Thumbs up to the volunteers who work outside in winter conditions to contribute to the Point-in-Time Count, conducted annually to provide a snapshot of the state’s homeless population in shelters and on the streets. It’s not a perfect system. None could be when it comes to counting the homeless. But the efforts of these volunteers, who are prepared to tackle their chore regardless of weather conditions, deserve applause.
Thumbs up to the bipartisan effort in the state Legislature to review its policies on sexual harassment and toughen them. To date, through the downpour of allegations, admissions and settlements with public money regarding sexual misconduct by powerful men in varied walks of life around the country, there have been no such incidents raised in Hartford. The Legislature would be wise to clamp down their policies and be mindful of the issue.
Thumbs up to local health officials for scheduling extra flu shot clinics recently as this winter’s flu season is proving to be particularly intense. The state Department of Public Health reported last week that 6 percent of outpatients in the state showed influenza-like symptoms, more than double the rate of this time last year. The flu can be serious — as of Jan. 20, 32 people in the state died from it, including a 10-year-old New Canaan boy. Though January is nearly over, it is not too late to get a flu shot.
Thumbs down to a spike in the number of traffic deaths on Connecticut roads in recent years. The figure has risen from 248 in 2014 to 278 in 2015 to 311 in 2016. It dropped again last year to 284, but that’s hardly something to celebrate. While driverless cars offer hope for a longer-term solution, drivers need to focus on traditional ways to keep our roads safer — by wearing seat belts and driving without distraction, whether liquid, chemical or electronic.
Thumbs up to to the governors of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey for challenging the new federal tax plan as unconstitutional because it targets a dozen high-tax states that voted against Donald Trump in 2016. More than 171,000 Connecticut tax filers could lose an estimated $10.3 billion in deductions under the plan, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said. More states are expected to join the fight, which will be filed in court within weeks. With 80 percent of the tax cut in the plan benefiting the top 1 percent in this country, it’s good to see the governors stand up for the middle class.
Thumbs down to the American Red Cross officials who negligently withheld information about sexual harassment charges that led to the resignation of a top executive whom another nonprofit was looking to hire. Fairfield-based Save the Children on Thursday quickly suspended Gerald Anderson, an executive in the Washington, D.C., office, when an online investigative news organization disclosed his background. The Red Cross should have known better.