Author Archives: cxpowell

By Chris Powell Congratulations to Eversource Energy for scaring the daylights out of Connecticut residents upon the approach of Tropical Storm Henri, warning that two-thirds of them might lose electricity for as long as three weeks. The company was preparing people to be glad if they just escaped with their lives and never got electricityContinue reading “Eversource repays Connecticut’s hysteria; and the spirit of liberty fades”

By Chris Powell Connecticut’s Republicans have been down so long that they’re entitled to construe almost anything as up. But they’re making too much of Ryan Fazio’s victory in last week’s special election in the 36th Senate District, which includes Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan. The district ordinarily leans strongly Republican andContinue reading “A small win for Connecticut Republicans; and fixing accountability for the Afghan war”

By Chris Powell Good for New York that it’s getting a new governor as Andrew Cuomo resigns amid a sexual harassment scandal and is succeeded by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. Cuomo was vastly overrated, presiding over years of the state’s decline. He was lionized by news organizations even as he sent virus-infected patients into nursingContinue reading “Who covered for Cuomo? And is choice no good now?”

By Chris Powell How strange that Connecticut and the country are being condemned as “structurally” and “systemically” racist even as the latest U.S. census finds that they are more multiracial and multiethnic than ever and demographers expect that the country soon will have a nonwhite majority. These trends do not suggest oppression. Rather they suggestContinue reading “Census shows racism fades; and few Afghans ever cared”

Nearly every day a member of Connecticut’s congressional delegation announces some major federal grant for a local capital project or civic organization, many of the awards credited to the “American Rescue Plan.” More such announcements will come upon passage of what is being called the Biden administration’s national “infrastructure” legislation, though apparently much of theContinue reading “Inflation shows Connecticut’s new goodies aren’t really free”

By Chris Powell Legislators belonging to what might be called the General Assembly’s social work caucus gathered at the state Capitol the other day to insist that there really isn’t much wrong with juvenile justice in Connecticut but that, of course, it always could use more social workers and “programs” to help keep young peopleContinue reading “Social work caucus denies failures of juvenile justice”

By Chris Powell Governor Lamont seems to realize that Connecticut probably won’t stand for another catastrophic lockdown in the name of controlling COVID-19, a virus that 99.8% percent of afflicted people survive. But rather than acknowledge this plainly and caution people that they must take the primary responsibility for protecting themselves, the governor has passedContinue reading “Lamont punts mask decision to escape public’s resentment”

By Chris Powell A century ago and then again 70 years ago there was, if the political hysteria of the times was to be believed, a Red under every bed. Today’s political hysteria imagines a racist under every bed. But as it was with the Reds of yesteryear, most of these racists are ghosts. TheContinue reading “Racists lurk under every bed in Connecticut but who exactly are they?”

By Chris Powell Connecticut’s top elected officials quickly accommodated themselves to the disgrace of Joe Ganim’s return to the mayoralty in Bridgeport in 2015 despite his having served eight years in prison upon conviction in federal court for vast corruption in office. After all, just a year after Ganim was sent away in 2003, Gov.Continue reading “Connecticut keeps ignoring fraud and failure in Bridgeport”

By Chris Powell Accountability and integrity are slipping badly with the Connecticut state police. The agency has failed to complete an investigation of trooper misconduct arising from a retirement party at a brewery in Oxford 22 months ago. Security video reported last week by the Hearst Connecticut newspapers shows that state police Sgt. John McDonaldContinue reading “State police integrity fails; and state ignores vote fraud”