Author Archives: cxpowell

By Chris Powell Recently New Haven’s big news has included the usual shootings, the continued inability of the city’s students to read at anything close to grade level despite their school system’s ever-increasing budgets, controversy over the selection of a new police chief, and, of course, the paralyzing injury suffered by a man in policeContinue reading “Political correctness shields New Haven from hard reality”

By Chris Powell Woke-ism now extends to Connecticut’s state budget. A new law requires future governors to attach to their budget proposals a statement describing how their taxing and spending plans address racial and economic inequities. Such a statement by the governor may be full of insight or, more likely, it may be only meaninglessContinue reading “‘Equity’ isn’t to spend more but to audit what is failing”

By Chris Powell Last week Connecticut Attorney General William Tong affected outrage at the request made to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority by water company Aquarion for a rate increase of 27% to be implemented over three years. “The last thing Connecticut families and small businesses need now is a double-digit water bill hike onContinue reading “Tong’s latest empty gesture; and is abortion really that popular?”

By Chris Powell Anyone listening to the demand for “justice” made by the “civil rights lawyer” who came to New Haven last week to exploit the paralyzing injury suffered by a Black man in police custody might have thought it was another George Floyd case of murderous racism. But police video, quickly made public, depictedContinue reading “Police van incident in New Haven wasn’t racism, just the usual idiocy”

By Chris Powell As he lies dying in Tennyson’s epic poem, “The Idylls of the King,” Arthur offers encouragement to his knights: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” We all may hope so. But does prayer influence the outcome of football games or the success of football teams? That’s theContinue reading “People praying over football may not appreciate their luck”

By Chris Powell How, some people ask resentfully, does the Supreme Court get to tell states they can restrict or even outlaw abortion but not guns? The question is misleading. The court didn’t make up the law on abortion and guns. Rightly or wrongly, the court construes the law already in place, the Constitution, andContinue reading “Abortion and gun decisions unleash hysteria, posturing”

By Chris Powell Amid the controversy about gun crime and the right to bear arms, it’s strange that legislative responses like the ones enacted last week at the federal level are so indirect and tangential. Not that the new federal law is objectionable. It just doesn’t do much more than pay states for their expensesContinue reading “Targeting guns gains little; target gun criminals instead”

By Chris Powell When will Connecticut take the hint it long has been getting from its increasing population of bears, a hint that was reiterated two weeks ago when one repeatedly tried to break into houses in the Canton area, getting into at least one of them before being euthanized by environmental police? That bearContinue reading “How many bears does each town in Connecticut want?”

By Chris Powell For Father’s Day last weekend the state Department of Children and Families publicized Connecticut’s Fatherhood Initiative, a program DCF runs with the state Department of Social Services that strives to get men as involved with their children as those children are involved with welfare agencies. The social science confirming that a father’sContinue reading “End welfare’s bad incentives; and Larson braves filibuster”

By Chris Powell His innocent enthusiasms sometimes get the better of Governor Lamont, so a few weeks ago he celebrated a new country song purportedly about Connecticut by the musical impresario Rusty Gear. But the song’s only lines about the state were not really so complimentary, and criticism by the governor’s Republican challenger, Bob Stefanowski,Continue reading “Connecticut might be saved by celebrating a better song”