Charlie Adler
-
The Basics
-
Charlie on Patch
-
More Stuff
Comments
-
On the article Attleboro Councilor Seeks State Senate Seat
-
On the article Attleboro Councilor Seeks State Senate Seat
Charlie Adler
11:45 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Jerry knows better. We've had this discussion before. He just likes to cause trouble.
http://attleboro.patch.com/blog_posts/the-attleboro-democracy-striving-for-better-public-debate -
On the article First Challenger Pulls Papers for Attleboro Election
Charlie Adler
11:27 am on Sunday, February 17, 2013
ReplyI want to hear the ideas, opinions, and priorities of anyone running for local office. I don't want to know what political party they belong to. According to the city charter, "all elections of city officers shall be nonpartisan, and election ballots for such officers shall be printed without any party mark, emblem, or designation whatsoever." I think this is a good thing. While I am personally committed to the values and platform of the party to which I belong, I don't think party membership is very relevant to the decisions that must be made by local officials. I say this as someone who served one term on the city council. Anyone contemplating a run for local office should read the city charter (available on the city's website); start attending meetings of the city council, the school committee, and various volunteer boards to see local governance in action; and develop a platform of the three or four issues that will be the focus of his or her campaign.
-
On the Blog Post The Gift of Nature
Charlie Adler
10:45 am on Friday, November 9, 2012
ReplyTo me, one of the most egregious examples of technology run amuck is the leaf blower. The noise disrupts the peace of those of us who prefer to rake. The exhaust needlessly pollutes. The attempt to dislodge every single leaf from the clutches of shrub or chain link fence is silly and, ultimately, futile. And the users of these infernal devices often direct the leaves into the street, in total disregard for neighbors or passersby, rather than collect them for compost or "disposal." Technology sometimes brings out the best in us, but the leaf blower totally undermines our relationships with nature and each other.
-
On the Blog Post Obama's Presidency Has Been One Big Disaster
Charlie Adler
4:38 pm on Tuesday, November 6, 2012
ReplyDavid,
Sadly, attacks on U.S. diplomatic targets have occurred under both Democratic and Republican administrations going back decades. While I am not minimizing the loss of life in the Benghazi attack, I urge you to read the following article in order to see it in perspective. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/10/libya-consulate-embassy-attacks-obama-romney Barack Obama has conducted foreign policy with a steady hand and I feel confident he will continue to do so if re-elected. -
On the article Elizabeth Warren to Live Chat Friday on Patch
Charlie Adler
11:50 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012
Wasn't Massachusetts Republican Mitt Romney standing in the middle when he signed health care reform into law in Massachusetts in 2006? President Obama went to that same political middle when he signed national health care reform into law four years later. But Mitt Romney was no longer standing there, nor was any other Republican. Their "middle" had moved to right. The Republican Party seems determined to keep moving the middle, maintaining an unbridgeable gap for political gain rather than seeking solutions.
It was Reagan who asked "are you better off..." in 1980. The answer to that question will depend on what "better off" means. It's a question of what you value. Economically, most Americans will be worse off with each passing year, as the gap between the income of the rich and the income of the middle class has been growing for decades.
-
On the Blog Post The Attleboro Democracy: Striving For Better Public Debate
Charlie Adler
11:48 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012
ReplyJerry, I think America is commonly and correctly described as both a republic and a representative democracy. However, the nature of our society and our government is constantly evolving. Two of the basic principles on which our country was founded are freedom and equality. As our society evolves, often due to advances in technology, those basic principles frequently come under assault. When billionaires can pour money into political advertising to influence the outcome of elections, do we all truly have an equal say in who gets elected to represent us? And when the Patriot Act authorizes the FBI to secretly gather information on innocent people, I think we have reason to fear that our freedoms are being eroded.
-
On the Blog Post The Attleboro Democracy: Striving For Better Public Debate
Charlie Adler
8:22 pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012
Mark, There is a difference between a noun and an adjective. According to the rules I learned in the eighth grade, each has its proper use.
-
On the event Attleboro Land Trust Clean-Up
Charlie Adler
5:26 pm on Friday, December 2, 2011
ReplyFor a little morning exercise, please join in the leaf bagging effort. We have 200 paper leaf bags to fill!
-
On the Blog Post Attleboro to be Featured on Channel 2 News Program
Charlie Adler
9:29 am on Friday, November 18, 2011
ReplyI share the disappointment of some of the other commenters in that the Channel 2 piece did not shed any light on economic conditions in Attleboro or provide any new ideas for improving them. I believe the direction we need to take is one that invests in public infrastructure, encourages people to share their skills and time, builds strong neighborhoods, protects the environment, and promotes local production of food and other commodities. For a more detailed discussion of these ideas, I invite you to view a talk I gave at the library on "Greening the Local Economy": http://aacs15.com/?q=node/381/play
Charlie Adler
11:51 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
It is not a question of grammar. In civil society, a person should be granted enough respect to be called by their chosen name, and so should a political party. But if Jerry wants to exercise his First Amendment right to falsely call the Democratic Party the "Democrat Party" in a public forum, thereby annoying local Democrats, that is his choice. If he has a specific disagreement with the Democratic Party, I would rather hear that.