Author Archives: cxpowell

By Chris Powell Frank Capra’s 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to be broadcast again tonight at 8 by NBC television, is loved most for its personal message of discovery at Christmas: that its hero’s life has been, unbeknownst to him, crucial to his family, friends, community, and even his country. Such general encouragement mayContinue reading “It’s a wonderful life — and a political one”

By Chris Powell Was Governor Lamont serious the other day when he said, as he had said during his campaign for re-election, that he wants to repeal the part of the state’s gun law permitting people to keep the military-style rifles they owned before the state banned their possession and sale? The governor, a Democrat,Continue reading “Lamont eyes rifle confiscation; and press adopts euphemism”

By Chris Powell Having gathered hundreds of people at Weaver High School in Hartford the other night, the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance called for a state law to limit housing rent increases to 3% annually. This was presented as social justice. Like so much else presented as social justice, it was actually just piousContinue reading “Clergy sinks to scapegoating; and mermaids aren’t necessary”

By Chris Powell Maybe the economic recession that has begun will loosen up Connecticut’s housing market, but it will take a while even as the poor get poorer. The housing shortage is already making life desperate for many of the poor. But state government doesn’t yet consider it an emergency, not even in the faceContinue reading “Connecticut still doesn’t think housing shortage is emergency”

By Chris Powell What does it mean that, as Dan Haar of Connecticut’s Hearst newspapers notes in a recent column, all of Connecticut’s 19 cities have white mayors though most of them have large populations of racial or ethnic minorities? There has been no “voter suppression,” and many members of racial minorities hold other electedContinue reading “Changing the race of mayors may not improve cities much”

By Chris Powell For the third time in four years, Connecticut’s state auditors have chided the state police for the excessive overtime paid to many troopers and even dispatchers. The most recent audit surveyed the records of 25 state police employees and found that 20 of them were earning more in overtime than in baseContinue reading “Repeated audits disregarded with state police overtime”

By Chris Powell Student performance and even attendance in Connecticut’s public schools are crashing, but not to worry. With Governor Lamont presiding, the state Education Department and the state’s five officially recognized Indian tribes announced the other day that they will create a model curriculum in Native American studies. The curriculum will be offered toContinue reading “Curriculum in Indian history will guard casino privilege”

By Chris Powell Despite Connecticut’s high housing costs and severe shortage of housing, Connecticut’s Hearst newspapers reported last week that half the federal government housing vouchers issued in the state in the last three years have expired unused. That’s about 3,000 vouchers. The federal government estimates that about $1.6 million in available housing subsidies isContinue reading “Housing aid is half wasted; and state rep took dirty money”

By Chris Powell Ever since terrorism descended on the United States 21 years ago, government has urged Americans: “If you see something, say something.” A recent incident in New Jersey that extended into Connecticut suggests that keeping your mouth shut may may be a lot better. In the town of Caldwell a 9-year-old girl wentContinue reading “Two rights make a wrong as racism racket thrives”

By Chris Powell Now that loony ideology is trumping biology and the country is entering an age where merely wishing or thinking is supposed to make it so, why stop with transgenderism? If boys and men can be girls and women, and vice versa, even for competitive sports and bathroom use, thereby nullifying Title IXContinue reading “If biology means nothing, age shouldn’t count either”