In The Loop – January 20, 2023

January 20th…Why does that date stick out in my mind so much?

I just figured out that many things have impacted my world on this date.

The first basketball game was played under the direction of James Naismith, the game’s inventor, in Springfield, MA. Ironically my favorite teacher in elementary school was sixth grade teacher James Naismith III, and I eventually graduated from Springfield College and started my first professional job in Middletown, CT.

Then the Iran hostage crisis (I’m showing my age here) was in full gear during my college years, and several of my friends from high school and college enlisted and moved out to do something positive. On January 20th the president announced the Iran hostage crisis was over and everyone took a collective deep breath.

One of the things I have long been fascinated with is space exploration. In fact, I recall my grandmother made me a moon cake the year the first American landed on the moon. The man directly responsible for that iconic day was sworn in on a January 20th—President John F. Kennedy—where he delivered his most famous line: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

A couple years back, Americans experienced another significant January 20th when we all watched with anticipation the swearing-in of our country’s first black President Barack Obama, only to be followed several years later with the swearing-in of the first female Vice President Kamala Harris.

So indeed January 20th is an important date for many reasons, but for me it seems as if a lot of them tie into what makes me “tick” and makes me motivated. In Connecticut, we’re all looking to see what this day will be and so far it’s been pretty quiet. There are a couple of legislative committee meetings and forums on the schedule at the LOB, but for most it’s a day to get organized, screen the hundreds of individual and now committee-sponsored bills that will soon be heard at public hearings… KEEP READING.