Author Archives: cxpowell

By Chris Powell While the master state government employee union contract’s ban on layoffs expires next July, no serious changes in personnel management that might favor the public can be expected. There are two reasons for this. First, the remainder of the contract will remain in force until 2027, a disgraceful provision used three yearsContinue reading “Layoff authority next July won’t scare state employee unions”

By Chris Powell Back when children attended school in Connecticut, before administration was forfeited to the teacher unions, and the kids had their first lessons about government, they were taught the division of responsibility. That is, the federal government is responsible for issues affecting the whole country, state government is responsible for issues affecting theContinue reading “Desperately poor New Haven remains rich in P.C. posturing”

By Chris Powell Now that the Democratic majorities in the General Assembly are increasing as a result of last month’s election, visions of sugarplums dance again in the heads of those who think that “property tax reform” and spending more on municipal schools can save Connecticut’s cities and their poor students. It’s a reminder ofContinue reading “Connecticut’s tax and school policies have produced 40 years of failure”

By Chris Powell As was inscribed on the pedestal of the statue of college founder Emil Faber in the movie “Animal House,” “Knowledge is good.” But knowledge can be overpriced, as the growing clamor about college student loan forgiveness soon may demonstrate. President-elect Joe Biden and Democrats in the new Congress will propose various formsContinue reading “Connecticut’s big problem isn’t higher but lower education”

By Chris Powell America’s oldest continuously published newspaper is now the country’s newest paper without an office of its own. The Hartford Courant announced last week that it is terminating its lease on the building it has occupied for 70 years just across Broad Street from the state Capitol, the building from which the paperContinue reading “With journalism faltering, Courant prepares for sale”

By Chris Powell Having been there, done that, and gotten a T-shirt reading “My Party Abandoned Me,” Governor Lamont seems to have given up on imposing tolls on Connecticut highways to fortify the state’s transportation infrastructure. But having just increased their majorities in the General Assembly, Democratic legislators are musing about raising gasoline taxes instead.Continue reading “Raising gas tax will protect everything wrong in government in Connecticut”

By Chris Powell While Governor Lamont remarked the other day that state government doesn’t have enough money to rescue every business suffering from the virus epidemic and the curtailment of commerce, most people think the federal government has infinite money and can and should make everyone whole. Sharing that view, Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard BlumenthalContinue reading “Connecticut just has to tough it out and empty trains won’t help”

By Chris Powell Again last week most of the coronavirus-related deaths in Connecticut — 70 percent — occurred in nursing homes. What was the policy response? The teacher unions demanded that all schools terminate in-person classes and convert to “remote learning,” which for many students– those who need schools most — means no learning, andContinue reading “Epidemic urgings miss target; and UConn evades on racism”

With Connecticut sure to struggle with the virus epidemic for many more months and state government sinking deeper into the financial disaster caused by the epidemic and government’s response to it, it is amazing that the most urgent objective of the enlarged Democratic majority in the General Assembly is to legalize marijuana. It’s another trivialContinue reading “Their marijuana legislation suggests that House Democrats are already high”

Many people want to get out of Hartford, just as many people already have gotten out, the city having lost a third of its population since 1950. The problem for the people who still want to get out is that many of the people who already have gotten out or have avoided the city don’tContinue reading “Housing lawsuit distracts from bigger problem; and Osten’s trivial pander”