SNAP fights hunger

Editor:

SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) is the cornerstone of our country's fight against hunger, helping more than 40 million people put food on the table.  Yet lawmakers on Capitol Hill have proposed a bill that would take SNAP away from people struggling to find work.

How well would you complete your daily tasks if you were hungry all the time and unsure where your next meal was coming from? Probably not very well. The fact is, SNAP helps people find and keep work. If anything, we should be expanding and strengthening it.

I urge our members of Congress to vote against the proposed Farm Bill. It won't help anyone get back on their feet — but it will cause plenty of people to go hungry.

Stephanie C. Fox, Bloomfield

Editor:

The “Wumo” cartoon published in Sunday’s [May 6] Comics section was blatantly racist. The cartoon depicts the stage of a television show with a host saying, “Tonight we’re going to meet a college student, a plumber and a single mom of five, who all believe that they’ve got what it takes to become a star! Welcome to ‘America’s Got Super Crazy Delusions of Grandeur.’” We see cartoon figures of a TV host, an older man in overalls, a younger man, and a darker-skinned, wide-hipped woman.

I assume that our respected local newspaper did not notice this offensive racial stereotyping prior to publication.  I urge the Record-Journal to eliminate Wumo from its Comics pages and find a more worthy substitute. This was not a first offense. In 2015, Wumo portrayed an Indonesian women’s volleyball team as a bunch of long-armed orangutans. Such hurtful, harmful, unfunny attempts at humor do not deserve a place in the Record-Journal.

Jeffrey Freiser, Meriden

Editor,

I was astounded by the reasoning five out of nine Town Councilors used when voting not to cut almost half a million dollars from the 2018/2019 budget. Councilor Morgenstein's statement that her decision was more of a "protest" defies all logic. What this comes down to is an attempt by these councilors to place the burden of a tax increase squarely on the mayor’s shoulders. That dog doesn't hunt here. This is almost a half million dollars the BOE stated that they DO NOT need in their 2018/2019 budget.   

The Council has the authority to modify the mayor’s budget through either cuts or applying additional funding. If the mayor is opposed to those changes he may veto the council’s proposal. 

Regrettably, Councilor Morgenstein and her colleagues that voted not to cut almost half a million dollars from the 2018/2019 budget chose politics over doing what is best for the residents of Wallingford. While a $20 cut (per taxpayer) in the mayor's proposed tax increase may not seem like a lot of money, it would have sent a message that our elected officials have some empathy for the taxpayer. I am curious to see how this plays out in the next municipal election cycle.      

Politics is give and take, but at no time should it become personal to the point it impacts those you represent. Councilor Morgenstein, personal protests are not funded with taxpayer dollars. Next time you choose to protest please do it the old-fashioned way, paint a sign and march in front of town hall.     

John J. Sullivan, Wallingford