What's Next?

I'll be honest -- even though I know that I'm about halfway to the end of the my working days (ideally), the recent stories about the stresses on the Medicare and Social Security systems have drawn little of my interest. I think -- like I think many think -- that "they" will have it all figured out by the time I get to that point. You know, because "they" have been doing such a bang-up job on the economy, immigration, health care and all . . ..

Completely naive, I know, but that's where my head is at.

Still, although I'm not quite sure how I might pay for it all, I do think about my golden years from time to time. And with 78 million baby boomers on the verge of retirement, I'm not the only one. Traditionally, many people have sought out warmer climates -- Florida, Arizona -- but there seems to be a growing portion of the population who want to stay close to their family. And with everything this state has to offer -- museums and theaters, great restaurants and outdoor activities, the proximity to New York and Boston -- hanging around here is an appealing option.

As such, in the upcoming May issue of Connecticut Magazine, we're taking a look at 20 ideal retirement spots right here in Connecticut. Part of that also is a new online survey where we're asking our readers to tell us, if money was no object, what town in the state would be their ideal retirement destination. If you have a second -- it's only one question -- please feel free to contribute your thoughts.

For the record, I'm partial to the water -- a little house overlooking the Sound in a town like Old Saybrook or Stonington would be acceptable.

Deja vu All Over Again

Watching David Patterson be sworn in as governor of New York earlier today, I'm sure I'm not the only Connecticut resident who had flashbacks to July 2004 when M. Jodi Rell ascended to the top office in the state in somewhat similar circumstances. Yes, John Rowland's crimes were significantly different than Eliot Spitzer's, but the bottom line was the same -- an abuse of power and office, a reprehensible lapse of personal judgment and ethics, and an irreparable violation of the public trust.

Today, Albany is full of optimism that the new leadership will be more ethical and upstanding than the prior administration -- much like the Connecticut legislature was four years ago. They are looking for a fresh start, a clean slate, and are hoping that the new governor can lead them to better days. Honestly, I don't know much about Mr. Patterson -- up until a week ago, who did? -- but from what I've seen of him and read about him, he certainly seems to possess the tools and integrity to succeed. I certainly hope he does.

I guess one of the things sort of nagging in the back of my mind is that as sure as I'm typing these words, I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time before we're being dragged into the next political drama where another elected official has taken advantage of his office for personal gain. Then it'll be another couple of days of denials, a media frenzy, public apologies, a forced resignation and the next new hope stepping up. I don't understand why it keeps happening over and over again, I just know that it does.

Yes, history shows us we never learn from history. But is it being naive to hope that maybe we might?

Java Support

As the war in Iraq drags into its fifth year and the situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen, there could be no more critical time than now to show support for our troops overseas.

One organization that's brewed up support for the troops is Holy Joe's Cafe, a coffee house ministry run by military chaplains, supported by the United Church of Christ in Connecticut, in particular the Wallingford congregation, where it was created by Tom Jastermsky.

Basically, coffee donations are collected and sent to chaplains stationed in active military zones, who have created coffee houses as a place for soldiers to relax, and if necessary, unburden themselves emotionally and psychologically. The coffee houses also provide an alternative to other forms of relaxation and give one of the things many servicemen miss overseas—a good cup of coffee and a quiet place to talk.

According to a recent article in the Connecticut Post, Holy Joe's Cafe has collected and shipped more than 85 tons of coffee overseas, supplying chaplains at some 57 military bases across the Middle East. The efforts of Jastermsky and the UCC have been well received by the troops, who of course, are always greatly appreciative of support from home.

If you're interested in donating, please visit the Holy Joe's website.

Mastering the Mastery

If you have a child in elementary school, you are undoubtedly well aware that today is the beginning of the Connecticut Mastery Test, the results of which will be used to determine federal funding, per the asinine No Child Left Behind Act.

And I don't use the word "asinine" lightly. As a parent of elementary-school age kids, I've seen how many months have been spent teaching my children to learn to take tests, you know, a practical skill to have as opposed to reading, writing, arithmetic, art, science or any other legitimate school subject. I've also seen how the school administration and teachers have constantly bombarded the students with the "importance" of the test (because their heads are on the line if they lose funding), so much so that my third-grader has told me that he's worried about the test and what's going to happen to him if he doesn't pass it. He was actually very stressed about it until I explained that nothing will happen to him and he's not really the one being tested here.

Look, I understand the law came out of wanting better education for our children, and that testing is needed to measure where their education is at, but if it's gotten to the point that everyone is freaking out about it and not concentrating on actual learning, I have to wonder if maybe the law doesn't need to be tweaked, if not outright scrapped.

Roll Another One

Maybe Gov. Rell, in her budget address, should have proposed splitting the DOT into three parts instead of two, with the third devoted to truck rollovers. The chaotic mess on I-84 just west of Waterbury this morning was a perfect illustration of why our rails should be used to move more freight, most notably hazardous materials that now mix it up with family vans and hot-headed speeders. The rails aren't completely safe, of course, but the roads have become brutal. For things to change in any meaningful way, someone in Hartford has to want it to happen--and I don't see that sense of urgency right now. Certainly, the DOT isn't going to step up on its own, even with a new commissioner. The governor's office doesn't seem very interested in creating a legacy of greatness or change. Their specialty seems to be quietly sidestepping controversy and not slipping in the polls. But this is an issue that effects the economy and public safety, and you can almost see it getting worse and more dangerous every day. Which one of our "leaders" will take the lead on this?

State Salary Charade

If Connecticut were really interested in any sort of fiscal restraint (as all the pols were professing at the Capitol the other day), it might start with the salaries of its appointed commissioners and others at the top of the fiscal food chain. But it's not. I sampled a few commissioner's salaries to see how they've risen over the past ten years in relation to inflation. For example, the commissioner of motor vehicle's salary ten years ago was $83,500. If it rose in line with inflation, it should be $107,400 today, but it's actually $128,000. The commissioner of public safety's salary ten years ago was $95,000 and should be $122,200 to stay even with inflation. But instead it rose to $140,000. I could go on, but take my word for it that in every single case, the commissioner's salary has far outrun inflation. This isn't to say that some, even many, commissioners earn what they get. But can the state really play the salary (and pension, and benefit) game like this and still profess to be on the side of fiscal restraint? Finally, it isn't hard to imagine that the rank-and-file state workers have also made out exceptionally well over the past ten years. If they hadn't, they'd never allow their "bosses" to get away with it.

Is More Access A Good Idea?

So a very quiet news items recently was the Connecticut Judicial Department making its database of criminal records (since 2000) now available online. It includes convictions for crimes -- including motor vehicle infractions -- with the idea of more transparency for the department and better access to the information.

All the information is already public record, so really what has changed is being able to search it from the comfort of your computer rather than having to trek down to state offices. It also has a very convenient-to-search interface.

I just caution you before you click that going to this site is like trying crack -- after I was done typing in my name (I'm clean!) as well as my friends, co-workers and neighbors, I started trolling for old high school friends, college buddies, former acquaintances and even past girlfriends. Very highly addictive. . . .

And I wonder, if not a bit too invasive also. Yes, all the data is already available to all, but are we losing a level of privacy by having it so easily accessible? I know there's also harassment laws and employment considerations -- and even though there are bold disclaimers on how the information is to be used, I'm not naive enough to think someone out there won't use it in less than the spirit in which making it accessible was intended.

Obviously, there's already a state sex offender registry (which I don't think most would argue with), and most local newspapers already have some sort of police blotter roundup -- I guess my question is do we really need to have access to every single traffic ticket conviction? Is all access too much access? Where is the line between needing to know for safety's sake and invading privacy?