I just walked by a commercial for an electric pepper grinder. I can think of a few cases where this might be a necessity, say someone with sever arthritis.

But it was also advertised with a hundred dollar grinder. Now that no one needs.

Theme: Americans are entertaining themselves to zero. Hm, that may be hyperbolic, but I suspect not.

Today’s Hartford Courant has an article by David Fink titled An Old Feeble Future which explores a subject often talked about here: young people fleeing the state and the current population burdened by inappropriate living spaces. Fink in the piece argues that housing costs is the problem. I disagree. Part of the issue has to do with affordable housing but limiting the problem to this one variable clouds reality. The larger issue is spatial: Connecticut doesn’t seem to be able to do anything about the notion that to live in a place one should be able to afford everything about it: so it’s not just housing; it’s energy, it’s scales of competition, it’s travel, it’s career opportunity, it’s relevant education, it’s the livability of cities and towns, and it’s people-centered politics.

An electric pepper grinder will not solve this, Connecticut’s most pressing concern: its livability.