Monday, March 16, 2009

OUR VIEW: Dial-a-Ride is essential for seniors, the disabled - The New Britain Herald (newbritainherald.com)


OUR VIEW: Dial-a-Ride is essential for seniors, the disabled - The New Britain Herald (newbritainherald.com)
Posted by Frank Smith at 16.3.09

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Governor Rell is the second out of the last three Governors to refuse to live in the Governor's mansion (they hate to call it that because the public will realize what it really is). They call it the Governor's Residence so you won't realize it is really a mansion on a large gated estate.

Not every state provides their governor with a mansion. Rhode Island, Arizona, California, Arizona, Idaho, and Massachusetts are all states with no official governor's residence.

California is one of the largest states in the union, and when Arnold Schwarznegger became governor, he not only had to buy his own condo in Sacramento, he bought his own personal airplane to enable himself to commute home to Los Angeles on the weekends because the governor of California is apparently even responsible for his own travel to work.

In a state that is as tiny as Connecticut, it is reasonable for the Governor to commute to work from home. The Governors of Massachusetts and Rhode Island do it. Governor Rell has done it her entire time in office. Governor Weicker commuted for his entire 4 years in office from Greenwich, and there is no place in Connecticut that is further from Hartford.

Why don't we just sell this valuable piece of real estate and use the proceeds to fund a valuable program like the Dial-A-Ride program? Since the current governor refuses to live there, who would really miss it? A future governor not yet elected? Not only would we benefit from the millions of dollars that this property is worth, but then we would no longer have to fund the positions for a full time staff at a house where no one lives.

Am I making too much sense for the state or any government entity for that matter?

March 16, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Anonymous said...

It would be a huge disservice to the Senior Citizens to discontinue Dial-A-Ride. Many seniors have given up driving due to age, health reasons, etc. Many may not be fortunate enough to have spouses, relatives nearby, or neighbors or friends who are always available to drive them to such essential services as Doctor appointments or grocery shopping. Hopefully, Senator DeFronzo will be successful in keeping Dial-A-Ride going.

March 16, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Anonymous said...

What is the annual cost for Dial A Ride? How many vehicles are out on the road and how many employees does this service afford? Is Dial A Ride busy every day? Are they having difficulty keeping up with the number of residents in need or is it minimal?

This seems to be a valuable service but like everything else, is it too expensive for what it supplies? What would the taxpayers
think of it's operating expenses?
Are there more affordable solutions?

March 17, 2009 at 7:14 AM

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