Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Chris Powell As he skips the inauguration of his successor and shuffles off to his resort in Florida, has Donald Trump destroyed the Republican Party? Some political observers think so and of course Democrats hope so. Trump’s petulant and even seditious exit from office did him no credit. But then he did not doContinue reading “Democrats may make sure Republican Party survives”

By Chris Powell Last week this column examined the government pension racket in Connecticut through the example of the “retirement” of New Haven Police Chief Tony Reyes, who is only 49 and is giving up his city salary of $170,000 to become police chief at Quinnipiac University in adjacent Hamden. Since New Haven City HallContinue reading “Police chief’s premature pension is $117,000; and a new hidden tax is coming”

By Chris Powell Maybe President Trump’s greatest talent has been to bring out the worst in nearly everyone — not just his supporters, some of whom ransacked the Capitol the other day to stop Congress from formalizing the result of the presidential election, but also his opponents, whose own betrayal of decency has provided manyContinue reading “Trump brings out the worst everywhere, including Yale”

By Chris Powell Everyone agrees that Tony Reyes has been a great police chief in New Haven, having been appointed in March 2019 after nearly two decades of rising through the ranks of the police department. But the city will lose him in a few weeks as he becomes police chief at Quinnipiac University nextContinue reading “New Haven police chief ‘retires’ at 49 to pension bonanza”

By Chris Powell Does any state do more posturing against racism than Connecticut does only to get such meager results? A week ago West Haven’s City Council joined the 19 other municipalities in the state that have declared racism a public health emergency. Tolland’s Town Council is being asked to do the same. But whoContinue reading “Connecticut is just posturing when it calls poverty racism”

By Chris Powell Few may begrudge Governor Lamont the cheerfulness of his “state of the state” address upon the opening of the General Assembly this week. As he noted, since last March Connecticut has produced much heroism in confronting the virus epidemic. That heroism includes the governor’s own. For nobody runs for governor to presideContinue reading “Cheerleading by governor belies damage to economy”

By Chris Powell When Bob Stefanowski was the Republican nominee for governor two years ago, he was mocked by Democrats for being light on the issues — for advocating repeal of the state income tax without specifying how to reduce government spending. Even so Stefanowski came within 40,000 votes of winning the election — aContinue reading “Stefanowski gets specific and the Democrats freak out”

By Chris Powell After a cowardly absence of nine months, the General Assembly reconvenes this week. Though legislators may not recognize it, the first question facing them is whether their new session is to be one of substance or merely a formality. For Governor Lamont has been ruling by emergency decree since the virus epidemicContinue reading “State legislators now must share authority with governor during epidemic”

By Chris Powell Employees of Connecticut’s largest newspaper, the Hartford Courant, cleaned out their desks the other day as the newspaper left the building at 285 Broad St. where it had operated for 70 years. It was well reported that the newspaper will continue publishing as its employees work from home, as they have doneContinue reading “Looting by parent company took Courant’s home away”

By Chris Powell Many in Connecticut, including most of its news organizations, are gushing about President-elect Joe Biden’s choice of state Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona, a Meriden native, to be secretary of the U.S. Education Department. News reports say the president-elect picked Cardona in large part because of the support he and Governor Lamont haveContinue reading “Cardona’s qualifications are what he is and what he isn’t”