the select group of voters known as “likely primary voters.” But if the Teachers' Union President loses the special in the 13th, might she run in a legitimate primary in the 13th district in 2012? She'd avoid almost all of the fundraising.

Mary Glassman – Multiple runs at statewide office and currently the 1st Selectwoman of Simsbury.

Mike Jarjura – He got clobbered in the statewide primary for Comptroller last year. And the very liberal, very likely-primary-voter-crowd at MyLeftNutmeg seems to be disgusted with his policy views.

Paul Vance – A spokesman for the state police from Waterbury. He considered primarying Chris Murphy for the CT-5 in 2006.

For Republicans, I see:

Mark Greenberg – He got 30% of the vote in the three-way primary against Sam Caligiuri last year.

Justin Bernier – He also got 30% of the vote in the three-way primary against Sam Caligiuri last year.

Mark Boughton – The Mayor of Danbury and the GOPs Lt. Gov. candidate in 2010.

Tim Stewart – The Mayor of New Britain. And I believe he’s running in the special election for Don Defronzo’s state Senate seat.

Ryan Bingham – The Mayor of Torrington. I believe he was first elected in 2003, the same year I was first elected. At the time, he was the youngest Mayor in America at age 23 or so. So he may still be in his 20s, single and no kids. In other words, he may have lots of free time not available to other candidates.

And of course there are lots of state Senators and state Reps on both sides of the aisle who may be interested. But these seem to me to be the most obvious people who may be waiting for Chris Murphy to make it official.

And back to the Senate’s Dem race for a second… my two cents on the first few names to drop… Although he supported Dodd – Frank, Courtney opposed TARP. That was a very important vote that he got correct. And Susie B… she’s an embarrassment. I certainly hope Malloy's party doesn't nominate her.

Tim White

Pension reform with town unions

Although I haven't seen it mentioned online, I understand that at last week's Council meeting the new Library Union contract was adopted. Included in the contract was the elimination of defined benefit pension plans (DB) for new union employees. Going forward, new library employees who are union members will only be offered defined contribution pension plans (DC).

DB plans are a traditional pension. DC plans are similar to a 401(k).

Contrary to what I've heard from many candidates for office, ending DB plans and moving to DC plans does not necessarily save money now or in the future. A DC plan may cost more or less than a DB plan, either now or in the future. It's really a tossup. But there is a huge benefit.

DC plans allow organizations to properly match taxes with services. DB plans do not allow that because you never know what the future cost will be for a DB plan. It's all just based on actuarial assumptions that are, IMHO, pie in the sky since they're predicated on Keynesian economic theory. And Keynesians, such as Governor Malloy, believe that money grows on trees. Money doesn't grow on trees. Everyone -- except a few policymakers -- knows that.

Anyway, the Council -- particularly David Schrumm -- and the TM deserve credit for making this happen. It certainly took a while. The library union had been operating under a contract that expired on June 30, 2009... and this new contract probably expires by June 30, 2012. Regardless, it's done.

Looking forward, the Council will need to ink deals with both the Town Hall and PW unions soon. I believe their contracts are also long overdue. But there is an upside to the long outstanding negotiation process.

A town's history is part of the overall view taken by the arbitrators. So when you consider that the Town has eliminated DB plans for future union hires for both the Dispatchers and Library unions, as well as non-union employees, there's a distinct possibility that the arbitrator will reach the same conclusion for both the PW and TH unions.

And if both of those unions reach agreement with the town to eliminate their DB plans for future union members, then the only remaining DB plans on the town side will be the Police Union and volunteer firefighters. So to recap where DB plans are headed for future town employees / volunteers:

1) Dispatchers union -- ended June 30, 2006

2) Non-union employees -- ended June 30, 2008

3) Library union -- ended January 11, 2010

4) Public Works union -- under negotiation

5) Town Hall union -- under negotiation

6) Police union -- continuing, current contract expires June 30, 2012

7) Firefighters -- no contract negotiation, but when I asked a few years ago it was suggested to me that the issue be raised after no one else has a DB plan.

So in terms of future town employees, that's where our DB plans stand now. Slowly, but surely, the Town is making real progress on this.

Tim White

5ive years old: Happy Birthday TWL!

TWL was born five years ago today. I thank the entire TWL community -- front page publishers, regular commenters and even the occasional lurker -- for making our community what it is.

Tim White

And the gunfire returns...

I hadn't heard gunfire in the neighborhood since December. But tonight, the shooters are back for an encore presentation! It started around 6pm... the same time I learned that "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned after 25 years in exile.

This could get interesting....

But on a more fun note, I got out into the field today. I visited the coastal town of Testasse. We've been involved there for a while, including home construction, a fishing collaborative among the local residents and some other stuff. It was fascinating to sit there and absorb -- not all, but -- some of the discussion regarding the things that could be done to improve their lives.

The great thing I see is that our field staff are so involved in the communities. They know what's actually happening and what can to be done. They know who is trying to improve their lot in life and who is sitting on their keister waiting for another handout. So they can distinguish between those who want to learn to fish... and those who want to be given a fish. I love it.

And even better than today was an upcoming project in which I may be able to get involved. Outside of work, some staff are planning a reforestation project. The goal is planting 100,000 trees by Arbor Day. It would be fantastic. My understanding is that Haiti is the most deforested country in the world... only about 3% of Haiti is still forested.

Tim White

Safety in numbers

Early to bed, early to rise. Was awake around 7am today. Not bad for a Sunday. It was gorgeous outside. The sun was shining without a cloud in the sky. No snow on the ground in Haiti!

I had worked much of Saturday and knew I had to work some today. (It seems everyone has been working overtime as a result of the cholera outbreak… which btw, our field staff have been fantastic and our unofficial numbers so far are encouraging.) So I was determined to have some fun.

Beach day!

I’d been to the nearby beach – Plage Azur – several times. And it normally was crowded with UN troops. But that was always in the afternoon. By arriving early, I was hoping I might beat the crowd and have the beach to myself.

But before I tell you about the beach, I want you to visualize the Grand Anse. Much of the coastline is cliffs or steep embankments. The beaches here are generally coves where sand accumulated, but they still tend to be at the bottom of a steep hike. Azur is no exception.

I had taken a moto taxi for the usual 50 gourdes, about $1.25. The driver dropped me off near the top and I walked down. As I descended, I passed two kids. And all I could think was… hmmm… what are these kids doing here? The reality is that few locals swim. And these kids had neither swim trunks, nor any sort of bags that could contain wet clothes with them. I was suspicious and cautious. The reality is that for Grand Anse, Azur is a “tourist destination” and such places always attract pickpockets, purse snatchers, etc. So despite the relatively low density (or more correctly, non-existence) of tourists, I knew I had to be cautious.

When I got to the beach, there were a few other foreigners there and no locals in sight. But I had seen those kids, probably ten to twelve years old.

After a few minutes, I got comfortable and went out into the water. With several foreigners there, I figured the likelihood of my bag being stolen was minimal. I mean, if they’re rich enough to travel to Haiti, they’re probably not purse snatchers. And they were clearly the tourists at Jeremie’s tourist destination.

They left after about ten minutes and I promptly left the water to attend to my bag, but with no one else in sight… I decided to head back into the water… knowing my bags would be unguarded.

Upon making that decision, I was fully aware that those kids had seen me headed to the beach and that I was alone. And since they clearly weren’t swimming… nor were they friendly… and since I had heard about vehicle break-ins / window smash’n’grabs occurring at the top of the hill where cars had recently parked… I knew there were thieves in the area. So I decided to take one very small, and seemingly useless, precaution.

I “clipped” my backpack to a tree. By clip, I mean I simply put the packs waistbelt around the tree and snapped the clip. Although such clips are quite common in the USA, I haven’t seen any in Jeremie. So I reasoned that a local wouldn’t know how to unclip it quickly and it would potentially deter any purse snatchers.

How right I was.

I went back into the water and kept watching the beach for about ten minutes. In looking at the length of the beach, I figured there were really two entry and exit points.

How wrong I was.

Although I was generally watching, out of nowhere one of the two kids appeared. I saw him run right past my bag and then scurry up the hill… a place I didn’t think anyone would be able to climb. Damn. Thankfully though, my assessment was right. The stupid little kid wasn’t particularly sophisticated. Even though he didn’t understand the clip, if he’d had a knife he’d have gotten my bag. What a jerk. What a dumb jerk. And poverty is no excuse. There are lots of people in Jeremie living in destitute poverty. But they don’t turn to a life of crime. Nope. He was just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill criminal.

I think the funniest part of the incident was that it was the same exact bag that another purse-snatcher tried to steal from me in an internet café in Romania in 2002. That was another punk. He did outrun me, but not without me first smacking him… which had the instant reaction of him letting go of my bag.

I hate thieves.

Anyway, I decided to leave rather than hang around and wait for the criminals to return and try again. I headed to the top of the hill. On my way I saw the kid about 50 yards behind me. I hesitated and considered going to yell at him, but thought better of it. I wouldn’t be shocked if he had a knife. And I have no interest in that. I turned back up the hill and kept walking, now a bit more briskly.

Reaching the top, I was pleasantly surprised for the second week in a row. Both today and last week I scored rides back to town… and both times they refused to let me pay them as they weren’t moto taxi drivers. Last week, it was a member of the National Police. And this week I got a ride from a well-to-do printer who was going into town to pick up his son. I think both of them really just wanted to practice their English. I accommodated them both. I love learning and teaching languages. And it was good for me to get my mind off that little SOB at the beach.

The other highlight for me today was that I was finally given my driving test on a stick shift. I had told everyone that I was fine driving a stick, but no one believed it. So I went for my first test and was told that I passed with flying colors. I knew today wouldn’t be a problem though.

Outside of town, this particular area is mostly flat and straight with relatively little traffic. It’s the steep hills in downtown Jeremie that concern me. With all the people and motorbikes flying every which way… driving a stick on steep hills isn’t something I’ve ever done. Heck, most of my driving a stick was nothing more than a summer or two driving a forklift for John Romanik.

That was easy. 1st, 2nd, reverse and you never go more than five miles per hour… and there are no hills. Jeremie is a bit more challenging. But it is nice because now I should be able to go pick my dad up at the airport when he comes to visit in a few weeks! I’m looking forward to that and I know he is too. I think the last time he was in this part of the world was when he was the lead officer in some sort of “blockade” of Cuba back in the early 60s….

Tim White