spazeboy

Yesterday at midnight marked the end of the 2008 General Assembly session (the “short session”) and one of the bills that passed the Senate but did not even have a chance in the House was the Paid Sick Days Bill. Christine Stuart reports at CT News Junkie:

A bill that would allow workers to accumulate one hour of paid sick time for every 40 hours worked died Wednesday night.

The Paid Sick Days bill passed the senate, but was stalled for the second year in a row on the House calendar. Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, who championed the bill, said its defeat was making her sick.

“It’s dead,” she said as the clock approached midnight. “Next year.”

The fact that the General Assembly turns into a pumpkin at midnight, on a day known well in advance to all involved, every goddamn year is a problem. It’s a problem because good legislation like the Paid Sick Days bill gets left aside, as if waiting another year is just a minor inconvenience for people like Suely (in the above video). The Paid Sick Days bill was especially important at a time like this, because it’s already costly enough to live — high gas prices raising the price of a great many of life’s necessities, not to mention gas for commuting to work — without being able to afford to take one day off if you’re sick. Now more than ever, working sick is going to be a necessity because if you couldn’t afford to take a day off before, you sure as hell can’t now.

I know that this shit happens every year in Connecticut. But the fact that good bills being killed by the clock is an annual event doesn’t make it any less disappointing. I also know that the General Assembly is made up almost entirely of people who really care about Connecticut and the people of their district. So why are so many important bills left until the last minute?

Because it’s an effective way to kill bills like this without getting your hands dirty. Especially in an election year.

Two time challenger to Chris Shays in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District, Diane Farrell, endorsed Jim Himes yesterday. Enthusiastically:

Farrell described Himes as a man “with his finger on the pulse of the needs of families” who “understands the needs of the district.” Noting Himes’ involvement at the local level, as well as his support of her own runs for congress, Farrell praised Himes’ “important work for families in this area.”

Farrell added, “Jim Himes will be a superb member of Congress. I enthusiastically stand in support of Jim.”

_{Unrelated Pharrell video. Enjoy!}

Happy fifth anniversary of the end of major combat operations in Iraq, I guess. MoveOn.org Political Action is highlighting the anniversary with a cake:

Jim Himes spoke today about the impact of the past five years in Iraq on the 4th CD:

“Five years later, it is clear that George Bush and Chris Shays have no plan to get us out of Iraq,” said Himes. “This war has cost our district alone more than $3.1 billion, or $4,700 of per household. The runaway spending on Iraq has meant that critical missions here at home are not accomplished. Imagine what we could accomplish if we invested this money where it is most needed. We should be investing in improving our schools, moving us towards energy independence, and creating a health care system that works for everyone.”

The war costs an unimaginable amount of money when you look at the total numbers, and the costs are still unimaginable at the district or even city level.

In the 4th CD where the war has cost $4,700 per household, that’s nearly $1000 per household per year.

How much is your stimulus rebate? Not enough to pay for your share of the war, I know that. And I contend that if half the money spent on this war were spent on accomplishing the missions at home mentioned by Jim Himes that the economy in which we find ourselves today would not be taking a turn for the worse.

I learned via a diary by EquationDoc over at MLN that the New Britain Common Council voted 13-2 on a resolution condemning the War in Iraq:

WHEREAS, The New Britain Common Council expresses its deep opposition to the Bush Administration’s continuation of the war in Iraq after its mendacious and deceptive methods of garnering initial support; and

WHEREAS, the City of New Britain relies heavily on Federal money to provide services to its residents; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress has appropriated over $400 billion to fund military operations and Iraqi reconstruction, while a steady decline in Federal Housing and Urban Development grants has been experienced since 2002, the year before the war began.

The resolution was drafted by Eva Magnuszewski, one of the newly elected New Britain alderman in last year’s election. Rick Guinness reports on this week’s common council meeting for the NB Herald:

Magnuszewski’s resolution — amended to cast equal blame on President Bush and Congress for starting and funding the war — estimated the city’s portion of paying for the war at $204 million. “All politics is local,” Magnuszewski said, quoting former U.S. Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill. “The war is unraveling — in money, international relations and human lives.”

Hat tip to EquationDoc for posting about this at MLN, which called my attention to it.

Jim Himes has an Earth Day op-ed in the Connecticut Post that’s not so much about what you can do for the earth, but what doing good for the earth can do for you:

For years, I led the New York office of Enterprise Community Partners, an affordable housing non-profit. There, we made a substantial commitment to green building. The environmental benefits of green building are obvious: green buildings conserve and reuse valuable resources, are healthier, and use less energy. And that matters because 40% of the energy we use is consumed in our homes and offices.

So green building makes clear economic sense. Under some circumstances, Energy Star appliances, energy saving windows, and smart heating and cooling systems can reduce utility bills by as much as 75%. Green roofs lower heating and air conditioning costs, reduce heat-island effects, and extend the life of a structure. Rainwater and grey water capture systems lower water bills by recycling water already in use. Non-toxic products like low-VOC paints and green carpeting and flooring are healthier for inhabitants and reduce health care costs down the road.

Best of all, green technology creates “green collar” jobs. These jobs are generally well paid, career-track jobs that range from low-skill entry-level positions to high-skill higher-paid jobs. Many are in construction, installation, maintenance, and other industries. And, unlike the manufacturing jobs that Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport have lost in recent years, they cannot be outsourced. In short, green building is a win-win-win proposition. Green buildings are healthier to live in, better for the environment, and a source of good jobs.

Being green saves you money and can earn you some money. That’s win-win where I come from.

One of the things I like about Jim Himes is that he’s not using this op-ed to tell us to buy those re-usable shopping bags, or switch some of our incandescents for CFLs — we already know that — he is explaining the long-term benefits of environmental consciousness we can reap right here in Connecticut. How much better will the future in the 4th CD will look when Jim Himes applies his Enterprise Community Partners experience in congress? A lot.

Christine Stuart at CTNewsJunkie published a story today about a legislative intern’s interesting testimony Tuesday. From Christine’s story, Intern Gone Wild:

At a forum on Connecticut’s history of disciplining public officials Tuesday, an intern known for sporting a Fedora, made some wild accusations about what goes on at the Capitol.

“80 percent of the legislators here have some form of corruption whether in their background or right now,” the intern for three House Democrats said at Tuesday’s forum, according to this video footage from Connecticut Network.

The video is one of the most viewed on the Connecticut Network web site and has legislators talking about the short four-minute dialogue the intern had with the panelists, which begins one hour and 15-minutes into the video.

“From liquor and smoking in a state facility, from sex in actual offices to kickbacks from lobbyists…” the intern said.

The 90 minute video is at CT-N, but for your viewing pleasure and convenience, I’ve clipped the relevant portion from the stream and uploaded it to YouTube. Enjoy!