UConn fans need to get real
I am not a fan of the UConn women’s basketball team, but I read the Sports section so I know what they are doing. They are an amazing team. Year after year, for decades, they have won at least 90% of their games. They have provided fans with excitement, great talent, teamwork and many NCAA titles.
Then I read Letters to the Editor. “Suck it up” (after officials missed a call, let’s belittle fans of the opposing team). “They start the broadcast too late. Money rules” (Of course money rules. This is how they keep Geno Auriemma). “Blame Auriemma, not the players” (Is it really that important to find someone to blame?).
Grow up! There are two teams, each is playing hard, each wants to win. At the end, one team loses. That’s it. Losing is never fun, but it is not a disgrace. I want to do something I haven’t seen a fan do in this paper for the past four years, and that is to congratulate the UConn women for a great season.
Pass the absentee voting bill
More than 650,000 Connecticut voters took advantage of Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive order expanding the use of absentee ballots in November — 35% of all votes cast. This “special” COVID exception expires on May 20, but there’s a path to make no-excuse absentee voting a reality in Connecticut.
Pass HJ 58 (the No Excuse Absentee Voting bill). This is the first step in amending our state constitution to give voters the choice to vote by “no excuse” absentee ballot in future elections. The voters will get the chance to vote on this amendment in November 2022.
If we want the choice to vote by absentee ballot, this requires amending our state constitution. In addition to all the perks state union workers enjoy, now we can add getting paid to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to the list, thanks to the agreement between SEBAC and our bottomless-pocket state officials [SundayCT, Page 1, April 11, “Vaccine bonus for state workers”]. Under the latest giveaway so generously signed by our governor, over 50,000 state union employees can get one-to-two hours pay just for getting the shot, depending on how many doses are given, outside of their regular work schedules. With so many employees eligible, it makes much more sense to use a flu clinic model to make the shot available during working hours, thus saving money and creating easier access for all workers. It is obvious that problem solving is not a priority for either the state or the unions. Just pay the money.