Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up to thousands of peaceful protesters in cities across the country, including around Connecticut, demonstrating against police violence and the rights of everyone to live their lives free of harassment. The violence and property damage that has been seen in other cities, though only sporadically in Connecticut, tends to generate the most attention, but the vast majority of people in the streets are exercising their rights to demand a better future for everyone, and not harming anyone else in the process. It can seem from watching the news that the nation is falling apart, but protests against injustice should be seen as a sign of healing, not dissolution.
Thumbs up to the continued reopening of Connecticut businesses amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Barbers and hair salons are now clear to open after a delay from the governor’s office, and the state’s two Indian casinos welcomed patrons in reduced numbers over the weekend. More openings in a phased approach are planned later this month, and to date state residents have been complying well with requirements to wear masks and keep their distance from other patrons.
Thumbs down to what might go down as the final word on the misguided Partnership for Connecticut, the education reform plan done in by a desire for secrecy over decisions involving the spending of public money. The CEO of the partnership, Mary Anne SchmittCarey, whose short tenure was the subject of internal criticism that helped lead to the program’s demise, is due more than $120,000 in severance if she is terminated, but only if she doesn’t publicly criticize the initiative. It’s one more instance of a misplaced emphasis on secrecy in what is at its heart a public endeavor, and another example of why the partnership was never going to work.
Thumbs down to apparent gaps in the federal program to get fresh food from farmers into the hands of the hungry, notably in Northeast communities hit hard by the pandemic. The Farmers to Families Food Box program has given only 4 percent of the funds to companies in the region. The program has great potential, but it is failing as the number of hungry residents swells while farmers have lost outlets to deliver their products.