By CHRIS POWELL What does it mean that, as the Connecticut Mirror reported last week, Connecticut’s birth rate is the ninth lowest in the country and that the state’s public school student population has fallen steadily since 2006, from 578,000 to 498,000, down nearly 14% in 20 years? Counterintuitively, it means bigger paydays for teachersContinue reading “Falling student population means higher teacher pay”
Author Archives: cxpowell
Can Fazio expunge Stewart and Elliott widen his range?
By CHRIS POWELL Connecticut Republicans caught a huge break last week as former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, the leader for the party’s nomination for governor, withdrew just hours ahead of their state nominating convention, having realized that negotiating a plea bargain for the financial fraud in which she had just been exposed would interfereContinue reading “Can Fazio expunge Stewart and Elliott widen his range?”
Audit shows college system is even worse than its chancellors
By CHRIS POWELL As it turns out, the recent mysterious but seemingly forced resignation of the chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, O. John Maduko, on top of the forced relocation of his predecessor, Terrence Cheng, to a year’s vacation at full pay (nearly $500,000), aren’t the only things wrong with theContinue reading “Audit shows college system is even worse than its chancellors”
1st CD primary: Young vs. old or Mayberry vs. Greenwich?
By CHRIS POWELL How did former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin manage to deprive 14-term U.S. Rep. John B. Larson of the 1st Congressional District Democratic convention’s endorsement for re-election? A great candidate in theory but a disaster in practice ‘Affordability’ in Connecticut this year will be just for government employees Child’s suicide should prompt aContinue reading “1st CD primary: Young vs. old or Mayberry vs. Greenwich?”
A great candidate in theory but a disaster in practice
By CHRIS POWELL In theory Erin Stewart was a great idea for the Republican nomination for governor: not just a woman but a Republican who was elected six times consecutively as mayor of a heavily Democratic city, New Britain. She must have had something going for her. Connecticut’s age of majority is muddled by politicallyContinue reading “A great candidate in theory but a disaster in practice”
Connecticut’s age of majority is muddled by politically correct Democrats
By CHRIS POWELL On any Monday Democratic state legislators in Connecticut will tell you that people who committed serious crimes before they turned 26 and were sentenced to prison should qualify for early parole because human brains are not fully developed before that age and lack good judgment. So Democratic legislators have been advocating aContinue reading “Connecticut’s age of majority is muddled by politically correct Democrats”
‘Affordability’ in Connecticut this year will be just for government employees
By CHRIS POWELL A brief chronology from the last four months may explain Connecticut’s political economy better than any so-called political scientist could. Child’s suicide should prompt a review that goes beyond DCF Property tax isn’t broken; our political backbone is Party balloon litter is bad but ‘nip’ bottle litter is profit In February, with theContinue reading “‘Affordability’ in Connecticut this year will be just for government employees”
Child’s suicide should prompt a review that goes beyond DCF
By CHRIS POWELL Last week state legislators had nearly won their campaign to persuade Connecticut that home-schooled children are the most endangered in the state when state government’s child advocate disclosed another disaster at the Department of Children and Families. Property tax isn’t broken; our political backbone is Party balloon litter is bad but ‘nip’Continue reading “Child’s suicide should prompt a review that goes beyond DCF”
Property tax isn’t broken; our political backbone is
By CHRIS POWELL The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities plans to convene a hundred state residents, a “citizen assembly,” to consider the many resentments people have about municipal property taxes and recommend changes to the General Assembly. Party balloon litter is bad but ‘nip’ bottle litter is profit One scandal after another with dodgy college regents LegislatorsContinue reading “Property tax isn’t broken; our political backbone is”
Party balloon litter is bad but ‘nip’ bottle litter is profit
By CHRIS POWELL State legislators think they have found a new way to protect Connecticut’s environment. They are about to criminalize releasing party balloons into the air, subject to a $20 fine. The pending legislation would replace the current law that imposes a $500 fine on anyone who releases 10 or more balloons within 24Continue reading “Party balloon litter is bad but ‘nip’ bottle litter is profit”
Chris Powell column 