Local Considerations... Public Health, and the Veterans Place

Local Letters Digest:

1) Gordon Bock recently submitted this letter to the editor on the issue of public health - in particular head lice among school-age children - in our public schools. Don't know about you, but if your kid has ever had it, or been exposed to it, your ears prick up. Nasty little nits. An excerpt:

"We parents were hearing for months about different instances in which entire class sections were brought to the school nurse for lice checks. But it was our children, not school officials, who were keeping us apprised of the situation, and then only in a piecemeal, anecdotal fashion. The responsibility for keeping us informed -- - fully informed, and on an ongoing basis --- rests with the school officials, not the children."

** Eds. Note: the school district did send out a flyer regarding the public health threat posed by head lice and what to do about it.

2) Nate Freeman says the proposed Veteran's Place Lacks Answers in this letter to the editor on the issue of the proposed Veteran's Shelter here in Northfield:

"Asking questions or raising concerns about anything related to veterans can feel downright unpatriotic. But lets face it: here in Northfield we are all patriotic and we are proud of the service men and women in our community. In one way or another, we are all connected to Norwich University, the oldest and most forward thinking private military school in the United States. Many of us volunteer in the community and help provide for people who are in need. Yet we can also ask legitimate questions about a development that can create a significant impact in our town."

S.O.S. - Save Our State - Rally 2/2/09 at 5pm

Concerned Vermonters everywhere are rallying to protest further budget cuts that erode our social safety net and harm low-income and working families, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Join in! Go to a rally site near you. In Northfield, folks are meeting up at 5pm at the Village Green/Depot Square. Bring yourself and add your voice to the chorus saying "stop the cuts", "raise sustainable revenues", "put people first."

What: SOS (Save Our State) Rallies (Statewide)
When: Feb. 2nd @ 5pm
Where: Village Green/Depot Square in Northfield (other locations statewide)
Why: To protest budget cuts and advocate for raising new revenues to help low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

For more information about this effort, just go to the SOS Vermont blog and get involved!

Next Meeting: Holiday Party! Thursday, December 11th (5:30pm - 7:00pm)

Hi All,

Hope you can join us for a Northfield Democrats Holiday party/monthly meeting at the home of Christopher Curtis and Abby White (309 South Main Street in Northfield) on Thursday evening, December 11th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

We'll provide non-alcoholic beverages and some light snacks. If you would like to bring an appetizer and/or a holiday treat, please feel free.

We'll re-cap our activities for the year, talk about plans for next year and we're doing a food drive for CERV, so please bring non-perishable food items to donate.

We are also taking donations to help defray the costs of the mailing we did just before the election.

Hope you can join us!

President-Elect Barack Obama

Vote!

Tomorrow is election day. Should be a great day for Democrats everywhere. But it doesn't happen without YOU.

V-O-T-E!

For a little election day fun, you can check out my predictions on the presidential race, and the balance of power in Congress - and make your own.

Douglas Lacks Business Experience

More letters from Northfield Democrats... check out this gem from Gordon Bock published in the Times Argus. Gordon points out the Governor's lack of any experience in the private sector. Douglas has spent 30 years as a bureaucrat with little or no real-world experience to his credit. Thanks for your letter, Gordon. Here's an excerpt:

“(S)erving (his words, not mine) the people of Vermont for more than 30 years. Elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1972 … in 1979 … become(s) a top aide to Governor Richard Snelling … elected Secretary of State … elected State Treasurer … served as Treasurer until his inauguration as Governor in 2003.”

Hmm … nothing about Douglas’ ever having bothered to try working in the private sector, much less attempting to make a go of it as an entrepreneur. It is easy to criticize how someone runs a business when you have no concept of what that is actually like - having to deal with budgets, taxes, government regulations and legalities, sales and marketing, payroll, personnel, production, profitability.

Are you better off now...?

Today's Free Press contains an op-ed I recently submitted about how we are not better off now than we were before the Republicans took over the presidency and the governorship in Vermont. You can check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with our mailing. If you received a "get out the vote" postcard and are just coming to this website, please get involved. While this election is now in the homestretch we want to be planning ahead for Town Meeting Day and future elections, too. We need your help. Please get in touch by emailing me, or by writing to:

Northfield Democrats
P.O. Box 41
Northfield, VT 05663

Change is coming!