The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement should not be voted on during the “lame duck” session of Congress after the election — that unique moment in the political calendar when representatives who have retired or been voted out of office still hold their seats for a short time and political accountability to constituents is at its lowest.
No lame duck vote on the TTP!
Posted inMoney, Politics
Lembo walking a tightrope in ‘silly season’ budget feud
As legislative leaders and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy engage in a partisan battle over the health of Connecticut’s budget, Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo insists he doesn’t want to stay out of the debate — just the political posturing.
Posted inNews
Oh, yes, WFSB reminds us, there is a campaign for U.S. Senate
For a televised hour on Sunday, Republican Dan Carter occupied a rare patch of level ground in his steeply uphill race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal: They stood side by side at identical lecterns in their only scheduled debate.
Posted inPolitics
Larson makes big push for more F-35 fighter jets
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. John Larson is spearheading a push to substantially boost defense budget spending on additional F-35 fighter jets, but success is not assured.
Posted inEducation, Money
Daycare subsidies for thousands on chopping block
Faced with a multi-million dollar deficit, state officials are considering the elimination of child-care subsidies for thousands of Connecticut families who rely on the Care4Kids program in order to work.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
A CT woman’s life with cancer — taking it 12 weeks at a time
When people are faced with an overwhelming challenge, the advice they often hear is “take it one day at a time.” While I see the wisdom in that way of thinking, I recently have adopted my own mantra—I’m taking life 12 weeks at a time.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut’s new second-hand smoke — wood-burning appliances
Wood smoke has become the new “second hand” smoke and it is making thousands of people sick across the country. The components of wood smoke are virtually the same as cigarette smoke and yet wood smoke is hardly regulated while cigarette smoke is highly regulated.
Posted inPolitics
Fact, fiction and dead voters: ‘There’s never been a case here’
Don’t bother to look for a case of someone voting in the name of the dead at the polls in Connecticut, even if Donald J. Trump frets that 1.8 million dead Americans are still registered to vote. Proven voter fraud is rare here, and it’s never involved impersonation at the polls.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal-Carter contest a quiet race in a stormy election year
WASHINGTON — While the odds that Sen. Richard Blumenthal will be re-elected are among the highest in this year’s U.S. Senate races, he’s also under constant fire from a Republican opponent, state Rep. Dan Carter, who has laid siege to the popular Democrat.
Posted inPolitics
FEMA official rebuffs Malloy appeal on crumbling foundations
WASHINGTON — Though it wasn’t an official reply, a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson reiterated Thursday that the plight of homeowners with crumbling foundations does not appear to qualify for aid.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy: There’s a budget deficit, but it’s really, really small
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reported a minuscule state budget deficit Thursday — projecting a $6 million shortfall in state government’s $17.9 billion General Fund.
Posted inMoney
CT’s fiscal woes could mean higher municipal borrowing costs
A major Wall Street credit rating agency warned Thursday that Connecticut’s state budget woes and “dim economic growth” could make it more costly for its cities and towns to get credit.
Posted inMoney
CT lost 5,200 jobs last month as state layoffs took a toll
State employee layoffs began to take their toll on Connecticut’s job market in September even as the unemployment rate improved Thursday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
13 wrong-site surgeries, one on the wrong person, and she has questions
The 2016 Connecticut Department of Public Health Report on adverse medical events was recently released. I was waiting for this report and hoping that I would read about significant improvements from the past years, showing meaningful reductions in the number of patient harm events leading to death or serious injury or consequences. What I read was that there has been no significant reduction in the number of patient harm events over the last year.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Fasano: ‘DCF failing in its core function, keeping kids safe’
I wholeheartedly agree with child welfare advocates who say that children should, whenever possible and when safe to do so, be kept in their homes. Frankly, I can’t imagine anyone who would disagree. But when obvious red flags are ignored for the sake of keeping a child at home, then there is a serious problem. That is why I disagree with Richard Wexler’s portrayal of what is happening in Connecticut, and his unfair criticism of the state’s child advocate and lawmakers who have raised concerns.