Showing posts with label choice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choice. Show all posts

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Choices: "You have power in your choices"


pcarlson4@gmail.com͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Simple rational decisions

The paradox of choice. Choice is not always positive nor does it foster social change. In this RSAnimate talk, Professor Renata Salecl shows that individual choice is rarely based on a simple rational decision with a predictable outcome:



Thoughts?

Note: Email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Franklin should have a choice on fluoride

In case you missed Rich Aucoin's Letter to the Editor, it is reprinted in full here. Thanks for sharing Rich!

To the Editor: 
The US Dept of Health & Human Services warned in January that American children are overdosing on fluoride, causing an increase in dental fluorosis. A group of Franklin residents investigated Franklin's water supply and learned that in 1970 the Board of Health ordered fluoridation, making Franklin families take fluoride every day whether they want to or not. 
Most MA towns remain Pro-choice on Fluoride. Nearby towns like Milford, Bellingham, Hopedale, Blackstone, Mendon and Plainville, for example, all remain Pro-choice. Just as with all other common household medications, if people want fluoride they can easily get it. There's no reason to force it on everyone. 
Even licensed physicians cannot force their patients to take a medication, nor would any responsible doctor recommend ingesting a drug in uncontrolled dosages. So it stands to reason that unlicensed practitioners such as the Board of Health members should not be doing these things either. 
Even though the Board members don't dispute that individuals have a basic human right to choose their own meds, they nonetheless refused a request last month by concerned Franklin residents to restore Fluoride Choice to Franklin. The Board said it lacks the authority to end its own policy and referred the residents to the Attorney General. 
However, Chief AG Attorney Margaret Hurley disagreed with the Board on May 6th, saying that Mass Gen Law Chapter 111 makes local health officials responsible for enforcing medical freedom. Still the Board said no to Choice. 
By blindly continuing an unfair and outdated fluoridation policy even as fluorosis rates are on the rise, the Board members are exposing the town to unnecessary health and legal risks. 
It is time to bring Fluoride Choice back to Franklin, which will also save taxpayers $35,880 every year in fluoridation-related costs.

Rich Aucoin,
Franklin resident


Helpful links:
Kidney Foundation Drops Fluoridation Support
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/06/09/idUS123736+09-Jun-2008+PRN20080609

Civil Rights Leaders Oppose Fluoridation on the Grounds that it Harms the Poor
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/14/idUS192420+14-Apr-2011+PRN20110414

Franklin Board of Health: 508-520-4905


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Franklin's choice

In response to a comment on a recent Milford Daily News article, I said:
Prop 2 1/2 provides for the voters of Franklin to make a choice. We either are satisfied with the services we receive and vote to maintain these services (police, fire, DPW, Library, etc.), or we are not and as a result we decide to do with less services.
No matter which you choose, make sure you do vote on June 8th. 
Comments don't count on June 8th, only votes do.

In response to a comment on a recent Milford Daily News article, I said:
The money on the museum comes from the 'capital' fund which cant be used for 'operations'. The capital money for the museum was small change made mighty big by contributions from volunteers and other organizations. Tri-County students built the shelves and displays. The move from Washington St to downtown was done by volunteers on a Saturday. The hours the museum is being kept open is staffed by volunteers, no expense to the Town.
The museum is actually a very good case for the creative 'thinking out of the box' approach that the Town has being doing to save us money and provide something to be proud of.

Franklin, MA

Monday, July 21, 2008

school choice update

GHS
Posted Jul 20, 2008 @ 11:55 PM

FRANKLIN —

The Franklin School Department is not accepting any new School Choice applications this year, or at least until administrators get "absolute clarity" on class sizes.

The School Committee made the decision to stop accepting applications at the recommendation of Superintendent Wayne Ogden on July 15.

The program allows students from Massachusetts towns outside of Franklin to attend public schools within the district.

As required by law, Franklin, like all districts, accepts School Choice students at random by lottery, though a district can choose to accept all applicants.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

The headline is deceiving. New applications are not being accepted. 39 students were accepted into the program for the 2007-2008 school year (that just ended) to being the total to 76 (as of October 1 2007). As I recall 10-12 left the program this year, 5 through graduation and the others for various reasons. There are still 60+ students to be served by this program which will still bring in revenue to the School Department. Due to failed override and the reduction of 42 teachers, the analysis on if and where some students could be added to the program remains to be completed. Pending that analysis, new applications may be considered.

This topic was posted here the night of the School Committee meeting.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Live reporting - school choice, Pay-to-ride

School choice
previous decision to continue to with school choice
early applicants were notified of not guaranteeing slots
40 overall - 23 in K, the remainder is sprinkled amongst the other grades
76 enrolled in school choice last year, 61 returning, 5 graduated, 10 others left for other reasons, bulk not going to Grade 1 (they came here for K).


have 23 applications for K, would have to do a lottery to chose possibly 10-12
have not publicly held the lottery but could do that to generate some publicity

decision from budget subcommittee to keep any extra funds in the School Choice amount (approx $120K) for a contingency
there are a number of items that it could be used for, instead of a recurring cost (i.e. text books, school supplies, etc.)

anticipating a reduction in revenues for next year as only 61 students are returning which would provide about $300,000 in revenue

Ed Cafasso "one quarter of one percent, a good idea to keep that money unencumbered"

Jeff Roy
"school choice is only offered on a space available basis "


Pay to Ride
616 applications as of Friday, 860 as of this morning
920 applications as of end of day today, last year about 1800 total
on target to where we were last year at this time

seat guaranteed to those with application submitted by June 27th; after that, no guarantee
people moving in do get some slots held for them, others will go to the wait list

Ed Cafasso - would be good to do a survey of the Pay-to-Ride to find out why they use the service
get an idea of routes and schedules in August, before school opens, to try an head off some issues like what occurred last year

Maureen Sabolinski - some parents disagreed with the Franklin Police assessment, that is not a decision the Central Office makes (on bus turn points)

Wednesday, March 12, 2008