Author Archives: cxpowell

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”

By Chris Powell Amid the growing panic fanned by news organizations about the rebound in the virus epidemic, last week’s telling details were largely overlooked. First, most of the recent “virus-associated” deaths in Connecticut again have been those of frail elderly people in nursing homes. Second, while dozens of students at the University of ConnecticutContinue reading “Overlooked telling details invite Connecticut to reconsider policies on epidemic and hospitals”

By Chris Powell Not so long ago censoriousness was a phenomenon of the political right. Mere liberals were called communists and spies and drummed out of their jobs. The political right sought to ban books and writers as subversive or dirty. Peace demonstrators were called commies too and assaulted by rightists. Today censoriousness is aContinue reading “Censoriousness veers left in Connecticut; and Sen. Murphy’s Vietnam”

By Chris Powell Maybe it will turn out to be only a fluke, but amid the renewed panic about the virus epidemic there is some interesting detail in the monthly death statistics of the state Department of Public Health. In the first three months of the epidemic — March, April, and May — there wereContinue reading “Even hospital capacity shouldn’t be Connecticut’s primary objective”

By Chris Powell His handling of the virus epidemic has doubled Governor Lamont’s public approval rating, giving him more fans than detractors. But judging from recent developments that are being overshadowed by the epidemic, the governor could be forgiven if he hopes the epidemic continues through the 2022 election and beyond. For last week itContinue reading “Underneath the epidemic, economic disaster for state”

By Chris Powell Many teachers around the country are cheering the forthcoming change in national administration  because Betsy DeVos will be replaced as secretary of the U.S. Education Department. DeVos, an heiress and philanthropist, has been a fan of charter schools and a foe of political correctness. While not really expert in pedagogy, at leastContinue reading “Why should we cheer Hayes or anyone like her as next education secretary?”

By Chris Powell Putting personal pique above the national interest again, President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper the other day, apparently because of Esper’s opposition to sending federal troops uninvited to put down rioting in Democratic cities during the presidential campaign. Apparently it doesn’t matter to the president that the next two months willContinue reading “Connecticut’s Republicans need some reasons for being”

By CHRIS POWELL After the supposedly slow response by Eversource Energy and United Illuminating to the widespread electricity outages in Connecticut caused by the tropical storm in August, there were calls for state government to take over the electricity distribution business. Since that business is already a regulated monopoly, that’s a perfectly reasonable idea inContinue reading “‘Take back our grid’? That will be the day”

By Chris Powell After warning that the U.S. Postal Service might sabotage the vast increase in voting by mail for last week’s national election, leading Democrats in Connecticut are renewing their calls for allowing everyone to vote by mail just for personal convenience, without having to claim illness, infirmity, travel, or religious reasons. A stateContinue reading “Too much voting by mail risks integrity of Connecticut’s elections”