Holiday congestion at Tweed indicates airport’s potential

By Chris Powell Amid the crush of holiday travel last week few people were calling the revival of Tweed-New Haven Airport a great success.  Passengers and neighbors alike were sore about the traffic jams on the narrow streets of New Haven’s eastern neighborhood abutting the side of the airport where the terminal is. The streetsContinue reading “Holiday congestion at Tweed indicates airport’s potential”

Reconsidering fluoridation; and are we having fun yet?

By Chris Powell About 90% of Connecticut residents and 63% of U.S. residents are served by fluoridated water. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to become secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, considers fluoridation unsafe and aims to stop it. Kennedy has his eccentricities but that doesn’t make him wrongContinue reading “Reconsidering fluoridation; and are we having fun yet?”

Puzzle isn’t Musk but Biden; and state should take over failing city schools

By Chris Powell Democrats in Connecticut and throughout the country are seeking laughs by asserting that the political noise being made by zillionaire Elon Musk shows that he is not just an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump but the de-facto president-elect. Musk is an odd duck in some respects. But he seems to have gotten richContinue reading “Puzzle isn’t Musk but Biden; and state should take over failing city schools”

Lamont, legislators minimize college arrogance, hypocrisy

By Chris Powell Governor Lamont is right that the expense account exploitation perpetrated by the chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, Terrence Cheng, and his fellow top administrators is “small ball,” insofar as the financial expense goes. It doesn’t compare to the hundreds of millions of dollars in cost overruns incurred inContinue reading “Lamont, legislators minimize college arrogance, hypocrisy”

It’s a wonderful life — and a political one

By Chris Powell Frank Capra’s 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to be broadcast again Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. by NBC television, is loved most for its personal message of discovery at Christmas: that its hero’s life has been, unbeknownst to him, crucial to his family, friends, community, and even his country. Such generalContinue reading “It’s a wonderful life — and a political one”

Senator Murphy, safely re-elected, attacks medical insurers

By Chris Powell The assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on Dec. 4 has sparked political hysteria, most of all from Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy. In a video he posted on social media two weeks later, citing the assassination, Murphy, a Democrat re-elected in November, turned vulgar, asserting that the medicalContinue reading “Senator Murphy, safely re-elected, attacks medical insurers”

If new oversight committee is serious, where should it begin?

By Chris Powell Because of the state government scandals uncovered recently by the state auditors, and maybe because of the ones uncovered recently by the Hearst Connecticut newspapers, the Connecticut Mirror, the Yankee Institute’s Connecticut Inside Investigator, and the New Haven Independent, leaders of the Democratic majority in the General Assembly are creating another legislativeContinue reading “If new oversight committee is serious, where should it begin?”

Connecticut’s congressmen are even nuttier than Trump

By Chris Powell Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s personnel selections for his new administration are worrisome. But then some of Joe Biden’s personnel selections are worrisome too, like the defense secretary who entered a hospital for treatment of a longstanding medical condition without informing the White House of his whereabouts, and the Supreme Court nomineeContinue reading “Connecticut’s congressmen are even nuttier than Trump”

Supporting illegal immigration, Connecticut’s left cuts wages

By Chris Powell On some days Connecticut’s political left argues for raising the minimum wage on the grounds that no one can support a family of four on the salary of a janitor or a fast-food drive-through window attendant. (The left doesn’t think wages should be related to the actual value of the labor provided.Continue reading “Supporting illegal immigration, Connecticut’s left cuts wages”

Rell’s capital went unspent; and choices take courage

By Chris Powell Connecticut was very happy with Jodi Rell when she was governor. Her ascension upon John Rowland’s resignation under threat of impeachment for corruption brought relief from months of scandal and dissembling. Rell, who died the other day after eight years of retirement in Florida, was calm, cordial, reasonable, honest, and not partisan,Continue reading “Rell’s capital went unspent; and choices take courage”