Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Gun violence and financial distress…What to do?

  • Other
  • by Paul Stern
  • March 4, 2018
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

What to do, what to do… in Connecticut, about the state budget; and in Washington, about guns.

Thursday, after months of anticipation, the state panel charged with recommending a way out of Connecticut’s financial crisis released a comprehensive plan to shift the tax burden from wealthy income-taxpayers onto businesses and consumers.

Among a detailed list of actions, the Commission on Fiscal Sustainability and Economic Growth proposed raising the minimum wage, and reducing all income tax rates while raising sales taxes and corporation levies.

Keith Phaneuf :: CTMirror.org

Co-Chair Jim Smith and Vice Chair Patricia Widlitz at the presentation of a report by the Commission on Fiscal Sustainability and Economic Growth recommending sweeping tax changes.

Reaction to the plan, initially, was muted, gracious and polite, but any proposal this broad and far-reaching is likely to meet resistance.

But speaking of ways to increase revenue, House Democrats are preparing legislation that would allow the state to permit, regulate and profit from sports betting. The plan is conditional upon an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision. The state is not the only entity that expects to profit, of course, as NBA and Major League Baseball officials were happy to tell the legislature.

The state does not have to be the only key player in rebuilding Connecticut’s tepid economy, though. Forming some sort of regional organization or collaboration could bring big economic benefits, officials here and in other parts of the country have learned.  The fiscal sustainability commission has proposed giving such entities taxing power to help things along.

On the gun violence issue in Washington, Connecticut continued to play a prominent role, as President Donald Trump asked senators, including Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, to propose “comprehensive” gun safety legislation. Murphy and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, are proponents of a “red flag” bill like Connecticut’s that would enable law enforcement authorities to remove firearms, at least temporarily, from those deemed a danger to themselves or others.

C-SPAN

Sen. Chris Murphy warns President Trump about the clout of the NRA in Congress.

Two more states and Puerto Rico have joined the multi-state coalition Connecticut helped to launch last week to strengthen gun regulation efforts, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Monday. It is one of several initiatives he and other Democratic governors are undertaking to defy a number of Trump’s policies they oppose.

It’s been rough sailing for Malloy recently and for his nominee to be the next State Supreme Court chief justice. Justice Andrew McDonald underwent a 13-hour grilling before the legislature’s Judiciary Committee which, on a tie vote, sent his bid forward to the full legislature with an unfavorable recommendation. His chances of appointment got a little more murky when Democratic state senator Gail Schlossberg recused herself from the vote.

Chances of there being a new state senator in Connecticut’s 12th District went to 100 percent when state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. announced he would not seek reelection in order to focus on his position at the American Association of People with Disabilities.

On the other hand, parents trying to enroll their children in a number of magnet schools in the region have little idea of what their chances are of success — and the uncertainty is becoming a point of contention.

Able-bodied adults without dependents who receive food stamps are also an issue for the Trump administration, which wants to impose a work requirement as a condition of providing help.

In Bridgeport, the brother of the man repeatedly abused at the Whiting Forensic Division has filed two lawsuits on his behalf — one against the state and the other against 12 of the forensic nurses and treatment specialists who the suit charges carried out the abuse or failed to report it.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Stern Paul is the part-time assistant editor and the primary handler of the Mirror's Viewpoints commentaries. He has more than 40 years of reporting and editing experience at newspapers in New Jersey, Florida and Connecticut. He worked 22 years at the Hartford Courant in various editing roles including as deputy state editor, assistant editor of Northeast Magazine, and as an associate editor at Courant.com.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Best of 2019: Key Dems press bill to increase minority recruitment at Coast Guard Academy
by Ana Radelat

The bill is a response to allegations of discrimination and a racially hostile environment at the school.

Navy cuts number of EB Virginia-class subs in new contract
by Ana Radelat

Electric Boat wanted the Navy to include 10 subs, and possibly 11, in the so-called "Block 5" contract. But the Navy agreed to only nine.

Electric Boat facing mounting challenges as sub work ramps up
by Ana Radelat

There continue to be concerns about EB’s ability to build the new Columbia-class submarine alongside its smaller Virginia-class attack subs.

Talk of gun violence, little else
by Paul Stern

In national politics last week there was talk of little else than gun violence, white nationalism and gun control following the fatal shootings of 31 people in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. There was little more than talk, too.

Politics and the ‘dark psychic force of collectivized hatred’
by Paul Stern

President Donald Trump insists he is not a racist, but 51 percent of Americans believe he is, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week. Certainly his “send her back” comments about Somalia-born U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and last week’s jabs at U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore did nothing to dispel that […]

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Right to counsel is just as much a racial justice issue as a housing policy issue
by Pearson Caldwell

Despite the state and federal moratoriums on eviction, nearly 3,000 Connecticut families have faced eviction in the past 10 months. Over half of these families were Black or Latinx, even though these groups combined comprise less than a quarter of the overall population. The stop-gap measures pursued by the state are not enough. Connecticut needs a statewide right to counsel for tenants facing eviction to address the burning housing and racial justice crisis across the state.

Opinion We need justice, not politics
by Richard J. Colangelo Jr. and 13 State's Attorneys

The administration of justice should not be political. Prosecutors must be guided by the evidence in a case and the applicable law, not by partisan, political considerations. Political pressure should never sway a prosecutor’s decision-making.

Opinion Assisted suicide lobby spreads falsehoods to promote systemic ableism
by Stephen Mendelsohn

Proponents of assisted suicide repeatedly spread falsehoods to promote their lethal and ableist agenda.  The February 8 op-ed, “Aid in dying is not assisted suicide” is no exception. Suicide is defined as the act of taking one’s life intentionally.  The person who intentionally ingests a prescribed lethal overdose more closely fits the dictionary definition of suicide than the despondent person who jumps off a bridge.  The desire for suicide is a cry for help, even when redefined as a “medical treatment option.”

Opinion TCI will create a fourth gasoline tax
by Christian A. Herb

The Transportation Climate Initiative, or TCI, calls for a proposed emissions fee on gasoline to help battle climate change. On the surface, supporters say it is a small price to pay to help save the planet; and if you truly believe that this is the case, then you should consider voting for it. Despite the administration’s efforts to go out of their way to not call TCI a tax, the simple truth is that it will only create additional financial hardships on lower- and middle-income families struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO