By CHRIS POWELL Working remotely by computer, internet, and telephone can make people more productive, sparing them the burden of commuting and the social distractions of the office. But working remotely can reduce productivity as well. It exposes workers to the distractions of home life, encourages them to slack off, since no supervisors or colleaguesContinue reading “Remote work in state government isn’t best for the public”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Don’t turn state pension money into a political slush fund
By CHRIS POWELL Despite some recent improvement, Connecticut’s state employee and teacher pension accounts are still underfunded by billions of dollars. Yet Governor Lamont wants to start using them as political slush funds. Connecticut Democrats divert more public money to patronage Yale has become too big for its property tax break Awful Trump is rightContinue reading “Don’t turn state pension money into a political slush fund”
By raising minimum wage, Connecticut admits failure
By CHRIS POWELL Governor Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, and state Labor Commissioner Dante Bartolomeo last week announced gleefully that Connecticut’s minimum wage will increase on Jan. 1 by 3.6%, from $16.35 to $16.94 per hour, being tied by state law to the federal employment cost index. The justifications they offered were not persuasive. Indeed,Continue reading “By raising minimum wage, Connecticut admits failure”
Connecticut Democrats divert more public money to patronage
By CHRIS POWELL Before complaining that state government doesn’t spend enough money on basics like medical care, education, transportation, environmental protection, and such, people should take note of recent reports from the Connecticut Mirror and the Yankee Institute’s Connecticut Inside Investigator. Yale has become too big for its property tax break Awful Trump is rightContinue reading “Connecticut Democrats divert more public money to patronage”
Yale has become too big for its property tax break
By CHRIS POWELL If any news report in Connecticut this year should prompt an urgent response from state government, it’s the one published last week by the Hearst Connecticut newspapers about the burden of Yale University’s property tax exemption in New Haven. Awful Trump is right on crime but Connecticut is indifferent Newington raid shows Democrats want noContinue reading “Yale has become too big for its property tax break”
Awful Trump is right on crime but Connecticut is indifferent
By CHRIS POWELL For the sake of argument, stipulate that President Trump, a Republican, never has good intentions, only demagogic ones, and has a political interest in exaggerating the problem of crime in the cities, most of which long have been mismanaged by Democrats. Newington raid shows Democrats want no immigration enforcement Democrats keep pretendingContinue reading “Awful Trump is right on crime but Connecticut is indifferent”
Newington raid shows Democrats want no immigration enforcement
By CHRIS POWELL Nothing seems to upset Democrats in Connecticut more than arrests for illegal immigration. For years the Democrats were indifferent to millions of illegal entries into the country, figuring that while illegal immigrants might drive down wages for the less skilled and drive up the costs of housing, social services, and schools, atContinue reading “Newington raid shows Democrats want no immigration enforcement”
Democrats keep pretending that they aren’t obstructing ICE
By CHRIS POWELL Connecticut Democrats keep doubling down in support of illegal immigration and obstruction of immigration law enforcement even as they keep pretending they’re not doing so. Last week at the Legislative Office Building about 25 Democratic elected officials held a news conference that made a spectacle of their contradictions. Governor should make prisonsContinue reading “Democrats keep pretending that they aren’t obstructing ICE”
Governor should make prisons account for deaths of inmates
By CHRIS POWELL Criminally convicted people are generally not very healthy. Many have smoked, abused drugs and alcohol, and become mentally ill or close to it. So it’s to be expected that some will die in prison. But since prisons are government institutions largely concealed from the public, government should account fully for every deathContinue reading “Governor should make prisons account for deaths of inmates”
Medicaid fraud, cuffed kids, and arrests in courthouses
By CHRIS POWELL When the Republican national budget and tax legislation was enacted in July, Democratic officials in Connecticut screamed that it would destroy Medicare and Medicaid, that Republican claims of waste and fraud in those programs were exaggerated, and that there is too little waste and fraud in those programs to worry about. NewContinue reading “Medicaid fraud, cuffed kids, and arrests in courthouses”
Chris Powell column 