By Chris Powell Since Connecticut state government is a big place, it will make mistakes even in the best of circumstances. But Governor Lamont and state legislators should pay much more attention to state government’s most expensive undertaking — payroll administration — and less attention to what engaged them last week — new highway signsContinue reading “Welcome to Connecticut, home of wasted payroll”
Author Archives: cxpowell
Baseball stadium isn’t crucial for turning Hartford around; housing is
By Chris Powell While downtown Hartford’s Dunkin’ Park, which opened in 2017, may be the most beautiful minor-league baseball stadium in the country, it will be a long time before it can be considered a success. For the Hartford Courant reported the other day that city government is losing more than $3.7 million per year on theContinue reading “Baseball stadium isn’t crucial for turning Hartford around; housing is”
Connecticut’s working class is put on the path to oblivion
By Chris Powell Over the Labor Day weekend leading Democrats — starting with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz — claimed loudly that theirs is the party of organized labor and working people. Insofar as organized labor — unions — consists these days mostly of government employees, the Democrats wereContinue reading “Connecticut’s working class is put on the path to oblivion”
What do Connecticut college students mean by ‘free Palestine’?
By Chris Powell College is back in session and students are returning not just to their studies but also to protests on campus about the war in Gaza. At the University of Connecticut at Storrs, Yale University in New Haven, and other institutions, students are chanting and carrying signs reading “Free Palestine!” Journalism not beingContinue reading “What do Connecticut college students mean by ‘free Palestine’?”
Senator Murphy keeps excusing crimes from open borders
By Chris Powell Connecticut’s junior U.S. senator, Democrat Chris Murphy, seems to be running for re-election on the premise that open borders are good policy. First the “compromise” border security legislation he negotiated this year with a Republican senator and a nominally independent senator formally excused thousands more illegal entries indefinitely into the future. The legislation seemedContinue reading “Senator Murphy keeps excusing crimes from open borders”
Business executives warn Connecticut about too much higher education
By Chris Powell What a wonderfully subversive and politically incorrect idea has exploded from the committee set up by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities to study the problem of the state’s estimated 119,000 “disconnected” and alienated young people. Meeting this week at New London City Hall, the group heard a vice president of Yale NewContinue reading “Business executives warn Connecticut about too much higher education”
Don’t make businesses pay for the addiction of their employees
By Chris Powell Two Democratic state senators, Saud Anwar of South Windsor and Jan Hochadel of Meriden, plan to propose legislation making Connecticut businesses pay, through their workers’ compensation insurance, for remediating the drug addiction of their employees. The senators contend that much drug addiction is caused by overwork, abuse, and repetitive-stress injuries on theContinue reading “Don’t make businesses pay for the addiction of their employees”
Connecticut’s schools are unlikely to improve until unions are ‘tackled’
By Chris Powell Acknowledging reality sometimes seems like the worst offense in politics and government. Fifty years ago opposing the war in Vietnam got one called a Communist. Today opposing NATO’s proxy war with Ukraine against Russia gets one called a tool or at least an apologist for Vladimir Putin. Something similar happened the otherContinue reading “Connecticut’s schools are unlikely to improve until unions are ‘tackled’”
Connecticut Republicans have lots of opportunities: issues
By Chris Powell Low participation in the recent primary for the Republican nomination for U.S. senator has renewed observations that there doesn’t seem to be much left of the party in Connecticut. Such observations are often accompanied by pro-forma expressions of support for competitive politics, if usually from people who would be appalled if theContinue reading “Connecticut Republicans have lots of opportunities: issues”
With misleading address, Harris poses as change
By Chris Powell As a matter of oratory, Kamala Harris’ address to the Democratic National Convention accepting the presidential nomination Thursday night was excellent — clear, articulate, enthusiastic, empty of cackling — and it excited the crowd. Content was something else. The address was largely about fooling the country into thinking that she represents change,Continue reading “With misleading address, Harris poses as change”
Chris Powell column 