Clinton Jumps Ugly

"Mayor Michael J. Jarjura was just about to attend an endorsement event with former Rep. James Maloney on the Green at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. But at 1:20 p.m. Director of Operations Joseph Geary received a call canceling Jarjura's invitation."
The event was for Hillary Clinton. It was evidently the Clinton campaign that rescinded Jarjura's invitation because Jarjura had recently hired former Gov. John Rowland to a local economic-development position in Waterbury. Regardless of how you feel about Rowland, the Clinton move strikes me as petty, vindictive and unnecessary, but probably indicative of how a Clinton presidency would operate. It's just the sort of "politics first" way of thinking that Barack Obama seems to have little talent for. It's only a small part of the picture to consider when picking a president, or a nominee, of course, but I think it creates a mood that in a Clinton presidency would extend out into Congress, the bureaucracy and even foreign policy. Haven't we had enough of that with the current administration?

Not-So-Deep Pockets

I saw this story this morning in the Hartford Courant about the middle class feeling the pinch of tougher economic times. Like everyone else, I'm also taking a beating over escalating energy costs -- electricity, heating oil and gasoline -- but I wonder about all the little "necessities" and "conveniences" that we've added to our lives which are subtracting from our wallets. Are they worth it?

I'm not talking about food or clothes, but things like TV -- we pay for basic TV, but then it's a few extra few dollars a month to have HBO, Showtime and Skinemax. Oh, and then we need to have it all on a shiny new 60-inch plasma flatscreen. And don't forget that for just a little more, you might as well get the high def and DVR service . . . .

Or communications equipment -- gotta have a cell phone, right? Plus, for only a few dollars, your own ringtones and themes -- and don't forget the text messaging (the plan is cheap!). And the camera. And web access is only cents per day . .. .

Or computers -- why have a desktop when you can have the convenience of a laptop for a few hundred dollars more? And to be hip, you need every bell and whistle available, all the software from desktop publishing to burning DVDs -- they come with the basic package, only a fraction of the original cost. Plus, a web cam, scannner, and of course, with the fastest internet connection we can find, wireless, obviously. Only a few dollars a month more. ...

Or cars -- can't drive a used stationwagon -- for only a few thousand more, you can get the shiny new SUV! (Gas prices are going to come down, I promise!) Then there's the warranty. And that subscription for satellite radio and the GPS service because, it's only a few more dollars a month. And don't forget, while going through the drive-thru window, it's only 50 cents more to supersize it. . .

Gee, I can't understand where all the money goes.

Rowland Safe at Home

As a citizen of Waterbury, I am delighted to have John Rowland on the case, promoting and pushing for the place he loves most. Waterbury 's downtown has many assets as a place for businesses and offices, but the city has never been willing to pay for a top person to do the schmoozing and selling. Now they are getting a very good schmoozer, who still has good contacts in place, at what will no doubt be a bargain price. Make all the Waterbury jokes you want. I have heard them all and even made up a few. Rowland has paid a fair price for his foolish behavior and now wants to turn the page and prove himself anew. I really do think Waterbury will benefit from this move.

A Silver Lining

Well the best thing to be said about Chris Dodd's ignominious defeat in the Iowa caucus is that the state of Connecticut gets a Senator back. He'll have plenty of time after he's scurried back home with his tail between his legs and when the Senate reconvenes on Jan. 22 to unpack his belongings and move back into the job the people of Connecticut elected him to do.

Of course, you can't blame Dodd for being ambitious and wanting to run for the White House -- I suppose it's the dream of everyone who gets into politics. And I do give him credit for accepting reality and getting out (relatively) early. (Then again, if there's a lot of speculation that you couldn't even win in your home state, then maybe you shouldn't have run at all. . . .)

Over at Connecticut Local Politics, they do a great job of dissecting Dodd's demise, noting that it wasn't just one thing that doomed the campaign, but a confluence of factors, not the least of which was his lack of being able to distinguish himself from the pack.

Well, now that his fantasy has been dismissed and his ego deflated, there's a good chance that Dodd will now rededicate himself to the citizens of Connecticut, some of whom were put off by his relocating to Iowa as well as the entire run itself. Let's hope his loss now makes for our gain.

The Little Freeze

Before you ask, yes, it's cold enough for me.

Everyone complains about global warming, but I'm all for it! I hate shoveling snow, driving on icy roads and dealing with frozen pipes -- the sooner we can get the Connecticut climate like Florida, the better. As a matter of fact, after I'm done typing this, I'm going to the top of the palatial Connectiut Magazine Tower here in Trumbull, and not only am I making a bonfire out of all the styrofoam I can carry, but I have a case of my sister's AquaNet hairspray from the '80s that I'm going to run around releasing. Then I'm going to all the local farms to see what I can do about getting cows and pigs to produce more methane . . . .

Obviously, I'm kidding -- I'm not going to drive around to any farm on a day this cold!

And the good news is that despite how cold it is today, over the next few days, temperatures are expected to rise up through the 40s and possibly to 50 by Monday. Not exactly shorts and T-shirt weather, but I'll take it.

Still, I guess the winters of my youth may truly be a thing of the past -- instead of a sparkling white wonderland, we'll be looking at a rainy gray mushpile. No more sledding, snowmen and snowball fights, but mud pies, mudslinging and mud wrestling instead.

It's not the same, but you'll probably still have someone come up to you and ask, "Hey, muddy enough for you?"

The Hartfordland of Tomorrow

The architect's rendering is one of my favorite art forms. In it you can find more unalloyed hope, a rosier version of the future, a far more perfect world, than you might pick up in a whole month's worth of presidential debates. Take the drawing that accompanies today's release of the new plans for Front Street in Hartford. Here is the Hartford of tomorrow: clean, well-ordered, vaguely seductive and basically depopulated. The handsome buildings exude a sophisticated urban vibe, although their purpose is unclear, and their signage doesn't really say anything coherent. The streets are peaceful and extraordinarily uncrowded. A couple of cars, small and stylish, make their way unhurriedly. Citizens, sleek and gainfully employed (judging from the briefcases) stroll and chat. In this version of the near future even the dogs, unleashed, trot obediently alongside their masters. The trees are worth noting, too. They are lollipop-shaped and seem to grow very close to the buildings without ever quite touching them. These wonders of nature possess a diaphanous quality, a mysterious there-but-not-quite-there beauty that will also be a part of life in our reborn capital city. The only standard architect's feature missing in this particular rendering is a fountain in which a lone boy sails a toy boat. But surely that will not be denied to those who are brave enough to desire it. In Hartford. In the future. It's just around the next corner.

Car-nage!

(How's that for a New York Post-inspired title?)

So like touching a bruise, I'm here to recount my commute in last Friday's "monster" snow storm, commiserating with all the others around the state who were trapped in the mess. First, know that my normal ride from here at my palatial office high atop Connecticut Magazine Tower in Trumbull to my modest abode in Shelton is usually about 10 minutes, 12 when it rains.

Last Friday, it took 1 hour and 45 minutes.

And I consider myself among the lucky ones as there was no part during my trip where I crashed into anything or skidded into a ditch. But it was truly like end-of-the-world anarchy out there on the roads -- well, at least in the parking lot that doubled as the Route 8 corridor through Trumbull and Shelton -- as the first snow of the season, Friday night rush hour and holiday madness combined for a perfect storm of traffic.

Now as much as I hate snow, I do enjoy the first snowfall because that's when all the people out there who overpaid for big and shiny new SUVs usually wreck them in their maiden foray onto slippery roads, mainly because they don't understand the First Rule of All-Wheel Traction: "Having four-wheel drive doesn't mean having four-wheel STOP."

In other words, just because you can go fast in the snow doesn't mean you should -- stopping still involves the laws of physics, and if you're going 45 miles an hour on a surface that provides minimal or no friction, all the gas-guzzling, road-clogging, heated-seating, GPS-navigating, quintuple side-curtain airbagging excesses isn't going to stop you before you wrap yourself in a guardrail. Fortunately for me, I learned that years ago when I spun my then-new Toyota 4x4 pickup into a simple curb on an abandoned road one icy January night and came away shaken, but without a scratch.

That being said, I was shocked at how poorly people were driving on Friday night, like it had never snowed in Connecticut before. Do people forget the basic concepts over the summer? Holy guacamole. While I was trying to cross an icy overpass, a car going in the opposite direction actually backed into my lane unannounced and in front of me, and then proceeded to back all the way across overpass -- staying in the wrong lane the whole time. At no point did she pull over or try and turn around. (Oh, and she had kids in the car, too!) People on Route 8 were speeding in the break-down lanes to try and beat the lines of slow-crawling traffic. Craziness.

Fortunately, I was able to get away from the general madness without incident. But to the rest of you out there who weren't as lucky, you have my sympathy. To those of you who seemed determined to make a tough situation impossible, you have my scorn.