Joe Bentivegna MD

Anyone who has ever done humanitarian work in a poor country quickly realizes that their efforts are of little benefit unless there are political and economic changes. I lived in Haiti for a year in 1983 as a volunteer physician and was no exception.

As a volunteer physician in Haiti, one of the first Creole sentences I learned was “Pa gen currant.” “There is no power.” Haiti’s power supply was unreliable and outages were common, which is why the wealthy had their own generators. Plutocrats, environmentalists and feckless politicians are now replicating Haiti’s problems here in Connecticut.

Having failed to convince the good people of Connecticut to allow tolls for cars, Gov. Ned Lamont and the Democrats are hoping to sucker us into believing that if we allow toll gantries on 12 bridges just for Class 8 trucks (tractor trailers and large dump trucks); we will no longer be harassed for more money. But their actual goal is simply to get these gantries in place because with just a software change, tolls can be imposed later on smaller trucks, cars, motorcycles or any moving object attached to a taxpayer. Let’s look at some of the details:

Once again, it is time to look into the crystal ball and predict what will happen in 2020. But unlike most pundits who hope you will forget their previous prognostications, I will review my predictions for 2019.

According to published reports, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady is considering moving to Greenwich. If Gov. Ned Lamont really wants to see his popularity sky rocket, he should propose legislation to prevent such an outrage.

Many Connecticut taxpayers are upset over the Democratic attempt to place tolls on our highways and bridges; but, are unaware of a back door tax that could increase gasoline prices by 50 cents a gallon or more. This plan is being initiated by an unelected panel populated by bureaucrats making six-figure salaries. They are promising to use this money to promote electric cars, buses, and sustainable activities like bicycles and walking.

A drone attack on Saudi Arabia has destroyed 50% of their oil-production capacity. The consensus is that Iran was involved. President Trump has stated that America is “locked and loaded” and ready to respond. This would be a mistake. Thanks to the President’s policies, we are now energy independent. We do not need the Middle East’s oil and there is no reason to become involved in a conflict we cannot win.

The supposed suicide of Jeffery Epstein has fanned the speculation of a cover-up across the entire ideological spectrum. What follows is my attempt to look at published reports objectively and give my medical opinion. Having done so, I have concluded Epstein’s death was a suicide by hanging.

Anyone who wonders why the general public was so outraged that they put Donald Trump in the White House has only to look at the behavior of our new governor Ned Lamont.  Taking a page from the playbook of his fellow Greenwich plutocrat, Lowell Weicker, Lamont deliberately misled the voters by promising to place tolls only on incoming trucks, just like Weicker misled the voters in 1990 into believing he would not initiate a state income tax.

Perhaps there was a time when journalism commanded such respect, but not anymore. While journalists have always been left of center, most took pride in their work, and accurately reported events free of political bias. The mantra of journalism once was, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”

First of all, I wish Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg well. She is a courageous advocate for women’s rights and a cultural icon. But in one reads between the lines of published reports on her situation, this woman is probably quite ill.

Unlike most columnists who make annual predictions and hope you forget them, I will review the predictions I made for 2018 before proceeding:

1. The Republicans will hold the House and pick up Senate seats. Half right
2. The stock market will gain at least another 10 percent. Wrong
3. The mullahs are going down. Wrong for now but will be correct in the foreseeable future.
4. North Korea will be brought under control. Debatable. North Korea has stopped testing ballistic missiles but is ignoring its promise to end its nuclear program.
5. The Steelers will win the Super Bowl. Wrong. But we wuz robbed.

Given this lackluster record, I will now proceed to 2019 predictions:

A major reason for Connecticut’s political dysfunction is that it remains a convention state. In most states, prospective candidates are only required to gather a reasonable number of signatures to have their name placed on the ballot. Not in Connecticut.