Republican Mayor Mark Lauretti of Shelton and Democratic Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo each raised about $145,000 in their first months as a candidate or exploratory candidate for governor in 2018, new highs for non-incumbents in the era of public financing in Connecticut. Democrat Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor seeking office for the first time, raised $118,343 in his first two-plus months as an exploratory candidate.
July 10, 2017
Posted inHealth, Politics
Malloy signs pharmacy bill — and a withering P.S.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a consumer-protection bill into law Monday, but not before penning an unusual letter reviving his criticism of how the law’s influential sponsors, the top Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate, rebuffed his insurance commissioner’s efforts to shape a bipartisan measure intended to cut the cost of prescription drugs.
Posted inPolitics
For now, CT won’t have to give records to U.S. voter fraud panel
A presidential advisory commission tasked by President Donald J. Trump with investigating voter fraud faced a setback Monday after lawsuits filed in federal court put a hold on its request for voter records from Connecticut and all other states.
Posted inHousing, Money, Politics
Malloy uses looming housing fallout to heighten budget urgency
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy began showcasing the potential fallout from the state’s budget standoff Monday at The Lyceum in Hartford, where he held a roundtable on looming setbacks in the fight to end homelessness.
Posted inHealth, Politics
GOP still trying, but Blumenthal says Obamacare repeal in ‘total disarray’
WASHINGTON — The Senate returns from its Fourth of July break this week without a firm strategy on how to move forward on a health care bill that has little public support and has split Republicans. GOP leaders hope to fashion a bill that would win 50 votes, but that appears harder than ever now.
Posted inNews
CT senators slam Trump’s idea for cyber security unit with Russia
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy slammed President Donald Trump’s discussion of a cyber security partnership with Russia Monday, joining a chorus of voices on both sides of the aisle.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Arrogance, disdain and an unprecedented failure to lead
As the calendar turned from June to July last week, the legislature, controlled by Democrats, failed to accomplish the single most important job it had this session – drafting, negotiating, and calling the legislature back into session to debate, and eventually vote on a two-year state budget. Instead, the Democratic leadership ignored the zero-tax increase balanced budget prepared by the Republicans and chose to relinquish its duty to the governor, who now must run the state by executive order – a chilling proposition for towns, school districts, and core government services.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut needs a new budget approach to achieve better outcomes
Let me start by stating the obvious: Our state’s budget process is broken. We live in a time of perpetual fiscal stress, and have been unable to deal with structural issues that face the state. Our existing budget framework is just not up to the job. We need to scrap our balkanized budget process and adopt a new approach that sets top policy goals and funds them within available revenues.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Helping the newest, neediest minority
The Society for the Welfare And Manumission of Plutocrats will provide succor and largess to a hitherto overlooked minority group in our midst: the well to do, the wealthy, and the filthy rich (the three main gradients on the International Richer Scale). At one percent of the American population (give or take, but mostly take), these poor people (figuratively speaking) need our help.
Posted inNews
Coast Guard strained by budget constraints
WASHINGTON — When the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan last month, resulting in the deaths of seven American sailors, the U.S. Coast Guard was dispatched to investigate the incident. That’s an example of the service’s widening mission, which has not been matched by an increase in personnel or resources, leaving its leaders to question whether they can fully accomplish their missions.
Posted inEducation
CT has one of the nation’s best student-teacher ratios
Connecticut schools have one of the best student-teacher ratios in the nation, yet teachers make up a lower percentage of overall school staff than in all but a handful of states because the state also has a large number of instructional aides and non-teaching personnel.