THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, November 12, 2021 Page 11 Malden Democrats to meet Sat., Nov. 20 T he next regular meeting of the Malden Democratic City Committee (MDCC) will take place on Saturday, November 20, from 10-11:30 a.m. online via Zoom. These monthly meetings enable residents to connect with fellow Democrats, discover volunteer opportunities and learn about issues and candidates – locally, statewide, and beyond. MDCC meetings are open to the public, with DemBIKING | FROM PAGE 3 dents entirely by choice. Enrichment is closer to the traditional “nuts and bolts” of academia, with session offerings surrounded by coursework and academic support. Joy is, well, just as it sounds: students selecting something they either already love to do – or would like to try, So what brings Deric Tse and Slade Harding “Joy” on their “Gold Days”? Well, it involves two wheels and some pedals: biking. Both the new-to-MHS ninth-graders signed up for educator Mitch Abbatessa’s bicycling “Joy” session – outdoors, course – the very first time it was offered. Every other day, the ever-growing bicycling Joy Session students gather and go out and explore the Malden Northern Strand Community Trail/ Bike Path, which runs adjacent to the Malden High building. They are now repeat customers and have continued to “Flex” their interests. Furthermore, on a recent sunny Tuesday morning, Slade and Deric relayed an anecdote from the past weekend: “We met up over the weekend and went on a ride all around Malden and the paths near Encore in Everett,” Slade revealed, noting that other members of Abbatessa’s Bicycling Joy Session class hooked up for the ride with him and Deric as well. “Yeah, we have all become friends pretty quickly,” Deric confirmed. “We all like to ride around, and it’s fun to see each other on the weekends.” For Principal Mastrangelo, who recently learned of the students’ narrative, this was simply jackpot material. “That is a fantastic early result of the Flex Block program and really personifies the types of goals we have been hoping to achieve,” Mastrangelo said, “I can’t wait to share that with our team as we continue to monitor and review the program.” “Fortunately, we have been getting lots of positive feedback from everyone associated with Flex Block – most importantly ocrats and prospective Democrats especially welcome. To learn more and obtain instructions for accessing the meetings, email info@maldendemocrats.org. As the local arm of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, the MDCC works to elect Democrats and advance the Democratic Party platform. If you are interested in joining the Committee, please contact your Ward Chair for details. (All Ward Chair contact information is listed on massdems.org.) To learn more about activities of Malden Democrats, email maldendemocrats@gmail.com, sign up to receive email updates at www.maldendemocrats.org and follow the group on Facebook at http://www. facebook.com/groups/MaldenDems and Twitter (@MaldenDems). INFLATION | FROM PAGE 2 pay cuts are “impossible” is to ignore history. Ip cites two former “senior staffers at the Fed” who assert that if the Fed were to engineer inflation of 3% instead of 2%, then “unemployment would be 0.75 percentage points lower than otherwise.” This is another iteration of the discredited Phillips curve theory which states that when inflation rises, unemployment falls. Remember the 1970s? Both inflation and unemployment rose at the same time then in a grim scenario known as “stagflation.” Monetary authorities may be able to print money, but they can’t print jobs. In delicious understatement, Ip writes, “It is unclear if 3% inflation meets the Federal Reserve Act’s mandate for stable prices.” Of course it’s clear. By definition, prices aren’t stable whether they are rising at 3% or 2% per year. Ip also reports that several of President Biden’s economic advisers expect inflation to be 3% a year from now, so the Fed should raise its inflation target to 3% rather than try to lower inflation. What would that actually accomplish? By moving the goal posts of the Fed’s target to fit the actual economic reality of 3% inflation, I suppose the Fed would proclaim, “See how successful we’ve been?” But other than massaging the Fed’s reputation, Americans would take it on the chin. At 3% inflation, the dollar would lose half its value in only 23 years, instead of the 34 years that it would take at 2% inflation. Also, savers, who currently are earning about 0.1% in their bank accounts, would continue to have their wealth bled away by real interest rates being even more negative than they have been for the past decade-plus. Pardon the cynicism, but perhaps we need to consider the possibility that the elites in the Washington establishment are more interested in burnishing their own reputations than in pursuing sound economic policies. —Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson is a retired adjunct faculty member, economist, and fellow for economic and social policy with the Institute for Faith and Freedom at Grove City College. Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo (right) and Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow (left) unload a generous donation of bicycles for an MHS program. (Advocate Photo) our students,” Mastrangelo added. “Helping students build relationships with both their peers as well as with their mentors has been at the top of our list from the start.” The bicycling program got a welcome boost recently through a generous donation from a natural source, the Bike to the Sea group founded by longtime Malden resident Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow. During one of his recent visits to MHS, Councillor Winslow presented Principal Mastrangelo with a generous donation of four refurbished bicycles suitable for young adult riders as well as six new bicycling helmets. Winslow said he got some assistance from local students from the Malden Teen Enrichment Center (MTEC) fixing up some bicycles that had been in storage at the Malden Police Station and the helmets were donated by Bike to the Sea. Councillor Winslow said he was excited to hear of the new Malden High program and its emphasis on bicycling. “I have been a bicycling enthusiast since I was these students’ age and I’m very pleased to see our local high school students involved in programs such as these,” he said. Bike to the Sea was instrumental in moving forward the push to build the Malden portion of the Northern Strand Community Trail/Bike Path, which stretches from the Everett-Malden line on Medford Street across the city to the Malden-Revere-Saugus town line and is used by the MHS students. “We are so grateful to Councillor Winslow and his generous donation which will enable students who may not have their own bike to now take part in this class,” Mastrangelo said. “We truly value community partnerships such as these with our school and district.” Law Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com
12 Publizr Home