By Chris Powell News reports say the General Assembly’s Finance Committee has approved legislation “designed to eradicate concentrated poverty” — that is, the poverty of U.S. census districts in Connecticut where 30% or more of the households have incomes below the federal poverty level. But the legislation, whose leading advocate is state Sen. John Fonfara,Continue reading “Dodging poverty problem again; and no wonder kids skip school”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Problem of mental illness isn’t shortage of treatment
By Chris Powell When confronting a problem most people instinctively look first for its cause and try to eliminate it. But such logic doesn’t apply so much in government, as indicated by government’s response to what is reported to be an explosion of mental illness among young people. Teachers and school administrators throughout Connecticut sayContinue reading “Problem of mental illness isn’t shortage of treatment”
Should Connecticut declare that men can become women?
By Chris Powell Transgender ideology, having conquered most of the Democratic majority in the General Assembly, suffered some pushback last week when the Appropriations Committee considered what was said to be mental health legislation. The bill contained the term “pregnant persons,” and some Black and Hispanic legislators on the committee wanted to know what hadContinue reading “Should Connecticut declare that men can become women?”
Connecticut’s political left celebrates mental illness
By Chris Powell As President Biden reminded the country with his ill-timed proclamation, this year Easter Sunday fell on a new and more politically correct holiday, Transgender Day of Visibility. A few days earlier at the state Capitol in Hartford, Connecticut Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz led a celebration of a flag symbolizing transgender rights —Continue reading “Connecticut’s political left celebrates mental illness”
To end car tax, spend less; and UConn abides thuggery
By Chris Powell Many state legislators claim to be perplexed by the challenge of eliminating municipal property taxes on cars, which produce about a billion dollars per year for municipal governments. If property taxes on cars were eliminated, how would the money be replaced? One advocate of eliminating car taxes, state Senate President Pro TemContinue reading “To end car tax, spend less; and UConn abides thuggery”
Disability pension scandal is shocking — but not new
By Chris Powell Why is state government always short of money in the face of what are said to be compelling human needs? One reason is that compelling human needs are easily confused with human wants, which are infinite. Another reason is that state government is not at all careful with its money, especially whenContinue reading “Disability pension scandal is shocking — but not new”
State’s economy isn’t strong; and a teacher salary trick
By Chris Powell Democrats warn that Donald Trump’s return to the presidency will endanger Social Security and Medicare. Trump has made ambiguous and contradictory comments on those programs and is not the master of policy details. But as a practical matter President Biden’s administration already has made big cuts in Social Security and Medicare —Continue reading “State’s economy isn’t strong; and a teacher salary trick”
Lieberman long was state’s most consequential politician
By Chris Powell Joe Lieberman was Connecticut’s most consequential politician of his era, holding high office in the state for 40 of the 42 years between 1971 and 2013, 24 of those in the U.S. Senate. He was also often an insurgent and sometimes crossed his party’s establishment in a big way but got awayContinue reading “Lieberman long was state’s most consequential politician”
Hartford doesn’t need hockey; and state’s ‘values’ don’t help
By Chris Powell Some people think that Hartford’s decline began in 1997 when the city’s National Hockey League team, the Whalers, left for North Carolina. Governor Lamont seems to be one of them, though the city’s plunge into poverty and dysfunction started at least 30 years earlier. For a few years in the 1980s andContinue reading “Hartford doesn’t need hockey; and state’s ‘values’ don’t help”
Where did journalism go? And Cardona gets a pass
By Chris Powell What’s going on here? It seems as if more former Connecticut journalists now are employed doing publicity for state government than there are journalists reporting about state government. An unofficial list of recent transfers from journalism to government publicity in Connecticut includes: — Samaia Hernandex, formerly with WTNH-TV8 in New Haven andContinue reading “Where did journalism go? And Cardona gets a pass”
Chris Powell column 