Nothing like the holidays to slow down legislative activity in Washington and here in Connecticut. Gov. Dannel Malloy, however, wasn’t spending much time sipping egg nog or roasting chestnuts.
2017
Posted inEducation, News
His Connecticut education improvement plan: ‘Look to Massachusetts’
Mark McQuillan says he knows what Connecticut needs to change if it is to improve the education provided to students from impoverished homes: Look to Massachusetts. The former state commissioner of education worked in Massachusetts before coming here, and during this Sunday conversation with The Mirror, he explains why he was unsuccessful in putting Connecticut on the same path that led to Massachusetts’ success.
Posted inJustice
Justice Dept. wants citizenship question on census, alarming experts
The Justice Department is pushing for a question on citizenship to be added to the 2020 census, a move that observers say could depress participation by immigrants who fear that the government could use the information against them.
Posted inHealth
Arthritis drugs show how U.S. drug prices defy economics
Since the first drug for rheumatoid arthritis came to market a decade ago, nearly a dozen have been added. If basic economics prevailed, RA treatments and patients would have benefited from competition. But, because of industry price-setting practices, legal challenges and marketing tactics, they haven’t.
Posted inMoney
Legislature’s New Year resolution: Close the deficit
With a special session that opened Friday and will continue into the New Year, the General Assembly is resuming work on a flawed bipartisan budget. Legislative leaders said they first will restore a $54 million cut to a Medicare assistance program — then open bipartisan talks about how to tackle the broader problem of closing a projected deficit, one pegged at $222.5 million.
Posted inHealth
CT extends health care coverage for kids through February
Connecticut officials have pushed back their deadline to end health care coverage for more than 17,000 children and teenagers to Feb. 28 because of partial funding approved by Congress before Christmas.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
2018 should be the ‘#youtoo’ year — to change workplace culture
It is time to rethink our harassment policies and practices and employ new strategies to protect the most vulnerable workers, give victims safe reporting options and empower all employees to create respectful work environments. This week Gov. Dannel Malloy stepped forward and called for our state agencies to assess its harassment policies and training practices and to make recommendations for improvements. This is the type of leadership that is needed now. We encourage the legislative and judicial branches to do the same.
Posted inPolitics
A liberal grades his colleagues: ‘I’m not here to make friends’
Josh Elliott arrived at the State Capitol last January as a disrupter, the young liberal with the short spiky hair who had the temerity to challenge to House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey for the Democratic nomination. His goal for 2018 is to help other liberal outsiders do what he did in 2016: Challenge incumbent Democrats he sees as insufficiently progressive. “I’m not here to make friends,” he says.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy to legislators: Don’t worsen deficit with Medicare ‘fix’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is welcoming legislators back to the State Capitol with a reprise of his message that it is folly to return in special session to restore funding for a popular Medicare Savings Program without addressing the larger issue of how to close a projected deficit of $222.5 million.
Posted inPolitics
No, really, Joe Ganim is running for governor
A spokeswoman for Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim said Thursday he will formally announce his candidacy for governor next week, but that a “Ganim for Governor” account opened Wednesday on Twitter was unauthorized and appears to have been the work of “an enthusiastic supporter.”
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Democrats need an untraditional candidate
Leftists will not initially like me; but Democrats need someone untraditional. Mark my words. Progressivism will not survive six more years unless it dramatically changes. Progressives will not have Donald Trump on any ballot in 2024. The leftists may see a brief electoral surge based on “odious Trump.” But once he’s out of the picture, leftism will be an electoral disaster. It already has some disastrous traits. Leftism brought on Trump. Outside of a few progressive enclaves, the American public does NOT embrace a leftist agenda.
Posted inJustice
Inmate GEDs drop off after test goes online
Moving high school equivalency tests online put them out of reach for much of Connecticut’s prison population in 2015. The numbers have started to recover– but slowly.
Posted inPolitics
With Twitter account, Ganim is a candidate for governor
There are many ways to become a candidate for governor under state law. One of them is to do what Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim did Wednesday: Open a Twitter account under the name, “Joe Ganim for Governor.” (Update: the Twitter account went inactive Thursday, but Ganim’s texted reply to an effort to clarify his gubernatorial status was concise: “In.”)
Posted inMoney, Politics, Transportation
Malloy: Election politics must not stop transportation fix
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy renewed his push to bolster Connecticut’s transportation program in 2018, urging legislators Wednesday to resist the traditional election-year approach of dodging controversial topics.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut policy discourages potential bilingual teachers
Dozens of bilingual teaching positions go unfilled every year in Connecticut, and the number of bilingual adults choosing the teaching profession has decreased dramatically despite the rise in the number of students who are English Learners. Therefore, even if our new Connecticut outlook is shifting towards embracing globalization and multilingualism, bilingual education will not exist until we understand why we have a bilingual teacher shortage.