I voted Yes on Question #1

(Doing my part to keep the Working Families Party line on the ballot!)
​​​CT Bob: I already voted absentee because I'm out of town on Election Day, but there are ways to make it easier for people who, for whatever reason, can't get away to the polls during that relatively brief 14-hour window on Election Day. I voted YES on the amendment, because I'm all in favor of ANY change that makes it easier for eligible citizens to participate in our representative democracy.

I dream that I will one day see a 100% turnout for our elections. THAT'S the very definition of a participatory democracy!

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MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release: Monday, October 27th, 2014
Contact: Jimmy Tickey 203-520-1910 DeLauro
Mike Smith 203-450-4579 Merrill​​
​​
DeLauro​ & Secretary of the State Denise Merrill Hold Press Conference on Constitutional Amendment
​​
New Haven – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro will join Connecticut's Secretary of the State Denise Merrill tomorrow, Tuesday, October 28, 2014 t​o call for passage of ​the constitutional amendment question on the ballot this November. The press conference will be held at the Tower One/Tower East apartment and assisted living community.

WHO: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill

WHAT: Constitutional amendment question on the ballot this Nov​.​ 4th

WHEN: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 2:00pm

WHERE: Tower One/Tower East, 18 Tower Lane, New Haven, CT 06519

If passed, the constitutional amendment would give the Connecticut General Assembly the ability to enact early voting. Thirty-five states already have some form of early voting.

The question on the ballot reads “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to remove restrictions concerning absentee ballots and to permit a person to vote without appearing at a polling place on the day of an election?”

DeLauro said, "If passed, the constitutional amendment proposed in Question 1 will remove decades’ old limitations that can make it difficult for people to vote in elections. Whether you are a working parent, commuting to work and trying to balance job and family responsibilities, a senior who is dependent on others to get to the polls​ or​ a student managing classes -- removing these restrictions will make voting easier for everyone."

"Being able to vote on a day other than Election Day will make it easier for Connecticut residents to exercise their fundamental right to vote," Merrill added.

Hey Tom Foley, this is why we need paid sick leave!

Tom Foley has stated that he's against paid sick leave. Gov. Dan Malloy helped push through the legislation that gave Connecticut the Paid Sick Leave law.

I would imagine someone like Tom Foley doesn't ever have to fly commercial airlines. Because if he did, he would expose himself to employees like a flight attendant who obviously couldn't afford to take the day off to nurse her cold/flu/ebola/smallpox...

Tom Foley can afford to fly on private jets, he can boat on private yachts, and he can have his personal chef make gourmet meals for him. All the while having the ability to be safe from ill employees.

The vast majority of Connecticut residents don't have that option.

So imagine how you'd feel if you were trapped on a six-hour flight in an airtight tube with a sick person who handles your food/drink/life during the trip.

Click on the link below to this SoundCloud recording by Sarah Silverman from a recent flight she took.

SoundCloud: Sick Flight Attendant

And follow @SarahKSilverman on Twitter, because she's so damned funny!

PS: Being filthy rich is just SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Would you want a governor who paid no taxes?

I mean, really!

This is just crazy that Tom Foley is SO bloody rich that he DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY INCOME TAX!

I wish I was that rich.

I'd be able to afford a new car for me and my wife. Both our cars were made in the 90s, and we have over a quarter million miles between them! Oh, and we both work full-time and we pay our fair share in taxes.

Besides new cars, having a five million dollar yacht like Foley's would be fun, too!

Watch this video called "Yacht", and decide if you want a governor who views our state from that perspective:

Dead heat in Governor's Race

Gov. Dan Malloy has evened up his race with Tom Foley in the latest Q-Poll.

From News12: A new Quinnipiac University Poll shows Connecticut's race for governor is a dead heat.

The poll finds Republican businessman Tom Foley no longer holds a lead over Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Voters were asked who they would vote for if the election was today and 43 percent said Malloy and 43 percent said Foley.

Petitioning candidate Joe Visconti got nine percent.

Last month, a Quinnipiac poll had Foley in a six point lead over Malloy.

I always wondered why they call a tie in the polls a "dead heat".

So I decided to Google the phrase to find it's origins.

Merriam Webster says:

Full Definition of DEAD HEAT
: a tie with no single winner of a race; broadly : tie

The American Heritage® Dictionary:

dead heat n.
1. Sports A race in which two or more contestants compete evenly or finish at the same time.
2. A political campaign or other contest that is so close that it is impossible to predict the winner.

Collins English Dictionary:

1. (Individual Sports, other than specified)
a. a race or contest in which two or more participants tie for first place
b. a tie between two or more contestants in any position

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary:

dead′ heat′ n.
a race in which two or more competitors finish in a tie.
[1790–1800]

Farlex Trivia Dictionary:

dead heat - If two horses tied in a heat, the heat did not count and was called "dead"; now any tie can be called a dead heat.

So it appears that the term originated with horse racing to describe a tie upon the finish of a race, and was later applied to many racing competitions that ended with a tie.

It's no wonder that the term has been applied to political contests. There is absolutely a sporting aspect to politics, and many people who follow races like these are not shockingly also sports aficionados.

Hunter S. Thompson has often written of the similarity to sports and politics, and the same way a person can become a sports junkie often applies to those who are politics junkies.

And it looks like we're in a real hoss race for the next four weeks! Gonna go right down to the wire!