Economic dangers ahead for the state of Connecticut
There are three torpedoes heading toward the Connecticut economy. They will hit us midship and sink our economy.
The first hits July 1, when income tax rates go up and take-home pay for middle-income people and those above goes down. The second hits Jan. 1, 2012, when Social Security rates return to their normal levels and take-home pay goes down again. The third torpedo hits between March 1 and April 15, 2012, when people in Connecticut see that their state income tax refunds are much smaller or nonexistent, with the property tax credit reduced by $200.
When you add in new sales taxes on clothes and everything else, people in Connecticut will have a lot less to spend.
Gov. Dannel Malloy and the Democrats in Hartford have hit the working class hard. With $1,000 to $3,000 dollars less in our personal household budgets to spend, the Connecticut economy will suffer.
People are already leaving Connecticut and more will follow.
Despite what Gov. Malloy says, he is just continuing the same old policies of tax increases with unjustified dramatic increases in state spending. He has a willing partner with the heavily controlled Democrat Legislature.Nothing has been done that will create enough new jobs to replace the ones we have already lost to Massachusetts, New York or Georgia, just to mention a few states Connecticut businesses are fleeing to. It is clear that unless people in Connecticut start to elect fiscally responsible individuals, we will continue to be a no growth, no jobs state.
Only a liberal like Gov.Malloy can say he cut spending while proposing and signing a budget with a $1 billion spending increase over the next two years.
Folks, it is time to wake up before it is too late. Connecticut, especially Connecticut’s middle class, cannot afford what Malloy and his fellow Democrats are doing to us.
John M. Morris
Goshen
Affordable housing a fiction
If one could put aside the agitprop gobbledygook that the town of Salisbury is selling us within 163 pages of two redundant and hysterical housing studies redolent with falsehoods designed to deceive taxpayers and make dupes of homebuyers by entrapping them into something they can’t afford. Please consider these few facts.
We/Connecticut are $3.6 billion in debt.
Government intervention begets government intervention.
Who thinks that yet another piled on tax to support affordable housing doesn’t matter? That’s food, fuel or tuition money for children. Every euphemistic “grant, loan or mandate” from the government is a stealth attack on your pocketbook. There is no nuance to conceal this theft, whether from Hartford or Salisbury.
What does the nonaffordable homebuyer get for his/our money? He gets no land, no sense of permanency; only a building, not a homestead. Only an isolated grouping of similar structures not of his choice, design or place.
Can you imagine the enormous burden to occupy and struggle to pay for a house you cannot afford? Do Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae ring a noxious bell? What other transfers ($) attend these stigmatized circumstances that our taxes will have to subsidize? What happens to the profit (if any) from the resale of these units? Does it revert to the taxpayers? What about losses and maintenance of vacant units? Are we, the town, to become landlords? Did you ever try to dispossess anyone? It takes about two years in court.
Other “five-year plans” have been historical failures.
This is not unchartered territory in the progressives’ attempt to restructure human society and has always resulted in failure and bankruptcy, a virtual industry of squandered finances and drained dignity of the housing occupants.
I know such units well. I helped build them originally — more than 100,000 throughout the country, of the highest quality and invention — starting back in 1965 as part of the “Great Society” effort; but we had to rehabilitate them, again and again due to the intensity of crime, drugs and lack of maintenance by occupants at a cost of billions to taxpayers.
Today they are all “razed to rubble” and we are still paying that debt. A first law of economics states “a commodity that is subsidized or free has no true value and concomitantly no respect as property.” History and experience attest to this verity.
I would personally and preferably contribute to any “private, philanthropic, religious or other charitable foundation” that would undertake such an effort, but never to a bureaucratic government program, and even then with the single caveat, if needed. At this time and place, it is not needed.
Every other small town in America would give anything to be and look exactly like Salisbury does today — as is. As for this social engineering proposal being foisted on our unsuspecting community — I am one with Sam Goldwyn who said, “Include me out.”
Our governor just added $3.5 billion in taxes to the above existing debt.
Alfred Nemiroff
Lakeville
Good progress on Sharon roads
The Waters Construction Co. and the Sharon road crew are doing a good job with the road project.
One concern I have, however, is the speed at which drivers navigate our roads while they are under construction.
Sharon Mountain Road in particular is currently unpaved and the road surface is uneven. Drivers should be mindful of traveling too fast for conditions as they navigate this road, as well as others that are in a similar condition. Loose gravel and speed do not mix well, not to mention dust created from the dry roadbeds.
I remind drivers to be considerate of other drivers as well as the property owners along the way.
John F. Perotti
Sharon
Salisbury needs more workforce housing
For a number of years, the town of Salisbury has been talking about and studying the affordable (workforce) housing issue. Salisbury now has an Affordable Housing Commission, which in theory is there to move this effort forward.
While the energies of the Salisbury Housing Trust and Habitat for Humanity have produced some workforce housing over the past decade, it is far from sufficient to meet the needs.
Recently I suggested to our Board of Selectmen and to the Affordable Housing Commission that we explore the option of creating workforce apartments in the old Lakeville Hose Company property in downtown Lakeville. I presented information on a project that was done with a former firehouse in Northfield, Conn., that created two affordable units.
The idea was dismissed by the commission based on information presented by one of the commissioners that distorted the facts and even misstated the truth about resolutions that had been adopted at town meeting. The commissioner was not even familiar with the actual scope of the property … what a shame!
The Lakeville firehouse has the potential for three units. I am studying the building and drawing some preliminary concepts. This building is also on water and sewer lines, located in the downtown area next to the Grove and lake, and literally in walking distance to Salisbury Central School. What a perfect location for young families, something we desperately need in our community. There is ample land for parking and green space around the units.
We might consider a coordination with the housing trust and Habitat in such an endeavor and possibly turn the management of these units over to the housing trust.
All of our options should be on the table with the Affordable Housing Commission and should be explored before they are dismissed. Some on the commission see hurdles with zoning and the historic district. These hurdles barely exist given that Salisbury has less than 1 percent of affordable housing stock and state statute is clear about exceptions when a community is under 10 percent of stock.
Unfortunately, our Board of Selectmen has suddenly decided to “fast track” the sale of the property. Fortunately, this will have to come to town meeting where we, the legislative body, can overturn any decision they may present.
I would ask those of you who are truly concerned to join with me in an effort to have this option fully examined. Considering our need for workforce housing, the fact that this property fits all of the ideal requirements that have been outlined in previous studies on this issue and our pure need for this type of housing, we would be remiss to allow this opportunity to slip through our fingers.
Encourage both the Board of Selectmen and the Affordable Housing Commission to postpone any sale of this property so that we may take advantage of its best use by creating housing for our community’s future.
Let’s stop talking about workforce housing and do something about it.
Michael J. Flint
Lakeville
Procrastination on the Sharon roads project
Paving work started late last year on many of the roads in Sharon, and as has been discussed in previous letters, this project has been moving ahead without addressing the underlying problem that caused the roads to fail in the first place — poor drainage.
Some roads have been resurfaced without repairing the severely deteriorated catch basins. Some roads have been paved without properly preparing the base and providing drainage swales. As a result, several of these roads have washed out or been undermined before they were even done with paving, requiring that they be repaired before they were even complete.
New road work is currently being performed on base that contains straw, roots and other organic materials. When this material finishes decomposing in a couple years, it will create voids under the new surfacing, which will create cracks and sink holes. This is contrary to the recommendations of the state Department of Transportation that prohibits the use of organic materials in road beds.
We have already seen this happen on several of our new roads, such as White Hollow Road. One cause of these problems is the failure to remove sod and other organic materials from the side of the road prior to installing pavement. It would be more efficient to cut the sod out of the drains before paving the roads.
When we asked at recent meetings about this practice of leaving the sod in place and not dealing with the drainage at the same time as the paving, we were told it would be dealt with “later.”
We have pictures posted on www.bubsviews.com, showing several of these problems. It does not make logical or financial sense to pave the roads now and solve the drainage problems later. If the work were to be done properly the first time, we would not have roads that are less than a year old and have already been patched and repaired.
The state of Connecticut is resurfacing parts of Route 4, and they are preparing the drainage first by raising the catch basins before installing new pavement. Perhaps our road superintendent should explain to them that it’s easier and faster to pave the roads first and deal with drainage “later”?
Howard Randall
Sharon
An affordable housing rebuttal
We were disappointed by Alfred Nemiroff’s May 26 letter to the editor, “Housing must be affordable.” He quotes extensively from Preserving Salisbury’s Vitality: Housing for Tomorrow, the 2010 report of the Salisbury Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC), which was adopted unanimously by its 16 members after one-and-a-half years of work. (The report is available under the “Affordable Housing” tab on the town website.)
Interestingly, Mr. Nemiroff does not claim that any of the AHAC’s analysis is wrong nor does he present any of his own. But, he misquotes the AHAC’s work or misstates other facts in several instances.
He begins by saying that the report “dictates an imminent demand to build many — 200 many — villages of affordable houses” and asks rhetorically “what enormous visual and financial impact would this inflict upon Lakeville/Salisbury?”
Actually, the AHAC report proposes “the creation of 200 additional units [not “villages”] in the next 10 years” and states that “much of this additional housing can and should be created without new construction” (p. 29).
Accessory apartments, renovations, conversions of existing houses into duplexes and apartments above commercial spaces are examples of approaches that will have minimal visual and financial impact. Single-family workforce housing can be scattered for minimum impact. Multi-unit developments for rentals or senior housing can be designed aesthetically and for limited visibility (like the units on Fowler Street).
While we suspect that the majority of Salisbury’s citizens would prefer to live in a town with the vitality and diversity that a full spectrum of ages provides (as Salisbury has always enjoyed), Mr. Nemiroff exercises his right to applaud Salisbury’s evolution into an upscale retirement community.
Mr. Nemiroff applauds “fewer children” because a smaller school population will produce a “lower budget and taxes,” but overlooks that any school budget reduction would be swamped by the increased cost (p. 63) of paying for fire and ambulance services (as two neighboring towns have recently begun to do) when volunteers cannot afford to live here.
Mr. Nemiroff states that a “small cadre of social engineers … are inflicting on our community a government-subsidized Housing Commission.”
The facts are that sizeable majorities in a town meeting last November established by ordinance the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission and Affordable Housing Fund and transferred $50,000 of town funds to the fund to be used to facilitate housing initiatives.
The seven members of the commission are all unpaid volunteers; the town budget contains $25,000 for staff assistance. We think these amounts are a small cost in a $12.7 million town budget to spur efforts to improve our housing stock.
We hope that Mr. Nemiroff and all our fellow citizens will judge each affordable housing initiative on the merits of its housing type, location, appearance and funding sources, and its owners and occupants.
The 500-word limit on letters to The Journal has prevented us from responding to all of Mr. Nemiroff’s statements. Please contact the Salisbury Affordable Housing Commission if you have questions (jayer@salisburyct.us or 860-435-5855).
Jim Dresser
Rod Lankler
Salisbury
Trade Secrets attendees ignored Mother Nature’s whimsy
For the 11th straight year, Trade Secrets, the annual fundraiser for Women’s Support Services (WSS) of the Northwest Corner, brought garden-lovers from near and far for a weekend of treasure hunting for rare plants and garden antiques, and a day of perusing five of Connecticut’s most exquisite gardens.
Neither a cloud in the sky nor a threat of rain could keep this year’s attendees away. They descended early on LionRock Farm on Saturday for a day of inspiration, networking and buying. The many vendors from around the Northeast brought plenty of unique finds.
From garden hats to garden decorations, rare shrubs to extraordinary orchids, patio umbrellas to garden supplies, there was something for everyone. This year was the first “authors table” event organized by Johnnycake Books, featuring eight authors that included Bunny Williams and Carolyne Roehm.
On Sunday a little rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of those touring the Connecticut gardens of Bunny Williams, The Miller Garden, Old Farm Nursery, Cobble Pond Farm and Hodgson Garden–Holabird House. As always, the gardens are blooming spring treasures to be awed and admired.
Having been dubbed the “garden event of the Northeast” by the garden world, Trade Secrets 2011 owes heartfelt thanks to honorary chairperson and founder of Trade Secrets, Bunny Williams; to Elaine LaRoche for once again opening her beautiful property, LionRock Farm, to host the event; to the dedicated WSS event chair, Rita Delgado, and her 14 planning committee chairs; to the WSS Board of Directors, led by the Rev. Micki Nunn-Miller, president; to the devoted WSS staff under the direction of Executive Director Lori Rivenburgh; to the wonderful garden hosts; to the vendors who come back each year with their exotic treasures; to the local community for putting up with the traffic; to the many buyers who put Trade Secrets on their “to do” calendar each spring; and to the cadre of committed, hard-working volunteers who show up ready and willing to make this event the annual success this community has come to appreciate.
This combination, tried and true, provides WSS with much-needed funds and allows them to continue to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence and to offer outreach and education to the community at large.
Hats off (garden hats, that is) to all of you for making this a wonderful annual event.
Kathy Smith
Trade Secrets Volunteer
Sharon
Baled memory
In early June in 1973 I went to the Salisbury Pharmacy to check some minor point about one of my father’s prescriptions. I asked the girl behind the counter if I could speak to Bam Whitbeck.
The girl replied, “I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Whitbeck is never here this time of year. He goes haying.” I said, “He’s gone where?” She said, “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but this week he is haying at the Hewat farm on Selleck Hill.”
Well, I didn’t avail myself of the opportunity to go and see Bam. I have regretted it ever since. I might well have been pressed into joining the haying crew. If I had, I would have a wonderful rural recollection to think about in my 95th year.
Ed McDonald
Salisbury
"Cow," by Joelle Sander.Cornwall Library
Lala TamarProvided
