Last week, I was shocked — shocked, I say – to read the story about President Donald Trump’s fortune. It turns out he is not a billionaire. He got his money from his father, has declared corporate bankruptcy at least six times and may be guilty of tax fraud. Trump Taj Mahal Casino, Trump Castle and the Trump Plaza Hotel in New York City – bankrupt. Trump University – con job. Trump steaks, Trump airline and Trump vodka – failures. He is, in fact, such an incompetent businessman that I wouldn’t trust him to manage a lemonade stand unless his daddy was there to hold his hand.
The snake oil salesman in the White House
Posted inHealth
Can we do better? The state’s ongoing search for ways to treat drug addiction
After serving a three-year prison sentence and completing three years of probation, Bridgeport resident William Kelly found himself back in lock up in 2016 on another round of drug charges. But this time, things were different. Instead of more jail time, Kelly was offered a spot in a state-sponsored treatment program and began his path to recovery within a day of being arrested.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
What price do Connecticut residents pay for state and local government?
Conventional wisdom is that the total price charged by the state and its local governments in Connecticut is one of the most burdensome in the country. A common measure upon which this conclusion is based is the total amount we residents pay in state and local taxes, relative to our aggregate personal income, i.e., our […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Kavanaugh’s confirmation — A seismic shift in political power
The ugly battle is over. By a slim margin and largely along party lines, Brett Kavanaugh has replaced the moderate Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, theoretically solidifying a 5-4 conservative majority. Here are the salient points from this landmark battle.
Posted inPolitics
Gubernatorial rivals find rare common ground on municipal bailouts
Ned Lamont, Bob Stefanowski and Oz Griebel rarely see eye-to-eye. But when it comes to weighing bailouts for distressed municipalities, Connecticut’s gubernatorial contenders share far more in common than not.
Posted inHealth
High-deductible health plans falling from grace in employer-based coverage
With workers harder to find and Obamacare’s tax on generous coverage postponed, employers are hitting pause on a feature of job-based medical insurance much hated by employees: the high-deductible health plan.
Posted inNews
Truth or myth, fact or fiction: What is political reality?
At the height of election season, separating truth from lies, fact from fiction, and myth from reality is a challenge. It’s true in both Connecticut and Washington, D.C., as the November balloting nears. In Washington, the nomination and ultimate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court revealed polar differences in perception of – and portrayal of — the relevant facts.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Senate confirms Kavanaugh to Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – Judge Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by a narrow vote in the Senate Saturday after a bitter and partisan battle over his nomination that included allegations of sexual misconduct. The 50-48 largely party-line vote was expected after several undecided senators, including Sen. Susan Collins R-Maine, declared on Friday they would support the nominee.
Posted inPolitics
The Kavanaugh fight pivots to the polls
Sally Grossman, a Planned Parenthood volunteer, recounted being sexually assaulted 20 years ago by a friend in college. As senators in D.C. moved toward confirming Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice on Friday, dozens of female elected officials and activists took to the steps of New Haven’s federal courthouse vowing to convert their anger into votes […]
Posted inPolitics
Lamont recruits senior executives to business advisory group
New Haven — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont had breakfast Friday with senior corporate executives who have agreed to serve on a Business Advisory Council that Lamont says he would use to recruit and retain businesses in Connecticut.
Posted inPolitics
Griebel: Tapping pension funds risky — doing nothing is worse
Independent gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel says his proposal to defer pension contributions to avert a post-election state budget deficit is a risk, but not as extreme as maintaining state government’s fiscal status quo.
Posted inJustice
Senate advances Kavanaugh nomination, confirmation likely to follow
WASHINGTON – Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s quest to become the next member of the Supreme Court received several crucial boosts Friday, making his confirmation all but certain.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Parents: Vaccinate your sons and daughters against cancer!
Most of the vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and required to enter public school in Connecticut are administered in early childhood and completed by age 4, and then begin again at age 11 (excepting the yearly influenza vaccine). But there is an additional and essential vaccine that was explicitly developed to prevent cancer: the vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV).
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut teachers joining the march to political office
WASHINGTON – This is not only the “Year of the Woman” in politics, it is also the “Year of the Teacher’ with more educators running for public office across the nation and in Connecticut, union officials say.
Posted inPolitics
Hayes, Santos disagree on, well, pretty much everything in CT-5
PROSPECT — Democrat Jahana Hayes and Republican Manny Santos debated for the first time Thursday in Connecticut’s only open congressional race, offering sharply different views of immigration, trade, tax reform and Obamacare — issues President Donald J.Trump has brought to a boil in American political life.