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 […]
Opinion
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Ending collective bargaining would be opportunity for reform
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 […]
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Malloy is right to flatten the administration of higher ed
Speaking from the vantage point of 12 years as a full-time faculty member inside the community college system of Connecticut, I support Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposal to “flatten” the currently bloated layers of higher ed administration. This will save money, and it is also a golden opportunity to improve our college completion rates and serve […]
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A 21st Century ‘Gone with the Wind’
Perhaps to be no more than a memory, cherished only in books, a picturesque, bucolic Connecticut town could be gone with the wind… Currently, Connecticut has no regulations for the siting of wind energy power plants and without them we are an easy target for the wind industry to market their wares. Furthermore, our Siting […]
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In winner-take-all presidential election system, Connecticut loses
The way we elect our President today is deeply flawed. And not just because a candidate can win the popular vote and lose the White House, as has happened four times already in U.S. history. Thanks to the way our current system operates, presidential campaigns now divide our country into states that matter and states […]
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State leadership on clean energy/energy efficiency will create jobs
Job creation is one of Connecticut’s top priorities, and the creation of new jobs through energy efficiency and clean energy projects in schools, homes and public buildings should be a high profile initiative led by Gov. Malloy and supported by the Connecticut legislature. Jobs that provide an energy or environmental benefit, also known as “green […]
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Paid sick days a healthy choice for restaurant workers and customers
When I read what the Connecticut Restaurant Association had to say about the proposed paid sick days bill, I had to respond. They say paid sick leave is a bad idea for restaurants. People who own restaurants might feel that way, but those of us who work at restaurants – or eat at them – […]
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Making teacher evaluations work
Some people think that teacher tenure is a guarantee of a job for life. It isn’t, and it shouldn’t be. The American Federation of Teachers in Connecticut has worked closely with the chairs of the General Assembly’s Education Committee to draft legislation (Senate Bill 1160) that will redesign teacher evaluation systems and align them to […]
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Connecticut economic scoreboard: 0-5
The Day, Jan. 26, 2011: The owner of Yardney Technical Products Inc. in Pawcatuck said Tuesday that the company will move its operation and its 150 employees to a new building in East Greenwich, R.I. President Yevoli said he tried to find a location in Connecticut but was unable to find one that met his […]
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A grown-up choice on teacher layoffs
Connecticut’s grown ups have an unprecedented opportunity this year to make decisions that will put our students’ needs first. Tightened budgets at the state and district levels have us all thinking: how can we be doing things better? Is there a way to approach these painful cuts that allows us to weigh potential reductions against […]
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Mandatory paid sick leave a bad idea for Connecticut’s restaurants
The restaurant industry in Connecticut has not been immune to the economic crisis that has faced our state; we have seen some very challenging days. People were saving wherever they could, and that meant spending less on eating out, which created a tough climate for our restaurants. But most have survived and are looking forward […]
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Let’s do what we can to keep great teachers in the classroom
How well we educate our youth is a true measure of how well we are, or are not, investing in the future of our state and country. That is why during these difficult economic times, we must not simply cry foul about the things that are wrong with our system, but instead look to what […]
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National Popular Vote bill is risky and unnecessary
(Rep. John Hetherington of New Canaan is ranking Republican on the Government Administration and Elections Committee) You might think that our General Assembly has enough to worry about, considering Connecticut’s record deficits and debt. But apparently not in the view of some legislators who want to change the way we elect the President of the […]
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Early education is critical to closing the achievement gap
(Margie Gillis is president of Literacy How Inc.) The recent series of articles on Connecticut’s achievement gap are timely and do a good job of describing the problem at hand. While the series points to the need for early intervention, it neglects two critical aspects of addressing this issue-the need to recognize and respond to […]
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Merging state watchdog agencies will subvert transparency
(James H. Smith is a retired Connecticut journalist, an officer of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, and the author of “A Passion for Journalism, A Newspaper Editor Writes to His Readers.”) Where has wisdom fled to in American politics? With all the rancor and clamor across the land over how literally broke government […]
