Monday, July 11, 2011
National leaders should look locally for an example of how to deal with a true financial crisis.
Are you confused by all the talk (or lack of same) on the need for Congress to increase the country’s debt limit? I am far from a financial expert, but I am having trouble understanding it all just from a common sense standpoint. To reduce it to simple terms, the United States has a debt limit of $14.3 trillion dollars – that’s right, trillion with a “T." Unless that limit is increased by Aug. 2, President Obama says our country will begin to default on its financial obligations. Most economists and experts agree this will have major implications on global finances, and result in higher interest rates and falling stock markets. Everyone from both major parties seems to agree it would be a bad thing. But Democrats and Republicans can’t …
Friday, June 10, 2011
Norton's 300th gives columnist appreciation of the past, and hope for the future.
It’s finally here. Happy 300th birthday, Norton. The town I live in and grew up in enters its fourth century this weekend, capping a year-long celebration with a huge parade featuring everything from a U.S. Senator to marching bands to the Clydesdale horses. Somehow, that eclectic mix seems fittingly “Norton." This ain’t your normal, small New England town, folks. The Norton I have lived in for more than 53 years is a community of characters. Some of these names may not mean anything to a lot of you, but in just the last 50 years I offer you some distinguished – and some notorious – names that have made Norton the unique and fascinating place I know it to be: Henri Yelle, Lewis Rubin, Raymond Patenaude, Maurice Splaine, Robert Kellner, …
Monday, May 23, 2011
Meet Bruschi - he came, he saw, he conquered.
I am not a dog person. I especially don’t like little dogs. You know, the kind that sit on your lap and lick you, then yip in that annoying fashion little dogs do? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Now – meet Bruschi (pictured right). He’s different - and not just because he’s named after my favorite professional football player of all time. Bruschi is our newest family member, though I have had only limited contact with him thus far. He is the pride and joy of my son Nate and daughter-in-law Melissa. We met him a couple of weekends ago when we ventured down to Baltimore for a visit. Bruschi is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is just a puppy, moving to his new home a little over a month or so ago. But I’m pretty sure he’s …
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Difference between a Debt Exclusion and an Override? Debt Exclusions are temporary.
With the Special Town Meeting and Special Election coming up next month for a debt exclusion for the high school building project, one of the most often asked and misunderstood questions around town is: What is a proposition 2-1/2 debt exclusion, and how is it different from a proposition 2-1/2 override? The answer is relatively simple. Both a debt exclusion and an override will increase your property taxes, so there should be no misunderstanding there. The major difference is that with a debt exclusion, that increase eventually goes away, while an override is a permanent addition to a town’s tax levy limit. A debt exclusion is meant to finance a particular project. Your property taxes increase for a period of time, usually 10 to 20 years…
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Columnist annually battles plants - and plants keeps on winning.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and yet somehow expecting a different result. When it comes to spring yard work, and a few other things according to some, I am absolutely insane. Every year since we have been in our current home (almost 22 years now) I venture out in late April or early May and do my token yard work for the year. It isn’t much – I’m not an outside kind of guy by any stretch. I rake out my wife’s gardens, bring the leaves to the compost pile, and rake out the yard. And oh yeah, I do one other thing. I catch poison ivy all over my body. And suffer. The poison ivy in my yard is apparently the strongest, most virile strain known to mankind. You simply can’t avoid it. It …
Friday, May 6, 2011
Mothers get the better press, as this father knows all too well.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. I know because there are thousands of colorful cards crowding the shelves at every drugstore and supermarket I enter, and ads for Mother’s Day brunch leaping off the pages of every newspaper. There are also television commercials constantly telling us what the mothers in our lives would like to receive as gifts. There is jewelry, clothing, cars and personal items which Moms are more than worthy of receiving, given all they do for the rest of us. I don’t know who the marketing agent is for the United Womanhood of Mothers, or whatever it is they call the organization that secretly unites all moms. But whoever they are, they definitely earn their keep. In our world today, comparing Mother’s Day to Father’s Day is…
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
May meeting isn't the "sexy" one, but it is important for all Norton residents.
Norton will hold its Annual Town Meeting this Monday night beginning 7 p.m. at the Norton High School gymnasium. The meeting is open to all registered voters, and there are many important articles to be decided – including the town’s $40 million-plus operating budget. This meeting lacks the “sex appeal” and allure of the Special Town Meeting set for June 6, when the issue of the high school renovation project will be decided. Many voters appear to be looking past this meeting, deeming it to somehow be the lesser of the two gatherings. It is difficult to argue each one is equally compelling, but it is no stretch to say each is equally important. Town Meeting is not a game, an event or an unusual occurrence. It is the legislative body of our…
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Monday, April 25, 2011
If you follow Boston teams, this is the time of year you have to love.
This is a great time of year to be a devoted sports fan. Of course, as far as I am concerned, there is no bad time to be a sports fan. But early spring and late fall are two of the exceptional times if you are a follower of Boston professional sports. The Celtics are in the playoffs, limping through their opening series against the New York Knicks. They are headed towards a second round confrontation with the mighty Miami Heat and LeBron James, a series that should be a lot of fun to watch. Here’s hoping the Green can once again leave James as “The King Without A Ring." The Bruins are also in the playoffs, locked in a tough opening round battle with their arch rivals to the north, the Montreal Canadiens. I admit I am not the world’s …
Friday, April 15, 2011
A few pointers on what some of what you hear at Town Meeting really means.
Norton’s Annual Town Meeting is May 9, and among other things to be decided is the town budget. Those of you who turn out will decide how $40 million or more will be spent. During the next few weeks and at the Town Meeting itself, you may hear some political terms you might not be familiar with. In the spirit of civic involvement (and with tongue firmly planted in cheek) I hereby offer you some layman explanations of those political buzz words and phrases. State Aid – This is the term used for money that comes from the state rather than from taxes. Of course, most of the state money comes from taxes too – but different taxes. And the state that is being so generous actually has a huge budget deficit of its own. But they sometimes get …
Monday, April 11, 2011
A wedding trip to Key West reminds writer of differences back home.
I haven’t traveled by air very much in the last several years, except for a few Southwest flights to visit my son in Baltimore. This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of a family friend in Key West, Florida. That gave me both a little more of the true experience of what flying is like these days, and a reminder that life down south is a totally different ballgame. I try not to fly out of Logan, but had no choice this trip. That meant winding my way through Boston trying to find an off-site parking spot for some outrageously high daily fee, then enjoying the ambience of a shuttle bus ride to the terminal. I didn’t mind so much, but when I got there and discovered the airline was charging me $25 each for our checked …
Tanya Willow
6:36 am on Thursday, July 14, 2011
Part of me wonders if the entire charade is being done so that banks make huge money on the increased interest rates the feds (us) will have to pay when we default. It's legal now (thank you supreme court) for corporations to buy legislators. What's stopping the banking industry from funneling money into campaigns in exchange for delaying the debt ceiling just long enough to officially default … more ›