Democratic Town Committee To Meet Thursday, January 28th

The Democratic Town Committee will hold its first meeting of 2010 on Thursday, January 28th at New Britain City Hall, 27 West Main Street beginning at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in Room 504.

Democrats seeking statewide offices will be given opportunities to introduce their candidacies at the January meeting and again at the February meeting (February 25th) before the start of the new term.

The Committee will also take up Justice of the Peace appointments, discuss the upcoming legislative session and review the 2010 political calendar.

Legislators Holding Community Meetings This Week

Members of the New Britain legislative delegation are holding a pair of general community meetings for the public to attend and discuss state government, the economy and other issues facing New Britain residents. The Legislature will convene for its 2010 session next week on Wednesday, February 3rd. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. at the New Britain Senior Center, 55 Pearl Street. The second will be held on Thursday, January 28, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. at the Human Resource Agency of New Britain, Community Room, 180 Clinton Street. All members of the public are invited to attend.

Online Connecticut Mirror Gives Politics and Government Coverage A Boost

The launch of the online Connecticut Mirror this week is expected to add considerably to the extent and breadth of coverage of politics and government in Connecticut. The Mirror, funded with foundation grants, is a hopeful response to the continuing decline of state capitol coverage by newspapers.

The CT Mirror (www.ctmirror.com), describes itself as “an independent source of news and information about our state’s government, politics and public policy. From dealing with Connecticut’s budget crisis to choosing its top officials, 2010 will be a year of critical decisions. We hope you’ll be with us as we cover it all. Our goal is to bring you in-depth coverage of the issues and events that will affect the lives of all Connecticut residents for years to come.”
The Mirror, which includes a guide to state politics and government, began online publishing on Monday.

Stand Up For Health Care Coalition Not Backing Off From Push For Health Care Reform

The coalition of local and national organizations calling for Congressional action on comprehensive health care reform is stepping up efforts for passage of a House-Senate compromises despite the loss of a 60th Democratic vote for cloture in the U.S. Senate.

In a letter to Congressional leaders,Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, links the need for health care reform with the health of the economy:

“Without reform, health costs will continue to grow much faster than wages. Without reform, many millions of hard-working people and their families will join the ranks of the uninsured and underinsured. And without reform, businesses, staggered by increasing employee health costs, will either drop coverage or will be unable to make needed investments. As a result, our nation's economy - and the ability to create good jobs - will suffer. We must not let that happen. Some members of Congress have said that we should abandon health reform for a later time. But make no mistake, if we abandon reform now - after moving further than ever before towards meaningful reform - we will not get back to this crucial agenda for a long, long time. Some other members have suggested that we play "small ball": adopt only the most popular measures, such as prohibiting exclusions of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and drop the more systemic reforms. Unfortunately, that will not work.”

For more information and to contact members of Congress visit Families USA www.familiesusa.org or Connecticut Citizen Action Group.

UPCOMING MUNICIPAL MEETINGS
CITY COUNCIL, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27TH 7 P.M. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGINS AT 7 P.M.
BOARD OF EDUCATION MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST

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“The question for Democrats is whether there is anything that will wake them up to their obligation to extend a powerful hand to ordinary Americans and help them take the government, including the Supreme Court, back from the big banks, the giant corporations and the myriad other predatory interests that put the value of a dollar high above the value of human beings.”

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert, January 23rd
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/opinion/23herbert.html