Should money intended for transportation projects be spent on transportation projects? I think so. As far back as December 2015, the General Assembly was discussing the importance of ensuring that funding in the Special Transportation Fund (STF) be used “solely for transportation purposes.” In 2017, the House and Senate turned this matter over to the electors in a ballot measure. Now it is up the citizens of Connecticut to answer the question.
Let’s spend transportation money on… transportation
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Voters should reject the ‘lock box’ ruse
Every state relies on its transportation network to drive economic development and maximize quality of life. For this reason, insufficient transportation funding and mismanagement of spending on projects presents a major roadblock to Connecticut’s economic recovery.
The unacceptable state of our infrastructure has a direct impact on all residents, making commuting a nightmare while constraining existing businesses and dooming many newer ones. A study by U.S. News & World Report named Connecticut’s transportation system the third worst in the nation overall, with the very worst road quality out of all 50 states. Meanwhile, rail and bus services are threatened with cuts on an almost annual basis.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
‘Conserva-tarians’ have a chance to get governing right
I am a conservative. Libertarian too. “Conserva-tarian” is a good appellation. “Jeffersonian” is not bad either.
Conservatives among us had better stick with SEBAC for 2.5 more years. (Remember, after June 2021, the oppressive part is over).
To conservatives:
A) Do you REALLY want to trust liberal judges to undo a freely negotiated agreement? (Even conservative John Roberts wouldn’t undo ObamaCare; undoing SEBAC is MORE of a stretch.)
Posted inNews
Newtown school officials defend handling of shooter’s education, refute state findings
The gunman who killed 20 elementary students and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School a few years after he graduated from the school district showed “remarkable progress” thanks to the special education services he received while in school, according to two former officials from the school system.
Posted inJustice
Latest police profiling report leads to something new – a thoughtful discussion
Minority drivers were pulled over for equipment violations, like burned-out tail lights, at higher rates than white drivers in most of the eight towns examined in the state’s latest report on racial disparities in police traffic stop patterns.
Posted inPolitics
Temperature rising in gubernatorial debate
Republican Bob Stefanowski’s bold promise to eliminate Connecticut’s income tax over eight years came under withering attack Thursday by Democrat Ned Lamont and Oz Griebel, a petitioning candidate struggling to be taken seriously in the waning weeks of the race for governor.
Posted inNews
GOP congressional challengers facing the power of incumbency
When she went to the state Republican Party convention in May as a delegate from Manchester, Jennifer Nye had no plans to challenge John Larson, who has represented the Hartford-area 1st Congressional District since 1999. But now Nye belongs to an exclusive club. She’s one of several underfunded GOP candidates vying for Congress in Connecticut this year.
Posted inMoney
CT jobless rate falls to 4.2 percent based on August job gains
Connecticut’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.2 percent Thursday, despite the loss of 500 jobs in September, as labor officials announced August job growth was larger than originally anticipated.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Gov. Malloy, you can grant parolees the right to vote
Six months ago, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order that provisionally pardoned the people on parole in the state – 35,000 in all. It was the fact that the New York State Assembly had just refused to refranchise paroled would-be voters that motivated Cuomo to take bold action. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy needs to follow Cuomo’s example and take action by himself to restore voting rights to people who are currently on parole in Connecticut.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Will our new governor and General Assembly turn a deaf ear to our at-risk students?
Election Day on November 6 is more than a battle of political parties for gubernatorial and legislative control. It’s an opportunity for new leaders to finally put Connecticut on the path to education justice. In January of this year, a deeply divided Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in CT Coalition for Justice in Education Funding [CCJEF] v. Rell that the State was meeting its constitutional responsibility to provide a “minimally adequate” and equitable educational opportunity to our public school students. In the face of such callous judicial indifference to the plight of struggling poor, minority, non-English speaking and other high-need students, CCJEF looks to a new governor and the 2019 General Assembly for justice.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The Connecticut Mirror’s shallow and biased analysis
I have read numerous articles by the Connecticut Mirror that routinely lay the blame for our unfunded health and retirement benefits on under-saving for these plans for decades. While this is true, it ignores the fact that the unions were complicit in this under-funding and other significant contributing factors. State pension and healthcare agreements are rife with abuse.
Posted inNews
Hayes, Santos debate highlights sharply different philosophies and approaches
Democrat Jahana Hayes doubled down on the importance of education, while her Republican rival Manny Santos burnished his conservative credentials at a debate before an audience of college students Wednesday night.
Posted inHealth
Connecticut Insurance Department approves CVS-Aetna merger
The Connecticut Insurance Department has approved CVS Health Corp’s $69 billion merger with Hartford-based Aetna Inc.
The approval is contingent on Aetna completing the sale of its standalone Medicare Part D prescription plan business.
Posted inPolitics
Senate Democrats underscore spending by national Republican PAC
Connecticut Senate Democrats on Wednesday criticized spending by a national Republican-funded Super PAC focused on influencing specific state senate races ahead of the midterm election.
Posted inNews
Gubernatorial contenders seek support among CT retailers
While universally agreeing to enforce sales tax collections on internet retailers, Connecticut’s gubernatorial contenders continued to battle Wednesday over how to fix the state’s finances and its economy.