Editor, The Cheshire Herald:
The “Guest Column” by Sen. Rob Sampson that appeared in the Aug. 17 edition of The Cheshire Herald begs a response in the interest of factual clarification.
The overarching theme of his position is that people labeled “progressive” are to be feared and/or reviled because their true intentions are bad for you. He claims that “progressives” hide behind a facade of helping the struggling masses only to conceal their real intent of taking away your personal freedom and expanding state control over your life. His claim that the facts as recorded in the actions of the General Assembly support this conclusion is just his point of view.
If you examine the public record you might reach a different conclusion.
The word “progress” suggests positive action like advance, move forward, improve. You want to hear your doctor say, “You’re making progress.” It’s a good thing. To quote Merriam Webster: “progressive n : a person believing in moderate political change and social improvement.” I would not feel threatened by anyone fitting that description but the Senator would have you believe that this nefarious group now aims to take away your property rights, especially if you are a landlord.
To quote the Senator, “Soon, Connecticut Democrats will be knocking on all our doors to dictate what we can do with our property.” I’m skeptical.
In his column the Senator goes on at length about attempts by “progressive Democrats” to legislate away the rights of these property owners. He seems less concerned about residents of mobile home parks whose rights are also at risk in the legislative example he chose. The arrival of Covid a few short years ago caused countless numbers of workers to lose their incomes. The moratorium on evictions of renters was a stop-gap measure by our government to provide some protection for those mostly at the lower end of the income ladder who had lost their livelihoods and the ability to pay their rent. This temporary solution was a hardship for many landlords, both the good ones and the less so.
Federal Covid relief funds were meant to alleviate some of the pain for both renters and landlords. Governance in a democracy requires compromise. Every proposed solution to any social or economic problem benefits some more than others. The Senator, as evidenced in most of his columns, regardless of the subject, seems to focus his attention mainly on those he believes would be negatively impacted by any legislative proposal, with little mention of the counterbalancing good to be gained.
He acknowledges only the dark side of the moon. He doesn’t lie but he tends to omit facts that don’t support his argument. I recommend you spend time at www.cga.ct.gov so you can draw your own conclusions.
Hap Jordan
Cheshire