The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed its decision that high school students can be punished for what they write at home. It also has ignored an important opportunity to clarify student free speech rights in the digital age. It was a sad day for democracy in our schools. In 2007, Avery Doninger, […]

When students come to school worried about bullying, they can’t learn. That’s why we strongly support Senate Bill 1138, a comprehensive “safe school climate” bill before the Connecticut General Assembly. One in four Connecticut high school students – and 35 percent of the state’s 9th graders – were bullied or harassed on school property in […]

Battling public sector unions has proved to be so much fun for Republicans that Democrats in the Northeast want in on the party: Last month Democrats in the Democrat-controlled Massachusetts House adopted a bill limiting public union bargaining rights. In New York, Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget will force all governmental units statewide to pare […]

While the ongoing fiscal crisis may necessitate some governmental streamlining, the current structure of the proposed Office of Governmental Accountability does this at too high a cost for the citizens of Connecticut. The Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) is one of Connecticut’s most effective and widely-modeled agency structures. Its external appeals model-which allows parties to […]

Sometimes, it’s the small milestones that can be most significant and symbolic. For most Connecticut Latinos recently, it was having Gov. Dannel Malloy and key legislative leaders stand with us at the Capitol at the Latino Advocacy Day and acknowledge the role of state’s rapidly growing Latino community. Their presence, and most importantly their words, […]

Online voting is an appealing option to speed voting for military and overseas voters. Yet it is actually “Democracy Theater”, providing an expensive, risky illusion of supporting our troops. Technologists warn of the unsolved technical challenges, while experience shows that the risks are tangible and pervasive. There are safer, less expensive solutions available. This year, […]

Jane’s cancer was incurable. She had a hard time eating and taking medication due to pain and nausea despite many of our best medications. A friend had suggested the use of marijuana, but Jane was adamantly against this because of its illegality. It might have helped Jane, a 67-year-old Wethersfield resident with advanced colon cancer, […]

The landmark Citizens’ Election Program represents the most comprehensive and successful effort to remove special interest money from the political system undertaken by any state in U.S. history. With the two initial runs of the program, the state has made enormous progress, transforming our state from “Corrupticut,” an example of rampant wrongdoing after years of […]

If you believe BNE Energy’s industrial wind turbine project in Colebrook will create jobs, read Joel Rinebold’s testimony before the Connecticut Siting Council.  Who is Joel Rinebold?  He was hired by BNE to prepare an Economic Energy Analysis for their projects in Colebrook and Prospect. Interestingly, Mr. Rinebold is a former executive director of the […]

Connecticut is facing the worst budget crisis of our lifetimes, and most people agree that the solutions will require both spending cuts and new taxes. With so many unpleasant options in the governor’s budget proposal, it can be difficult to make the case that any particular constituency should be spared. But the governor’s proposal to […]

Suppose there was a way to provide more children with better health care and save taxpayer money at the same time-wouldn’t it make sense for the state to embrace such an option? Of course it would. That’s why for years many state lawmakers have been pushing Connecticut’s Department of Social Services to use a Primary […]

In 2010, the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association claimed sexual discrimination through the courts in an attempt to have taxpayers fund nearly $800,000 dollars for drugs that treat erectile dysfunction. In March, 2011, unions in Orange, Connecticut won a grievance requiring taxpayers to provide them with free coffee and milk. As many Americans struggle with their […]