7/13 Tribune copy 1 (Page 1) - Stonebridge Press and Villager ...

A8 • Friday, February 24, 2012
PUTNAM VILLAGER
P.O. Box 196, Woodstock, CT 06281
TELEPHONE: (860) 928-1818
FAX: (860) 928-5946
WWW.VILLAGERNEWSPAPERS.COM
EDITORIAL
Power to
the people
One of the most popular questions I
get asked about my job is how many
letters to the editor I get on a weekly
basis.
Well, as the leader of 11 different newspapers
for Stonebridge Press, I tend to lose count, so my
response is usually “a lot,” but to me, “a lot” is
never enough.
As the editor of Villager
Newspapers, I love getting letters
from our readers —
whether it’s a note of greeting,
THE MINOR
DETAILS
ADAM MINOR
FRANK G. CHILINSKI
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
ADAM MINOR
EDITOR
a criticism (only if it’s constructive),
a thank you, an
opinion on a local issue or simply
just to say hello — we love
hearing from our readers. We
even welcome careful readers
who notice mistakes in our
paper. We aren’t perfect, and we
appreciate people taking the
time to make the paper the best
it can be.
That’s why every now and
then, I like to remind all of you
that we are always looking to
hear from you.
“But Adam, I’m not a writer…”
So what? So you aren’t Mark Twain — that
doesn’t mean your opinion doesn’t count. Letters
are the lifeblood of this community newspaper,
and we want to hear what you have to say.
Opinions are definitely varied, and that’s the
beauty of it. We wouldn’t want it any other way.
As we look ahead to the last week in February
and feel the warmth of spring coming near, we
want to recognize all those who have expressed
or still continue to express their opinions on
these pages, whether by writing a letter or contributing
a Sound Off. The opinion section is,
indeed, the readers’ forum, and such a diverse
cross-section of commentary proves that. It is
not always easy to publicly state an opinion, especially
those writing letters and signing their
names, and we thank all of those who have done
so.
In the months ahead, we would like to encourage
area residents to keep those opinions coming
— particularly from those who have never participated
in the forum before, although, of
course, submissions from past contributors are
always welcome. Being a fancy wordsmith or
having perfect grammar are not prerequisites;
all that is really needed is having an opinion and
being willing to share it with others.
So here’s the fine print, because we feel it is
always worth repeating unless you forget.
All letters to the editor must include the
writer’s name, address and telephone number for
confirmation purposes. Letters sent via e-mail
(to adam@villagernewsapers.com) are preferred,
but submissions may also be mailed to P.O Box
196, Woodstock, Ct 06281, or hand-delivered to our
Fair Place office at 283 Route 169, Woodstock.
The Sound Off forum is offered to readers who
may want to comment on a subject but do not
wish to be publicly identified. Please make all
comments clearly and concisely, to minimize the
potential for mistakes when transcribing calls.
Sound Off submissions may be e-mailed to
adam@villagernewspapers.com. Identifying
information will not be published, but be sure to
label it as a “Sound Off.”
Please remember that for both letters and
Sound Offs, libelous comments, personal attacks
and material that cannot be verified will not be
published. All submissions are subject to editing.
Whew! That was a lot of fine print — but don’t
let that stop you from using this newspaper to get
your point across. We are here for you! Let us
hear your voice!
Thanks again, readers, for your thoughts and
opinions, and please keep the submissions coming.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
Adam Minor may be reached at 860-928-1818, ext.
109, or by e-mail at
adam@villagernewspapers.com.
LETTER TO THE
EDITOR
Agreeing to disagree
To the Editor:
Noreen Kellner’s disarmingly honest and
charming letter in the Feb. 17 Villager has pretty
much left me at a loss for words.
We should absolutely agree to disagree and I
hope there are no hard feelings at all.
A listing of my failings however will not be
forthcoming as my wife is otherwise occupied at
the moment.
JOHN A. DAY JR.
WOODSTOCK
OPINION
Opinion and commentary from the Quiet Corner
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Nothing wrong with common sense in parenting
To the Editor:
I have been reading with great interest, Laura
Fisher Andersen’s column, “The New Normal.”
I could not agree with her more.
Too many parents today have abrogated their
responsibility to their children to teach them manners
and civilized behavior. It does the children a
terrible disservice and leaves them vulnerable and
without adequate guidelines of how to function in
today’s society. And so the children model what they
see around them or what they see on TV. We owe it
to our children to teach them respectful behavior.
Good manners are never out of style and neither
are certain codes of behavior, politeness, civility
and consideration of others. These provide children
with the social tools they will need as they
grow older and will enable them to interact appropriately
with others around them. When parents
are polite and considerate of their children, the
children will emulate that behavior. We need to be
role models for our children and provide them with
the guidelines they will need in today’s world.
Please and thank you are as important for parents
to use with their children as they guide them. It is
all about modeling good behavior.
Parenting is not easy. And despite all the literature
around and info on TV etc., it is still one of the
toughest and most demanding jobs we shall ever
have. Parents truly are their children’s first teachers
and children mirror what they see and hear in
the home.
Parents who are loving and respectful of their
children, will have kind, loving respectful children,
most of the time. Outside influences will always
play a role. But the fundamentals that are taught at
home will prevail. There will be a model of behavior
to guide them.
Discipline should be fair and punishment should
“fit the crime.” A brief time out to a young child is
To the Editor:
A day doesn’t go by that the song, “When a Man
Loves a Woman,” by Percy Sledge doesn’t come to
mind.
Late last summer, a poll was taken of likely voters
across America, who gave President Obama a
40 percent approval rating. Obviously, in a re-election
year, a president would like to see this number
closer to or above the 50 percent mark. Most astonishing,
however, was the fact that Connecticut voters
gave Obama the highest approval rating of any
state in America, coming in at 60 percent!
In other words, CT’s approval rating of Obama
was 50 percent higher than the rest of the country.
It would appear that a substantial majority of people
in CT are indeed ‘in love’ with President
Obama.
So what has precipitated this love affair? We
know that the president is not exactly pro-business
and apparently, the same applies to at least 60 percent
of Connecticut residents. And how do we
know this? Because we continue to elect the ‘same
old same olds’ like Don Williams, Edith Prague,
Martin Looney and all the rest of the tax-and-spend
liberals who also favor excessive borrowing, but
have no idea as to how to create a vibrant economy
here in CT. And how do we know this to be true? A
financial study done at UConn in August of 2010
revealed the following:
an eternity and makes the point. Physical punishment
never works and only instills hostility and
resentment in the child. That will raise the hackles
of many readers I am sure. But usually if the first
slap does not work, then the next one is harder and
so on. It is too easy to get out of control.
When young children know the rules and if the
rules are fair, they generally comply. Time out
allows the parent a cooling off period too.
In my work as a child behavior/development specialist,
I have learned to observe the behavior of
both the adult caregiver and the child. One needs to
recognize when the child is no longer coping well
with whatever the task or situation. “Time out” to
help the child reorganize helps restore the balance.
It also works for the caregiver too. Most observant
parents know when a melt down is coming and will
support the child in whatever works for them. I
wish a course in child development and behavior
could be taught in the schools. Then maybe if this is
not being taught at home, it may be implanted in
the young student’s mind and become a learned
strategy when needed later on in life.
I have met superb parents at all levels of the
social and ethnic scale who are so tuned into their
babies or children that it is a pleasure to observe
them interact. It is not rocket science, most parents
intuitively respond appropriately.
Our goal as parents is to raise our children to be
sensitive, polite, caring individuals. These behaviors
will serve them well in the world and give them
the basics they will need to face the many demands
the world will place on them.
It is puzzling to me that anyone would take issue
with Laura Fisher Andersen’s very sensible comments.
Connecticut ‘in love’ with Obama
J.G. COLE
THOMPSON
“Connecticut faces a difficult economic future.
Despite the modest improvement in the quality of
jobs in the state over the past decade, there has
been no aggregate job creation in 20 years …
Connecticut has poor administrative data, knows
little about the dynamics of firm [business] creation
or disappearance, and has not developed an
integrated data system to track its general economic
performance. We know the general outlines of
what is happening in the state’s economy, but developing
responsive, effective policy requires quality,
timely data integrated into the process through
which that policy is developed. Developing such
data and analysis…is central to meeting the staggering
fiscal challenges the state now faces.”
And just think: if we had elected leaders who
were pro-business, perhaps we would not have
attained the number-one status as the most heavily
taxed state in all of America, as reported by
Bloomberg News last month. But because a majority
of CT citizens are so enamored by the likes of
Don, Edith and Martin, Percy Sledge would be
proud, because (paraphrasing), “If they’re bad, we
can’t see it, if they plays us for a fool, we’re the last
to know [because] lovin’ eyes can’t ever see.”
Membership month coming for VIS
To the Editor:
March is membership month for the Village
Improvement Society (VIS) of Thompson.
Residents of the town came together in 1845 to
create an organization committed to the “beauty,
healthfulness, and good order of the village.”
That is still the Society’s mission as it relates to
the care of the Thompson Common. The Society
makes the arrangements for regular mowing, tree
maintenance, and the flowerbeds. The community
benefits from the gifts of time and money from all
who take pride in this open space.
As you drive through Thompson, you might have
noticed that the Common is well kept. This is possible
because nearly 150 households and businesses
respond to the annual membership drive. With the
proceeds, the Society contracts for lawn mowing,
tree maintenance, and leaf removal. The Christmas
tree on the Common is lighted throughout
FRED RUDER
DAYVILLE
December by the Society. Volunteers do the rest of
the work, raking leaves and picking up brush, weeding
flowerbeds, and planning such activities as
Croquet on the Common and the Scarecrow
Contest. Community-minded businesses also
underwrite the prizes for these popular events and
we are grateful to them for their sponsorship. The
Common is a place for all to enjoy thanks to all our
civic-minded neighbors.
If you have received the Society’s mailing, we
hope you will respond generously. For more information,
including membership materials and the
2012 calendar, please visit the website, thompsonvis@gmail.com
and post a message.
BOB SLOAT
PRESIDENT,VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT
SOCIETY OF THOMPSON
No need to rush agriculture commissions
To the Editor:
I wish to make northeastern CT residents aware
of some issues surrounding the ag commissions
that are in the formation stages or which have
already formed in our area.
The AG Commission agent is Jennifer Kaufman,
who is paid through a grant from the government to
oversee the implementation of these commissions
within “pilot” towns. I just became aware of this
because of articles to this paper of December and
January.
There appears to be a hurried approach, in
Pomfret at least, to get this AG Commission established
‘before June’ according to Selectman Peter
Mann, yet the public is largely uninformed about
this proposed commission, it’s origins and goals,
and the means of implementation.
I also have this concern — why not promote
Pomfret’s small agricultural farms and producers
on our own? Why involve the government and
invite them to have a say in our farmers’ production
and means of marketing?
There may be just one more meeting planned for
this AG Commission before the townspeople are
asked to vote on establishing this commission. I say:
What’s the rush? I’ve phoned each Pomfret selectman
and spoken at length with them (some twice)
about my concerns. I’ve asked that they not rush
this project through but instead, I’ve asked that
they all write articles to the local papers (the
Villager included) informing the residents on the
topic of this AG Commission.
Further, this topic of government control of our
food resources (and other vital resources) interrelates
interestingly enough with a United Nations
plan for our nation. Once we take money from the
government (grant, handout, etc.) as we did when
we hired Jennifer Kaufman, there are always expectations
that the government places upon us. In this
way, they will have some undetermined say in how
Pomfret’s farming community operates. This
should be concerning to each and every resident of
our county, state, and nation.
I’ve planned an informational meeting on this
topic to which the public is invited. It will be held on
Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Willington Library,
Route 74 and Ruby Road. Please plan on attending. I
have invited Pomfret selectmen and members of all
boards and commissions in town to attend as it is
vital that those who plan for our future understand
the manipulation at hand.
MARY SMUTNICK
POMFRET CENTER
Frustrations
in
packaging
In my biased opinion, I
believe the fine art of
merchandising has been
reduced to a scribble.
Not long
ago if I
wished or
needed a certain
store
item, I simply
patronized
my choice,
purchased it
and came
home. No
fuss, muss or
ROUND secretive profanity.
But
ROBIN
thanks mostly
RELAYS to the Tylenol
tampering of
ALAN some years
ago (the culprit[s]
were
SANDERSON
never caught),
everything is
packaged like it came from Fort
Knox.
Take medication as an example.
Like many of my fellow
senior citizens I’m on a few
pills. However, a few years back
when I went to the pharmacy
for a prescribed refill, I unfortunately
was served with an
“adult proof ” cap. Without
stretching your credulity I
needed a screwdriver to get into
the vial! Of course, the clerks
all know me now but I still
make sure before leaving that I
can get into the container.
But sales packaging doesn’t
end there for me by any means.
Gosh, even my mouthwash
has its cover encased in tough
plastic. I occasionally must
employ a knife or scissors to
free it. But mouthwash is just
the start of my plastic problems.
Some time ago I needed a new
electric razor. Oh I found one at
the neighborhood hardware
store OK. However, the unit was
shielded by a plastic defense
that had to be a relative of a bullet-proof
vest. Coming to the
rescue again were my scissors,
knife and struggling hands.
Heck, I wasn’t going to eat the
darned thing! I don’t put these
tools away any longer. I may
need them at once during any
unexpected crisis.
And if you’re anything like
me, don’t you just love bottled
covers, which say “press down
here and turn.” Well, that’s all
right assuming you have a vice
attached to the table while
pressing and turning according
to the directions.
The other day I stopped at a
convenience store for a blast of
cold water for my parched
throat. Naturally I went back to
my car for a needed drink. Now,
very fortunately, my hands
aren’t arthritic. Yet with all-my
aging might I couldn’t unscrew
the lid. Back to the big, brawny
cashier I went for assistance. I
thought he was going to require
a wrench. But he finally got the
job done without embarrassing
comment and I satisfied my
demanding desert thirst. I also
had bought an accompanying
bag of popcorn, which insisted
I use my knife to open.
The other half of my packaged
complaint involves marketing
shelves. Let’s say a new
product is introduced at my
local feedbag. Sometimes I like
it. I return for a second bag, bottle
or can. Now where is it? At
the courtesy desk I’m informed
that because the new item didn’t
take off after a reasonable
test-marketing period (let’s say
one week!) the item has been
discontinued, which does little
for my taste buds. In fact, this is
often a harbinger of more bad
things to come during the day.
Now here’s one for Sherlock
Holmes. Perhaps he might tell
me the reason why many commodities
are stocked in the
shape of a pyramid, which is
OK for somebody 6’3” to reach.
This is of no help to a guy like
me who “towers” above kids at
5’5”.
Ask for assistance? Try and
find one at this crucial point.
Sure, go to the courtesy desk
where a line has formed longer
than at the unemployment
office.
In ending this diatribe why
do cashiers ask customers for
store tokens to help fund the
grocery bill? I thought it was
the other way around. I want to
be given cost-cutting tokens to
help feed my car’s thirst.
Ah, me. Why have simple
functions become so complicated?
Codicil: On what island was
Errol Flynn born?
Alan Sanderson is a 30-year
resident of Connecticut who
lives in Danielson. His writings
have appeared in numerous
publications.