By CHRIS POWELL Last week Hartford was the scene of three horrible incidents. First a 17-year-old honor student at Hall High School in West Hartford was shot and killed and another young man was shot and critically wounded at around 2 in the morning in the heart of downtown, near the People’s Bank Arena. PoliceContinue reading “Just another week in Hartford as state legislators look away”
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Federal aid really isn’t free; and stop exalting abortion
By CHRIS POWELL Commenting a few weeks ago about the public water system disasters from failed pipes in Waterbury, Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said, “There is no free water, just like there is no free lunch.” Can Connecticut Democrats rise above identity politics? Throwing money at schools hides the learning problem Hartford’s new curriculum:Continue reading “Federal aid really isn’t free; and stop exalting abortion”
Can Connecticut Democrats rise above identity politics?
By CHRIS POWELL Why are some people Democrats and others Republicans? Personal identities have always had something to do with it. Some people inherit party affiliations from parents. Many Democrats come from the working and government classes. Many Republicans come from the propertied and professional classes. Throwing money at schools hides the learning problem Hartford’sContinue reading “Can Connecticut Democrats rise above identity politics?”
Throwing money at schools hides the learning problem
By CHRIS POWELL While Governor Lamont has proposed a state budget that would increase spending by $1.2 billion or 4.4%, it has prompted furious if predictable complaints from municipal school systems, higher educators, hospitals, social service agencies, and others. They say the governor’s budget isn’t nearly enough, even though the his proposal comes within aContinue reading “Throwing money at schools hides the learning problem”
Hartford’s new curriculum: toilet training and diapers
By CHRIS POWELL Teachers in Connecticut, especially those in the poverty factories that are the state’s cities, long have lamented that many of their youngest students arrive in school grossly unprepared even for kindergarten, unable to identify things as simple as letters and colors because of a lack of parenting. Fault in paralyzed man’s caseContinue reading “Hartford’s new curriculum: toilet training and diapers”
Fault in paralyzed man’s case is more fairly settled at last
By CHRIS POWELL While there was plenty of negligence in the case of Randy Cox, the man who was paralyzed after his arrest by New Haven police in 2022, the court decision concluding the case’s criminal aspects suggests that the negligence really wasn’t that of the officers it was blamed on. Is there any policyContinue reading “Fault in paralyzed man’s case is more fairly settled at last”
Is there any policy reason not to renominate Larson?
By CHRIS POWELL Will former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin ever come up with a reason for his challenge to U.S. Rep. John B. Larson’s renomination by the Democratic Party besides the claim that Larson, at 77, is too old? Teacher union’s political racket is ready to take over Connecticut Republican senators top governor’s tax cutContinue reading “Is there any policy reason not to renominate Larson?”
Teacher union’s political racket is ready to take over Connecticut
By CHRIS POWELL For many years Connecticut’s teacher unions ran a discreet political racket. Many of their members would hold teaching jobs in towns adjacent to the towns in which they lived and then seek municipal office in their home towns, particularly office on their local board of education. They were usually elected. Republican senatorsContinue reading “Teacher union’s political racket is ready to take over Connecticut”
Republican senators top governor’s tax cut by $1 billion
By CHRIS POWELL If Connecticut’s next state budget can be considered a sort of poker game of tax cutting, Governor Lamont has opened with $500 million and the minority Republicans in the state Senate have seen his $500 million and raised him $1 billion. But it’s not as hopeful for taxpayers as it looks. MoreContinue reading “Republican senators top governor’s tax cut by $1 billion”
More environmental deceit; and hypocrisy on housing
By CHRIS POWELL Connecticut’s environmental extremists aren’t just extreme. They’re deceitful too, and as the new session of the General Assembly begins they are coming back with legislation that is more extremism and deception. Lamont thrills Democrats with nullification rhetoric Governor can bribe voters but it won’t lessen poverty Serious school could force kids toContinue reading “More environmental deceit; and hypocrisy on housing”
Chris Powell column 