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I read this Globe headline last Thursday: “Bush vows to veto children’s health insurance bill” and felt sick to my stomach, literally. What kind of a country are we? I know we value individualism, free speech, and competition, but don’t we also value our children? The fact that President Bush is not inclined to cover low-income uninsured children reminds me of President Reagan’s claim that ketchup counted as a vegetable in school lunches. (Are there people who actually think this is okay?) Tonight, my sister told me about an old friend who has just been laid off. She suspects it was due to his age (late 50s), and health concerns (he’s had a heart attack and other issues). When I asked if he would lose his health insurance, she wasn’t sure—probably, he’s too young for Medicare and has pre-existing conditions. Providing healthcare with for-profit companies and funding it on the backs of employers is like funding our public schools solely on property taxes: it’s not effective or fair. Anybody else see a correlation between healthcare for all, public schools, and the postal service? If the government can run the post office well enough to get my letter to California in two days for 41 cents, it can provide decent healthcare for its citizens. Perhaps we should let the postmaster general run it to make sure the service is superior and efficient.

You must have noticed this park if you ever drive by the 99 Restaurant in the Highlands, especially if you turn the corner from Chelmsford Street onto Stevens. For me, it has been a personal joy to watch this neglected pie-slice of land transform into a beautiful garden oasis. But then, in addition to being in that area often, I know a little of the land’s history. It was over a year ago that I attended a Greater Lowell Community Foundation luncheon and first learned about Alfred Coburn and his vision for this neglected corner. Apparently the land, which belonged to Alfred’s great grandparents, was all that was left of the old Coburn homestead and dairy farm. (The farm was in its heyday during the 1850s.) Even though the Coburn family had donated the corner to the city in 1907, it had become overgrown with weeds and trash. Last year, Coburn worked with the GLCF and the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust to establish a fund in memory of his family that would create a park from this tiny slice of land and maintain it forever. Sandwiched between two busy streets, the park has enhanced the quality of life for many commuters and neighborhood residents, as well as providing an exceptionally pleasant gateway into the city. Next time you’re in the area, be sure to check it out. 

I am in my kitchen cooking and listening to a chilling sound – the thin, piercing cry of a red-tailed hawk.  We are used to crows here in the city, their raucous caws and ugly appearance are something we don’t really notice anymore, like the wail of sirens, the thump, thump of the bass from passing car radios or the hum of traffic on Route 3. There is even the occasional loud thrumming that is harder to ignore, that of another bird-of-prey, momentarily drowning all other city sounds– helicopters flying low and heading who knows where. But the scream of a hawk seems to run down your spine like ice water. There are three of these creatures (buteo jamaicensis - members of the Raptor category of birds) living near my house in the Highlands; when they float by we can sometimes see their reddish tail markings. It brings a glimpse of desert brush and brown hills across my typical view of green lawns, lilac bushes and neatly painted white houses.  It makes one wonder where the cat has got to.

As someone who has worked with Joe Mendonca for years, I’m thrilled he’s taking the council seat vacated by George Ramirez. Both Joe and I came up through the ranks of the Citywide Parent Council before running for school committee. (Of course, Joe was on the committee several terms before I even thought about running.) Here’s what I know about Joe: He’s smart, hard working, and a man who earns the respect of others. A quiet, unassuming guy, Joe is great with crunching numbers, focusing on details, and remaining calm when things get heated. He’s also committed to working diligently for what he believes is right for our community. I’ve seen firsthand the results of his efforts with the schools, and I have no doubt he will bring that same level of commitment and contribution to the Lowell City Council. Congratulations, Joe—we’re lucky to have you!

More than 100 people attended today’s Congressional Candidates’ Forum, sponsored by the Non Profit Alliance of Greater Lowell. For a take on the event, recorded live, see Dick Howe’s blog. For my awards of distinction, read on. First, the Idealism Award goes to Patrick Murphy who spoke about housing as “a basic human right, not just a commodity.” Murphy also scored for making two vital points regarding public education: the problem with funding schools solely on the property tax and the need to rework NCLB—particularly its punitive nature. Also on that topic, Thomas Tierney, a Republican newcomer, gets the Gaffe Award for not knowing about NCLB and its huge impact on schools nationwide. Niki Tsongas gets the Focus Award for clearly expressing her views of the federal role in housing, education, predatory lending, and the environment. Eileen Donoghue, always articulate at connecting her experience to national issues, gets the Shark Award for being the only one to take a bite out of an opponent when she attributed being “closely tied to Washington” as detrimental to change. Jamie Eldridge gets the Different Democrat Award for noting he’s the only one in favor of single-payer universal healthcare, the only clean elections candidate at the State House, and the one who will fight for principles—unlike “too many democrats who don’t fight for our values.” The Succinct Point Award goes to Barry Finegold, who powerfully noted that with the government spending $12 billion a month in Iraq, there’s no money for priorities. The Tardiness Award goes to Jim Miceli who messed up the order and permanently discombobulated the moderator. And Kevin Thompson gets the Hands Off Award for seeing most issues as not the government’s problem although I do share his frustration with answers that were “all about spending.”

Despite my better judgment, curiosity and my 14-year-old son compelled me to answer the phone last night even though it was a private caller. Sure enough, the caller was doing a political survey about the fifth congressional campaign. First off, was I planning to vote? Next, if I had to vote today, who would I vote for? Then came the interesting part—the caller said he would read me the candidates’ stated positions on key issues and ask me which statement most represented my view. He then went on to read statements for four candidates, in this order: Niki Tsongas (NT), Jamie Eldridge (JE), Barry Finegold (BF) and Eileen Donoghue (ED). If you took this survey, I’d love to know your thoughts about its bias since the caller would not reveal the sponsor. He also assured me he did not favor a candidate and was reading a prepared script, but his tone while reading JE’s statements was admiring. On a final note, he wanted me to know that NT was a leader of the Concord Coalition, a group advocating for privatization of social security and medicare, and that many see her as someone who “does not understand the values of democratic voters and will not vote for progressive policy.” I’m no expert on the candidates, but I do pay attention. (I have attended two debates and will be at the NPA-sponsored forum tomorrow morning.) And, as I told the caller last night, from what I’ve seen of NT, his last comments did not seem accurate. At this point, he admitted that she said she was only loosely affiliated with that group. The survey clearly targeted NT and favored JE. A summary of the statements read to me for each candidate follows: Regarding healthcare—NT supports more »

I’ve been thinking of this for weeks, ever since we squeaked through the last budget session and had to be grateful that we “only” had to cut $800,000 instead of $1.6 million from the school department budget.  Listening to UML Sunrise this morning, I heard Bill Taupier, local businessman and political guru as well as a former school committee member and city manager, sounding critical of the school committee for accepting this compromise.  Taupier stated that basically the city has “short-changed the schools for the last 12 years” by not meeting its funding obligations.  He believes that if we lose our schools, we lose our city.  I agree with his emphasis on the importance of our public schools and the ongoing lack of local funding, but as a taxpayer and resident of the city who watched the Manager’s budget presentation, I felt that the city did the best it could this year.  After all, they need to clean up what seems to be years of irresponsible and inaccurate budgeting.  Still, I wonder; was I taken in by what seemed to be a fair and honest approach on the part of city hall?  Was I so grateful for the transparency that I was willing to cave in on what the schools needed? A fter the devasting cuts of 2003, when we got nothing for our pains, it felt good to at least achieve a compromise.  I guess time will tell; but for now, the question remains, can we afford to fund our schools, or even more importantly, can we afford not to?

Get on the phone or email our state legislators today regarding the bill to close the telecommunications tax loophole and make these businesses pay their fair share just like everyone else in this state. Closing this tax loophole, a part of the governor’s Municipal Partnership Act, will provide money to cities and towns desperately trying to fund critical services (such as schools, police and fire) without further burdening property owners. It will also end decades of tax benefits for these companies which have not translated into savings for consumers. (See earlier post for more details.) For some area communities, the additional revenue from closing these tax loopholes is substantial: Billerica, $949K; Lowell, $759K; Chelmsford, $290K; and Tewksbury, $277K just to name a few. Also remember, every other state taxes telecom companies for use of their public ways while still enjoying lower rates than Mass. consumers. (We have one of the highest phone rates in the country.) The vote could happen as early as this Thursday, so contact Lowell legislators now: State Senator Steven Panagiotakos, Representatives Kevin Murphy, David Nangle, and Tom Golden to make sure they know how important these funds are to you and that it is the right and fair thing to do.

The date of the second Concert in the Park will be Thursday, July 26, from 6-8 p.m. and NOT this Thursday as was previously reported in this blog. (My apologies for getting the date wrong in the earlier post.) The band for the July concert is Take Two, a couple of talented guys on guitar who sing and play some of your old-time rock favorites—you know, songs like Brown-Eyed Girl—where you can’t help but sing along. While we’re on the subject of the concerts, mark your calendars for August 23, the date of the final concert in the Friends of Tyler Park summer series.

I learned life wasn’t fair in the eighth grade when I got detention for being late while two other girls didn’t. I probably learned it much earlier but that particular time it resonated with me—perhaps because the teacher nonchalantly explained “life isn’t fair; you may as well learn it now,” in response to my complaint about his random acts of punishment. I may have learned it then, but I have never stopped fighting against it. I still get incredibly frustrated when I am struck, yet again, by how unfair life can be. Is it fair that my parents encouraged and supported me while some children have no one at home who cares? Is it fair that some people are gifted and bright, while others struggle to read? No, life is not fair, and we are not born equal: the circumstances of our birth often determine who will be become and what opportunities will be presented to us. Yet, it is opportunity that provides hope, and that is why good public schools are so important. We must provide all children—whether they live in Lowell or Lexington, whether their parents are CEOs or bus drivers—with the opportunity to get an excellent education. No matter how hard we try, we cannot end unfairness. It is a fact of life. But we can work to provide equal educational opportunity. It won’t take away unfairness, but it will make it more bearable.