Coupon Tax?!

While browsing the Hartford Courant website I came across an article about a new proposed coupon tax. This is part of Governor Dan Malloy's plan to overcome the Connecticut budget deficits. He wants to make it so that even if we buy an item at a discounted price, we pay tax on the original price. I don't think it's fair to charge more sales tax on sale items that people search for in weekly circulars.

Families that are searching for deals and clipping coupons are doing their part to save money. These families know how to keep a budget. Connecticut should forget about the coupon tax and instead hire some of these coupon clipping individuals to come up with some better ideas to get Connecticut out of debt.

On top of the stress that would be put on people trying to scrimp and save, this would affect retailers big time. Shoppers smart enough to clip coupons are also smart enough to buy their products online as soon as they can't get discounts in retail stores in their home state. This plan can backfire.

The Courant article also mentions that Malloy cannot just make this change instantly, he needs to first change Connecticut state law. So that is comforting.

50 Years Later, JFK Still Powerful

I’ve always heard such great things about John F. Kennedy, but I really never knew anything about him. Throughout growing up and going to school it was pretty common to hear adults mention his name, especially in sentences like, “Oh I remember when Kennedy was in office…” or just some mention of how wonderful of a person he was. It always seemed that Kennedy was somebody’s close friend or relative the way he was talked about. Grandmothers just love him.

Well, finally I got the chance to find out a little bit about what JFK was like through watching his inaugural address. It has been fifty years since the cold, winter day that he made his monumental speech in Washington. In the version of his inauguration speech that I found to watch on Youtube there was a text marquee every so often on the screen mentioning that the night prior to the inauguration there was a heavy snow storm. It was debated whether or not to postpone the important date because of the conditions, but it was decided to keep all plans in place. It was too important of a speech to postpone. I would guess that for a speech like the one JFK gave that day, he was very prepared to speak to America and wouldn’t want to wait another day to give his powerful words:

“Ask not, what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do, for your country.”

Seeing the full speech and being able to fit these words into the actual paragraph they came from, really made a difference. I of course had heard the phrase before, but until it is put with the rest of the speech it didn’t have as much weight. The entire speech flowed beautifully and was incredibly influential. Every word was clearly carefully chosen and spoken clearly to people listening all over the world.

JFK was a masterful speaker, and had a way with captivating his audience. I understand now how my grandmother felt that he was her close friend.

Because the 50^th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration has just passed, many have taken to comparing Kennedy to Obama. I can see certain similarities – both are amazing public speakers, and both connect with the American public in a way that other American presidents just do not.

People need in Obama what they got from Kennedy in a similar time. People want to hear the same kind of inspirational words. Obviously they are two different people, but I think we are pretty lucky to have someone who is worth comparing to a great president like John F. Kennedy in office during our generation.

Introductions

My name is Jordan Moore, and I'm a new transfer student at WestConn. I just received my Associate's Degree in General Studies from Manchester Community College, and my major here at Western is Photography. I’m new to on campus college life, and am still adjusting to small things like taking the shuttle bus to class. So far I am enjoying all my classes here and am starting to feel right at home in Danbury. The whole region of the state is new to me – I am used to Central Connecticut and even Eastern Connecticut after moving a couple of times. I went to elementary through high school in New Britain, then moved with my parents to Avon. I spent my most recent years in a house with my boyfriend in South Windsor. It’s definitely interesting to relocate.

So here I will tell everyone a little about why I am in this course. During the years I spent at Manchester Community College I took an Intro to Photojournalism class. Of course, you can guess that I am already interested in photography, but I also think I might want to be a photojournalist. I haven’t come close to any sort of solid conclusion on what career path I want to take with my degree. Right now I’m a junior, so I’m hoping I can narrow down the options by next year at least somewhat. I’m taking this Intro to News Writing course to help me get a better understanding of what writing for the media is all about. If I do end up taking the Photojournalism route I should have a good writing background after all the blogging ahead of me this semester.

Outside of school I am currently working at Staples as a part time Copy Center Associate. I will have been working for Staples for five years this April. It doesn’t seem like five years at all, which reminds me that the two years I have here at Western are sure to fly by, too. During the five years I spent at Staples I worked full-time as a supervisor while I was also a full time student at MCC. I thought now would be a good time to step down and work part time instead to really focus on school. It’s too easy to become locked into a retail career, and I plan to avoid that for now while I can!