By Chris Powell
Legislators from Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport last week gathered at the state Capitol to offer their solution to the horrifying explosion of violence in Connecticut’s cities.
They would throw money at it with “violence-prevention programs.”
For centuries parents were pretty good “violence-prevention programs,” but few young people in the cities have parents anymore, a problem that still cannot be acknowledged.
Obliviousness continued last week in New Haven, where the Board of Education decided to start removing police officers from schools and to replace them with psychologists, counselors, and social workers. It wasn’t clear whether the psychologists, counselors, and social workers would be equipped to stop violence. But the school board seems to feel that the prospect of counseling will be enough deterrence.
Again no one in authority asked the crucial question: Where are all the messed-up kids coming from?
But not everyone in the cities was so oblivious last week. WTIC-AM1080 aired telling details from Hartford. The station broadcast remarks made by the Rev. Henry Brown at a vigil for a murder victim. “People are driving like they’re crazy,” Brown said. “They cut in front of you, run red lights, stop signs. What is wrong with you?”
Meanwhile, the station said, the Hartford police reported that over the course of one week they attempted 176 traffic stops and 45 of the vehicles involved just sped off.
Hartford police don’t chase vehicles unless a major crime is involved, but Chief Jason Thody admitted that traffic in the city is “out of control.”
Car thefts by teenagers in Connecticut are out of control too, now that they know that there is no punishment even for repeat offenders.
For intimidated by opportunistic accusations of racism, society is losing its self-respect.
Legislators from Connecticut’s cities are presenting another silly solution to the urban problem: marijuana legalization and commercialization, provided that the resulting tax revenue goes to city government and the licenses required go to minority group members.
Drug criminalization indeed has been futile but pouring more intoxicants into poor and demoralized places is a perverse sort of economic development.
City legislators call their marijuana legislation “equity.” That’s just a euphemism for political patronage.
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INSURERS VS. LEMBO: Connecticut’s big insurance companies are openly threatening to leave if state Comptroller Kevin Lembo’s “public option” bill to put state government into the retail medical insurance business is enacted, and Lembo is angry.
Yes, government policy shouldn’t be determined by special interests, but then welcome to Connecticut. After all, in Connecticut liquor retailers control liquor policy, state employee unions control their working conditions and compensation, auto retailers control auto retailing regulations, and teacher unions control public education.
Somehow Lembo is bothered only by the insurance companies.
Besides, there are fair questions about the comptroller’s proposal.
It includes a tax on medical insurance policies though there’s no good reason insurance buyers particularly should pay for increasing insurance for the poor. That the federal government once did it that way is no justification, since it was wrong then too, and it would be done that way mainly to fool people into thinking that insurers raised prices, not the government.
The long-term operating costs of the “public option” are worrisome and probably unknowable. And the plan might use government subsidies to undermine insurers.
Lembo sneers at the huge salaries paid to top executives of the insurers, with five of them making $100 million a year collectively. The companies well might tighten up there and pass the savings along to policyholders.
But most big business is offensive that way, and if Connecticut wants to remain the insurance capital of the world and enjoy the industry’s employment, state government must be sensitive to its concerns. Of course if Connecticut wants state government to run everything important, leaving everyone no choice, it can do that too. Florida and Texas sure won’t mind.
But arranging decent medical insurance for everyone may be best handled by the federal government, especially for Connecticut’s sake.
Chris Powell has written about Connecticut government and politics for many years.
Chris Powell column 