Salem Community Patriot | January 27, 2012 - 5 More Letters to our Editor Stamps. Many more people are out of work.


(Why did our corporations invest their reduced taxes by taking their companies overseas. Taking jobs away from our America?) Would he prefer that our unemployed, low income, and the disabled go hungry.


(It’s bad enough that in


a country like ours that many children go to bed hungry). I wonder what he (and most of us) would do, as a disabled person, living on $700 a month paying $50 a month on low income housing. Does that person need Food Stamps? Many people, who are the working poor,


aren’t eligible for Food Stamps, so they use Food Pantries. Food stamps do not provide for a full month of food. Te last week of the month leaves many families with next to nothing to eat. (Food Pantries are usually very busy at that time.) Food Stamps do not pay for toilet paper, shampoo, and many other needed supplies. Food that is already cooked cannot be purchased. Tis makes me think that Newt Gingrich is not in touch with the Food Stamp situation so why make such an issue out of it. I will vote for President Obama but I do like to listen to both sides of the issues. I am not happy with our politics and I do hope that we embrace term limits and curb PAC money, also that our Supreme Court should declare that corporations are persons is another thing that really makes me wonder, “where are those that put country over their party.”


Kay Panciocco - Salem Tied at 1-1-1, Now on to


the Florida GOP Primary on January 31


Te Mitt Romney Victory Party has hit a couple of snags in the past two weeks, starting with the “completed” ballot count in the Iowa caucus that turned around his eight-vote win over Rick Santorum and instead handed the latter a 34-vote victory. Ten after taking the Granite State handily two weeks ago, what Romney and his constituents most feared happened in the more-conservative South Carolina primary last weekend. Newt Gingrich’s surprising poll turnaround last week in that state culminated in his 40 percent-28 percent victory over Romney, with Santorum placing third at 17 percent. Once again, the long-standing political axiom that “going negative works” was proven as Gingrich, true to his word after the blistering and controversial campaign Romney ran against him in Iowa, turned the tables both in his advertising in South Carolina as well as stepping up the truculence in the latest debates, calling Romney’s past association with Bain Capital a jobs-destroyer, castigating him over his past


pro-choice stance (one of Mitt’s many “change of ideologies” to fit his present campaign), and making the term “Massachusetts Moderate” the new right-wing anathema catch phrase of the month. Interestingly but predictably, another area that has come under attack from Gingrich was Romney’s enactment of the 2006 landmark Massachusetts Health Care Insurance reform bill while he was governor. Despite the fact that the law has been an almost-unalloyed success since its implementation, with currently less than 2 percent of Massachusetts residents not covered by their own insurance plans or the state version, both Republican candidates have the unenviable task of running away from a bill that should be universally lauded. Romney’s problem is that both Tea Party


voters and the more conservative wing of his party hate the plan (as they abhor president Barack Obama’s national version of it). And Gingrich has been backpedaling because he endorsed Romney’s health initiative back in 2006 in a published newsletter dealing with the topic. Gingrich then wrote, “Te health care bill that Governor Romney signed into law this month has tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system. We agree entirely with Governor Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100 percent insurance coverage for all Americans.” Would that the present-day GOP did actually have a care about the rank-and-file of America, an ideal that has been totally belied during the past three years of attempting to stonewall the federal health insurance bill, as well as virtually all other reforms offered up by the Obama administration. Tese include many initiatives that the Republican Party has historically supported including the Small Business Act, the Disclose Act, unemployment extension, and SCHIP (States Children’s Health Insurance Program). Fortunately in many cases the Democrats have been able to enact these reforms over fierce opposition. Tis state of affairs has had the effect of


forcing both major Republican candidates to run away from “Romneycare,” the sole major accomplishment of his four years as governor. Tis was a period that in genuine supervision of the state actually amounted to a little over one and a half years, as the fact that he used his position as a springboard to lay the foundation for his presidential runs of 2008 and 2012 has been well-documented. Despite Gingrich’s Carolina win, and the burgeoning onslaught of his new negative ads in the Sunshine State in the run-up to January 31, he faces a very tough road to hoe. Te Jeb Bush endorsement of Mitt Romney, which is all but certain in the next few days, will be no small assistance to his campaign. He’s going to need


all the help he can get in this increasingly nasty fight, with Gingrich’s money coffers swelling by an additional $5 million last week, donated by Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson to the super PAC Winning Our Future. Floridians can look forward to a welter of media ugliness from both front-runners leading up to this Tuesday, and the gloves will be hard to find in the upcoming debates.


William F. Klessens – Salem


Let’s Finish What We Started - Vote Yes on 2


We need to pass Phase 2 and stay on course with the Facility Master Plan. Both the School Board and the Budget Committee are recommending Phase 2 as Warrant Article 2 to the voters on the School Ballot this March. Phase 2, as part of the Facility Master Plan, was the intention of the school board, the facilities committee, and the community two years ago when public forums were held to get input. Many other plans were looked at, but this is the one that received support. If we don’t pass Phase 2, this town will continue to decay and our declining enrollment will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Look at the Salem Race Track and the dilapidated buildings all up and down Route 28. We need to invest in our infrastructure to attract new families to this community. Te reality is that all the schools need to be updated and we need to start somewhere. Te reason the elementary schools were put ahead of the high school two years ago, after the high school didn’t pass in 2008, was in response to the state mandated kindergarten which prompted the need for additional classrooms. People could argue all day long about which schools should be done first, but that’s not helping to move Salem forward. Tis is not just about spending money or saving money, it’s about investing in our community. If we hope to get the HS renovated, we need to support the elementary renovations first. For too long this community routinely voted things down. Tat’s why we’re in a situation now where ALL of our facilities need upgrades. We have a well-developed plan for the three remaining schools and a great track record with the recent completion of North Salem, Barron, and Lancaster. Te time is now to buy low, because interest rates and construction costs will never be lower. Passing Phase 2 will help to move Salem forward making it a more vibrant and desirable place to live for young families. Vote “yes” on 2.


Kristine Nippert - Salem Outdoors Charlie Chalk with


Think Before Feeding Song Birds


Henry David Thoreau wrote about feeding birds at Walden


Pond in the late 1840s. But Americans have enjoyed watching songbirds clean up our table scraps and waste grains even before then. But is inviting songbirds - and indirectly, other wildlife - closer to our homes a smart move? Are we compelling wild birds to become more dependent on or unnecessarily comfortable with people? Does feeding birds in winter create health risks for songbirds at a time of unquestioned vulnerability?


It all seems easy enough, but there really is a lot to consider before opening a winter bird feeding station on your property. For instance, feeders should be placed near cover to shield songbirds from avian predators, but at least 15 feet away from windows and groundcover roaming cats can hide in or behind. A bird coming to a feeding station in winter usually enters a heightened risk area because the chatter and commotion created by birds at feeders attracts cats on the ground and hawks from the air.


Charlie Chalk can be reached at outdoorswithcharlie@areanewsgroup.com


Looking for Homeowners willing to allow me to place signs on your front lawn opposing curbside trash pickup!


Call Fred Leccese at 603-231-3801, leave a name and number, and we’ll deliver signs.


Save the Date for the Boys & Girls Club’s 25th Anniversary Charity Auction


submitted by Boys and Girls club of Salem Mark your calendar, the Boys and Girls Club of Salem will host its 25th Annual


Charity Auction on Saturday, March 10. The silent auction begins at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:15 p.m. The real fun begins at 8:30 p.m. when the live auction kicks off. This silver anniversary celebration is guaranteed to dazzle with an array of new and exciting auction items. “This is a very important night for the Club because the funds raised help support programs that serve more than 2,000 children annually. While parents are worried about making ends meet and keeping their jobs, they can still rely on the Club to ensure their children are in a safe environment and not left alone at home,” says Joanne Flynn, co-chair of the Auction Committee.


Some of the unique items slated for the live portion of the auction this year include tickets to the Jay Leno Show, airline tickets for JetBlue, Disney passes, vacations, an ounce of gold, golf and sports outings and fabulous sports memorabilia! There will be a special “Sparkle & Shine” Raffle sponsored by Charles Rage Jewelers of Salem. One hundred patrons have the opportunity to buy a small jewelry box for $50. Each box contains a trinket, but one of the boxes has a piece of jewelry worth nearly $3,000! So, 99 boxes will sparkle but only one will shine!


Our silent auction will be full of popular items like restaurant gift certificates, ski passes, birthday parties, sports memorabilia, jewelry, wine and so much more. Since 1967, the Boys & Girls Club of Salem has provided a safe, nurturing


environment for young people from Salem and its surrounding communities. “Our kids have a fun place to go every day after school. When they are at the Club, it doesn’t matter if their parents have a job or not. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have a computer. It doesn’t matter if they are not wearing designer clothes. All that matters is that they have a safe place to go with a professional staff that care about them and provide programs that are fun and build good character along the way,” says Denise Dolloff, Special Events Coordinator for the Club. Organizers of the auction are in the process of gathering items. If you would like to donate an item for either the silent or live auction, contact Denise Dolloff at the Club at 898-7709, ext. 16 or via e-mail at ddolloff@salembgc.org. Reservations for the auction are now being accepted. Tickets are $75 per person - tables of 10. Tickets may be purchased on line at www.salembgc.org/ what/events/auction.asp or by calling Denise Dolloff. With your support, the Club can continue to make a difference in the lives of Club members and their families.


A new reason to smile.


Advanced Dental Treatment in a Safe and Relaxing Environment NOW OPEN!


Monday – Wednesday 8 – 6, Thursday 8 – 7, Friday 8 – 6, Saturday by appointment


Gayla Levine, DDS


Located in the Village Green on Route 111 33 Indian Rock Road, Windham, NH


603-552-3486 VillageGreenFamilyDentistry.com


Ad 880-1516


Place an


To call


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12