Playing Pepper Oct. 12, 2010

by | Oct 14, 2010

Just Wondering:

  • IF either men or women should be required to register for Selective Service.
  • HOW much money Medicare and Medicaid fraud is costing Northampton citizens. Perhaps a City Council Resolution is in order?
  • WHO decided that the first line of deliberation regarding alleged violations of the State’s Open Meeting Law should be those accused.
  • IF Federal Stimulus funds should be referred to as Taxpayer Subsidies.
  • ABOUT deceased individuals receiving some of those subsidies.
  • IF restrictive Big Box zoning on King Street can work despite little of this type of zoning in neighboring municipalities.
  • IF Massachusetts’ voters will see a ballot question on the outright legalization of marijuana in the next few years.
  • IF Dennis Bidwell is the real chair of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee.
  • IF Truthdig’s Chris Hedges gets a lot of fan mail. See his Oct. 5 column, “March to Nowhere.”
  • If City Councilors David Narkewicz and Gene Tacy will be celebrating Halloween together dressed as each other.
  • IF the brass plaque in the proposed new Police Department Headquarters should read, “Generously funded by Northampton’s Taxpayers.”
  • IF we can have a local conversation on how much the proposed PD Headquarters will cost in principal AND interest payments.
  • WHAT U. S. Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry think about Northampton’s purchases of refrigerators and bucket loaders and the preservation of the Chesterfield Road dam.
  • IF the Toyota Prius is ruining our roads.
  • IF outside money influencing elections is so bad. The recent Northwestern District Attorney’s Democratic primary saw the winner David Sullivan accept about $28.6 thousand from donors outside of the district (about 42.4% of his 2010 receipts to date). Meanwhile Michael Cahillane accepted about 21.7% of his 2010 receipts (about $10.8 thousand) from donors who reside outside the district. Interestingly each candidate received about the same level of funding from in-District donors, about $39 thousand, in 2010 to date. (Source: Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance)
  • WHY Northampton Republicans don’t organize themselves.
  • IF Northampton Media’s assertion there is a media blackout on the Zoning Revisions Committee and Joel Russell’s well documented resignation has merit.
  • IF the Academy of Music’s Board of Trustees and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 232 can come to an agreement.
  • IF the Obama administration misled the public on the severity of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
  • IF Democrats are misleading the public on the role of the Chamber of Commerce in elections.
  • IF Entergy will clean up leaked tritium at Vermont Yankee.