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

Connecticut is no Alabama — and says so

  • Other
  • by Paul Stern
  • May 26, 2019
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

As if it were possible, relations between President Donald Trump and Democrats worsened last week when Trump angrily announced he would no longer work with them on infrastructure improvements or other projects until they drop their multiple investigations of his conduct.

Some said it was just Trump’s excuse to avoid having to find $2 trillion for the infrastructure project (that Connecticut is not ready for anyway). Others said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had deliberately triggered Trump’s wrath when she repeated the often-heard comment that the president had been attempting a “cover-up” through his refusal to comply with Congressional subpoenas and other demands.

Elsewhere in Washington, Connecticut lawmakers like Sen. Richard Blumenthal were reacting to recent passage of Alabama’s stringent anti-abortion legislation some see as a warm-up to a challenge to Roe v. Wade. Blumenthal was among those introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act to guarantee access to legal and safe abortions.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal outside the Capitol introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act.

Blumenthal was also on hand when U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, joined others in the Connecticut delegation to introduce a federal version of “Ethan’s Law,” a measure to ensure safe storage of firearms. It is similar to a measure passed in the Connecticut state Senate on Thursday as the parents of Ethan Song, — a 15-year-old accidentally killed with a neighbor’s pistol – watched in gratitude.

Gov. Ned Lamont addressed the Alabama abortion law issue by joining with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz in an invitation for women-owned businesses in that state (and others with harsh anti-abortion statutes) to relocate here.

He and state Senate Democrats do not see eye-to-eye, however, on a bill creating a paid family and medical leave insurance policy for the state – a measure approved Wednesday night despite Lamont’s threat of a veto. The governor has also conceded that his plan to impose highway tolls will not be voted on by the June 5 end of the legislative session, so he expects to take up the matter in a special session after.

mark pazniokas :: ctmirror.org

Michael and Kristin Song, center, react to final passage of Ethan’s Law. At right is their daughter, Emily.

The governor is on board with major initiative to create a “public option” health insurance plan partly paid for by effectively reversing – in Connecticut – the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that all adults have health insurance or pay a penalty.

Lamont has also apparently come to an understanding with lawmakers on a state budget, agreeing on a so-called “mansion tax” but not the income tax increase on the super rich sought by progressive Democrats. He has also agreed to higher reimbursement rates for state nursing homes, a move that seems to have caused nursing home workers to abandon their threat to strike.

For their part, legislators approved raises for state troopers and are moving a bill that would establish a health and human services network to assess the needs of the LGBTQ community. By a margin of 122 to 24, the House approved a bill that will make black and Latino studies part of every high school’s curriculum.

The was no such consensus on whether to require schools to teach climate change – a notion that brought out a number of climate change doubters from the ranks of the Republicans.

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 Better rail service will boost Naugatuck Valley economy
by Kara Rochelle

For residents of the Naugatuck Valley, whether you ride the train or not, increased rail service will directly and positively affect your life. Increased and reliable rail service means increases in property values.

Opinion Why a Connecticut family foundation is funding the national movement for Black lives
by William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. Board and Staff

The last several years have thrust racial injustice against Black people not only into the media spotlight, but also into our emerging public consciousness about the continued consequences of our nation’s legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation.

Opinion Statewide standardized testing this Spring: To what end?
by Christopher E. Trombly

Despite many challenges, Congressional committees in both houses remain steadfast in their belief that state standardized testing should be administered this spring.  They cite the recent announcement that NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing will not be conducted this year as adding to this “moral imperative.” Better would be for state departments of education to use the myriad data that administrators and teachers have naturally collected since March to allocate resources that will allow for student learning to be recovered, and for historic structural inequities to be addressed at long last.

Opinion Felons and non-citizens on Connecticut juries? Not a good idea
by Steven Wilf

A move is afoot to extend the privilege of sitting on a jury to released felons and non-citizen long-term residents. According to a recent report, supported by Connecticut Chief Justice Richard Robinson, making this change would increase Black and Latinx representation. This is a laudatory goal. But it undermines the very foundations of jury participation as a key aspect of citizenship.

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