Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to spreading the word about Real ID. Thanks to a 2005 federal law, a standard driver’s license will not be enough to get on board a domestic flight after Oct. 1, 2020. State and federal officials have launched a marketing push urging state residents to obtain a Real ID before that deadline, and to date about 47 percent of the 2.6 million licenses in the state have been converted. That still leaves many people who could be in for an unpleasant surprise if they don’t make this change, making the marketing push an important step.

Thumbs down toa firm’s estimate that it is 95 percent certain that positive train control will be installed in time to meet the Dec. 31 federal deadline. We’ve heard such promises before, and haven’t forgotten that the last deadline of New Year’s Eve 2018 was missed. We hope the update is correct, but won’t believe it until the safety measure is completed along the line. The system, which can stop a train that is not traveling safely, was mandated more than a decade ago.

Thumbs down to Optimum customers who responded to a broad Friday outage by calling 911. Yes, a loss of service to 15,000 is probably worth a thumbs down as well, but it’s ridiculous that police departments in Fairfield, Stamford and Bridgeport had to remind residents that the loss of cable, internet and phone service does not constitute an emergency.

Thumbs down to the ongoing debate, which includes an ongoing lawsuit, over the release of schoollevel vaccination data. This is important public information, and parents and students have a right to know their risk levels for dangerous, preventable diseases. Vaccines are proven and effective, and the state should eliminate all exemptions other than those that are necessary protect a person’s health. And the state should continue to make all relevant data available to anyone who wants to see it.

Thumbs up to a survey from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association of 356 businesses that found that 70 percent turned a profit last year. But it was far from all good news, as 81 percent of business owners believe Connecticut’s business climate is declining, a big jump from last year. The state’s economy grew 1 percent in 2018, but that counts as good news since it was the first expansion since 2015. Though blame for the negativity tends to go to state lawmakers, it’s the high cost of living, the survey found, as much to blame as anything, and a majority of businesses surveyed have issues both finding and retaining young workers.

Thumbs up to Walmart taking a stronger stand for gun safety. The retailer announced plans to stop selling handguns and shortbarrel rifle ammunition while also asking customers not to openly carry firearms in its stores. A company memo said “the status quo is unacceptable.” Sadly, the status quo has been unacceptable for years, and it shouldn’t have taken a shooting in a Walmart store to initiate overdue actions from the chain.

Thumbs up to primary elections. Twentythree towns and cities in Connecticut are holding primaries on Tuesday, with the most interesting elections in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. In those cities, where Democrats make up a large percentage of voters, the winners of the mayoral primaries will be in a strong position to win come November. But no matter what the scenario, it’s good to see people get a chance to choose their leaders, and everyone who is eligible should take the opportunity to vote on Tuesday.