By CHRIS POWELL For many years the University of Connecticut has been considered the fourth branch of state government, since it tends to get whatever it wants from the governor and General Assembly no matter its failings. All the university has to do is trot a winning basketball team through the state Capitol every year,Continue reading “A new president for UConn might be worse than Ritter”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Murphy’s political blood pressure; and Connecticut’s eternal senator
By CHRIS POWELL His doctor says Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy’s stroke was minor and a full recovery is expected. Even so, that recovery is said to require weeks of rehabilitation, rest, and absence from from the senator’s job, which will be left to his staff members, who can do many things for him butContinue reading “Murphy’s political blood pressure; and Connecticut’s eternal senator”
‘Public’ schools, secret evaluations; and Democratic billionaires are OK
By CHRIS POWELL Anyone who still wants to call Connecticut’s biggest government expense “public” education should take a look at New Haven’s “public” schools. It’s bad enough that in Connecticut all “public” school teacher evaluations are secret. Now New Haven’s Board of Education has just begun its annual evaluation of School Superintendent Madeline Negron andContinue reading “‘Public’ schools, secret evaluations; and Democratic billionaires are OK”
Election leaves Connecticut without political competition
By CHRIS POWELL With the federal government having become more corrupt and incompetent than ever, the new Democratic majorities in Congress elected this week will have much fun investigating and publicizing it, even as President Trump, with vetoes and the Republican minorities in Congress, will be able to block legislation they find objectionable. Graduation rateContinue reading “Election leaves Connecticut without political competition”
Graduation rate is meaningless in a system of social promotion
By CHRIS POWELL According to the state Education Department, people in Connecticut should rejoice that the state’s four-year high school graduation rate has just exceeded 90% for the first time since the 2010-11 school year. But the data is nonsense, just as it was in 2011. New Haven piously presumes it should expropriate property Tax-shiftingContinue reading “Graduation rate is meaningless in a system of social promotion”
New Haven piously presumes it should expropriate property
By CHRIS POWELL New Haven has no city motto but as the proletarianizing and collectivist instincts of its political class consume the city, the Board of Alders might well consider adopting the old sayings “What’s yours is mine” and “Property is theft.” Tax-shifting ideas won’t prevent property tax increases for long McMahon squanders her chanceContinue reading “New Haven piously presumes it should expropriate property”
Tax-shifting ideas won’t prevent property tax increases for long
By CHRIS POWELL Despite the conscientious work demonstrated last week in its report about easing the burden of property taxes, the Connecticut Citizens Assembly — a project of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities — didn’t tell the state anything it didn’t know. Mainly the group increased the momentum for having state government assume all municipalContinue reading “Tax-shifting ideas won’t prevent property tax increases for long”
McMahon squanders her chance to improve Connecticut education
By CHRIS POWELL There’s so much wrong with public education in Connecticut generally and with the Hartford school system particularly that criticizing them doesn’t require making up stories. But that’s what the U.S. education secretary, Connecticut’s own Linda McMahon, did the other day to try to score a political point. Expect more from students, evenContinue reading “McMahon squanders her chance to improve Connecticut education”
Expect more from students, even the poor, and get more
By CHRIS POWELL Most educational achievement in Connecticut, as elsewhere, is a matter of parenting and household wealth. If children have two parents whose income can support their home without much stress, the kids will tend to get more upbringing, be healthier mentally and physically, and be more engaged in school. Another expensive paid leave,Continue reading “Expect more from students, even the poor, and get more”
Another expensive paid leave, another sham student protest
By CHRIS POWELL Connecticut state government is a big place and there will always be problems in large workforces. The state’s executive department has around 50,000 employees, with more than 90% of them unionized and covered by contracts and state law that make them nearly impossible to discipline seriously, especially since their unions constitute theContinue reading “Another expensive paid leave, another sham student protest”
