Author Archives: cxpowell

By Chris Powell Congratulations to one of Connecticut’s forever members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of New Haven, for teaching the country a wonderful political science lesson. Having ascended to the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee, DeLauro has just revived the infamous practice of putting “earmarks” in the federal budget — requirementsContinue reading “DeLauro and her chief of state show what ‘public service’ means”

By Chris Powell Does Connecticut really want to be a conspirator in financial market rigging? That’s the question raised by the data center development legislation just approved by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Lamont. The legislation will exempt data centers from sales tax on the transactions they process and commit the state notContinue reading “State government should avoid the market-rigging business with data centers”

By Chris Powell Gambling and intoxicating drugs mainly transfer wealth from the many to the few and the poor to the rich, so it is sad that state government is striving to get into the business of sports betting, internet gambling, and marijuana dealing. That’s how hungry state government always is for more money. EvenContinue reading “Gambling expansion plan could be worse, or better”

By Chris Powell By a 3-2 vote, Connecticut’s Commission on Compensation of Elected State Officials has recommended small raises, a bit more than 1%, for state legislators and the top state elected officials — the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, secretary of the state, and comptroller. There’s good reason for such raises. The salaryContinue reading “Legislators are scared of raises; and Democrats mock women”

By Chris Powell Legislation can’t be right when its premise is wrong, and a big premise of the proposals to legalize recreational marijuana in Connecticut is wrong. That is, the proposals presume that racial minorities deserve special reparations for the damage the “war on drugs” has done to them. So the proposals would give preferenceContinue reading “Marijuana bill has false premise; and let New Haven devour Yale”

By Chris Powell Nice guy that he was, Joseph D. Duffey, who died last week at age 88, was not a terribly adept politician. He was not outgoing or a glad-hander but a soft-spoken Protestant clergyman. But from 1967 to 1970 he was the most courageous participant in Connecticut politics, and more than anyone elseContinue reading “How insurgent Joe Duffey changed Connecticut’s politics”

By Chris Powell Everyone is entitled to be sick and tired of the virus epidemic, and no one is more entitled than Governor Lamont, whose administration has been consumed by it. Most people were happy with the administration’s handling of the epidemic until this week, when the governor changed policy on prioritizing the long-awaited vaccinations.Continue reading “Lamont has earned a break; and prevent big bank merger”

By Chris Powell Does recognizing that the “war on drugs” is a failure and that people are entitled to be left alone in their personal lives require not just legalizing marijuana and taxing it heavily but also putting state government into the marijuana business and turning that business into racial political patronage? Governor Lamont andContinue reading “State shouldn’t promote marijuana; and housing can’t be a right”

By Chris Powell Having just gotten big raises amid an economic depression with horrible unemployment in Connecticut, the state employee unions have proclaimed that they won’t consent to Governor Lamont’s budget proposal to freeze state employee salaries for a while. The unions insist that state government should raise taxes on the wealthy so they payContinue reading “Wealthy should pay more, but in federal taxes, not state”

By Chris Powell Without taking much notice, Connecticut lost a hero of journalism and justice the other day: Donald S. Connery, 94, who lived in Kent for almost 60 years even as he traveled and reported from around the world for United Press International and Time magazine and its related publications. Connery’s feats of journalismContinue reading “A great Connecticut journalist leaves a legacy of justice”