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State income tax revenues surged upward again Tuesday, but this time it was the middle class — not the wealthy — behind most of the gains. A new report from fiscal analysts projects overall revenues this fiscal year will surpass budgeted expectations by $464 million — an improvement of $204 million from a rosy revised […]
WASHINGTON – Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham is investigating a former top FBI lawyer and possibly others in connection with media leaks from the agency's initial probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion by then-candidate Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Durham's role in heading the leak investigation was revealed Tuesday, with the release of a letter to him from House Republicans seeking more information on his findings.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday pressed William Barr, President Donald Trump’s choice to head the Justice Department, on whether he would make all of special counsel Robert Mueller's final report public. As he had when asked similar questions by other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing for Attorney General, Barr deflected the question during a tense exchange.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill opened a campaign Tuesday for Connecticut join the vast majority of U.S. states allowing early voting, an idea that requires a state constitutional amendment to implement.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Jahana Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, has been given the job in Congress that she really wanted, a seat on the House Education and Labor Committee.
As we begin a new year, the State of Connecticut faces daunting challenges. Each feels more pressing than the last and it’s hard to know where to even start. But efforts in one policy arena hold promise for creating a ripple effect that would contribute greatly to our state’s economic development, fiscal sustainability, public health, and more.
Over the last few years, our politics have become polarized in a way that I’ve never seen and never would have expected. Civility, kind gestures or words seem to be in short supply. Too many people in our country have developed an “us against them” mentality and believe that our government institutions no longer work for them.
Everyone lives in a house, apartment or some form of physical dwelling which has locks on all exterior doors and all the windows. Why is that necessary? Are the locks to prevent unwanted entry? Yes! Are the locks to prevent theft of one's possessions? Yes! Are the locks to prevent squatters from occupying the structure? Yes! Are the locks to create a sense of security and safety for the legal occupants? Yes! Do politicians have home security cameras and alarms in their homes in addition to window and door locks? I'd bet that the answer is YES.
Any mechanic will tell you, don’t put gas in the engine until the engine is fixed. Connecticut’s economic engine is still broken, so why the rush to put “gas” in it, in the form of a $15 minimum wage, when it still needs fixing? I am all for a proper minimum wage that should be a peg of a local minimum to approximately 50 percent of the local median wage. That is where other advanced comparable OECD nations are currently. But jumping to $15 per hour would constrict economic growth.
