Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs down to Gov. Ned Lamont hiring a relative for a job in his administration. Charles Lamont Wolcott, who is the son of Lamont’s cousin, resigned days after Hearst Connecticut Media reported that he was hired as a “bodyman” for $52,000 a year. Given the nature of the work, it falls into an ethical gray area, but the governor should have known it would have an appearance of nepotism.

Thumbs up to the governor for supporting an end to Connecticut’s religious exemption for vaccinations. The debate on vaccines is not a debate at all — they are safe and effective. The danger comes when people choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children and put other people who cannot be vaccinated at risk. The trends are worrisome for a number of diseases that had been all but eradicated, including measles. Ensuring that as many people as possible are immunized can help turn those numbers around.

Thumbs down to a dramatic increase in pedestrian fatalities in Connecticut and the failure to pass legislation to take on the crisis. The state House easily passed a bill this year that would have increased rights for pedestrians and possibly forced drivers to proceed with more caution, but the Senate neglected to act on the bill. With distracted driving a growing problem and larger vehicles on the road, the problem will only get worse in years to come. The Legislature should take this bill up again in next year’s session.

Thumbs up to the people whose tips to police led to the arrests of two men and possibly prevented mass shootings. Brandon Wagshol posted a Facebook threat to commit a mass shooting, while Jeremy Hugh Rogers allegedly sent a Facebook message of himself wearing a ski mask and holding an AR-15. In both cases, people who saw the messages did the right thing by contacting authorities.

Thumbs down to an increase in health insurance premiums, though it could have been much worse. Regulators at the state Department of Insurance approved an average increase for individual plans of 3.65 percent, which was significantly less than the average request of 7.78 percent. ConnectiCare had requested a 4.9 percent average rate increase and regulators knocked it down to an average of 2 percent. Anthem’s average requested rate hike of 15.2 percent was knocked down to an average of 6.5 percent. ConnectiCare and Anthem Health Plans are the only two companies participating in Connecticut’s health insurance exchange.

Thumbs up to President Trump’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration will develop guidelines to ban flavors used in e-cigarettes. The FDA has been slow to initiate such policies, but hopefully will see this one through. The convenient retort from the industry is that ecigarettes can help traditional smokers kick the habit, but companies keep marketing their products like candy companies.

Thumbs down to eligible voters in 25 towns throughout the state who did not bother to cast ballots on Primary Day last Tuesday. On many Election Days, long lines are sometimes offered as excuses for not voting. The dearth of voters in cities such a Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford suggest we should call it what it really is — apathy. That said, thumbs up to all the people who did take the time to participate in this defining democratic process.