Looking Back: Holiday Greetings and A Quote From the "New Deal""Finally, in our progress toward a resumption of work we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order; there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to speculation with other people's money, and there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency."
-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933.
Photo Credit: U.S. Government
Looking Forward:Toward Peace On Earth: The Global Zero Initiative
In a post Cold War world facing the constant threat of terrorism, peace advocates and nuclear arms experts are pushing for "the abolition of all nuclear weapons from the earth," according to a December 15th report in the National Catholic Reporter by reporter Rich Heffern.
At a meeting held this month in Paris, France an international group of business, civic and military leaders issued a "Global Zero" declaration that sets a goal for a "binding and verifiable agreement to dismantle all nuclear weapons by a specified date."
The Global Zero declaration, endorsed by a “who’s who” of the world’s foreign policy aristocracy from the past 30 years, calls for a binding and verifiable agreement to dismantle all nuclear weapons by a specified date. Signatories on the declaration include former President Jimmy Carter; former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev; Nobel Prize winners Muhammad Yunus and Bishop Desmond Tutu; British businessman Sir Richard Branson; Ehsan ul-Haq, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Pakistan; Brajesh Mishra, former Indian national security advisor; and Amr Moussa, Arab League secretary-general.
The NCR report quotes President-elect Barack Obama with a qualified endorsement: "As long as nuclear weapons exist, we’ll retain a strong deterrent. But we’ll make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy.” Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also issued a supportive statement and pledge of cooperation to engage the Obama administration in the effort to reduce the real and present danger presented by nuclear stockpiles.
Global Zero's strategy, backed by the leadership of the "super power" nations, involves the following steps: “de-alerting” U.S. and Russian weapons from their current ready-to-launch status, followed by major weapons reductions in the two nations; total elimination of these weapons by all nuclear-armed nations accompanied by strict verification of nuclear fuel activities around the globe. According to the report:
There are now nine countries with nuclear weapons and 40 more with sufficient nuclear infrastructure to build their own arsenal, according to Global Zero’s fact sheet. “The gravest danger facing the world now is that these weapons continue to spread until one day they are used by a country or a terrorist group, with catastrophic consequences,” it says. The only lasting solution to this grave threat, it says, is to eliminate all weapons.
“We cannot persuade terrorists to stop seeking nuclear weapons,” the Global Zero fact sheet says. “The only solution is to eliminate the weapons themselves: to drain the swamp. Global Zero’s plan calls for the verified and enforced destruction of all nuclear weapons and international oversight of all nuclear energy production to prevent the clandestine development of weapons.”
For more information on the nuclear disarmament campaign visit www.cnduk.org
Geragosian To Chair Appropriations Committee
New Britain Lawmakers Get Leadership Assignments
Health Care Partnership Expected To Be Key Cost Saving Item In New State Budget
State Rep. John Geragosian (D-25) will be the new House Chair of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee when the General Assembly convenes for 2009 on January 6th. The General Assembly will adjourn in June. The session is expected to be dominated by steps to reduce a growing deficit for a next two year budget to begin next July 1.
A veteran member of the budget-writing committee, Geragosian was first elected to the Legislature in 1994. He is a former New Britain alderman and is the senior member of the city's all Democratic state House delegation. During the last session Geragosian served as Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Incoming House Speaker Chris Donovan (D-84) named Geragosian to lead the Appropriations committee, the first New Britain lawmaker to do so since former State Senator Joe Harper led the Committee as the state Senate Chair.
State Rep. Betty Boukus (D-22), who represents voting district 15, Plainville and parts of Bristol, will serve in leadership as a Deputy Majority Whip.
Incoming Majority Leader Denise Merrill, who is vacating the Appropriations Chair, has named State Rep. Peter Tercyak (D-26) to be one of seven Deputy Majority Leaders. Tercyak will also lead the Appropriations subcommittee on collective bargaining. State Rep. Tim O'Brien (D-24) will serve as an assistant majority leader and will be vice chairman of the Labor and Public Employees committee.
State Senator Don DeFronzo (D-6) will return to the Chairmanship of the Transportation Committee in appointments announced by Senate President Donald Williams.
The Town Committee extends congratulations to state House members and Senator DeFronzo for their leadership roles in the 2009 session.
The session is expected to be dominated by steps to reduce a growing deficit for a next two year budget to begin next July 1.
At the December 11th Democratic Town Committee Rep. Geragosian said that the 2007 proposal for a Health Care Partnership will be on the table next year as lawmakers seek to reduce costs of health care. The partnership plan, introduced by Rep. Donovan last year, would allow municipalities, agencies and small businesses to join the state's health care pool as a means of reducing soaring costs of medical coverage. It has been implemented in more than a dozen other states providing lower insurance premiums to cities and towns.
To contact your legislators and/or follow legislative issues go to
http://www.housedems.ct.gov/index.asp
Thank You
Thanks to members of the Democratic Town Committee and friends for donating non-perishable food items for the needy at the December 11th Town Committee meeting.
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