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.
Poverty
Posted inPolitics
In a state of great wealth, all the health care some can afford
While the overall health care system in one of the nation’s wealthiest states ranks high, hundreds of thousands of low- and middle-income residents are struggling to afford coverage or seeing their earnings gobbled up by a system with outcomes as disparate as income. Third in a series.
Posted inNews
FBI report splits Congress along party lines; Blumenthal calls it a ‘cover up’
WASHINGTON – The finished FBI investigation of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has deepened the divisiveness in Congress. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the probe “a whitewash” and Sen. Chris Murphy has determined Kavanaugh “is the most dangerous nominee to the Supreme Court in a lifetime.” Meanwhile Republican senators say the FBI’s probe fails to corroborate any of the sexual assault allegations against the judge.
Posted inNews
More residents above poverty line can’t cover basic costs in CT, report says
Elizabeth Yates and her 2-year-old son are among the 538,529 households in Connecticut that could not afford basic needs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care,and technology in 2016. This group constitutes 40 percent of the households in the state, according to a new report released by The United Way of Connecticut.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT budget cuts program that helps low-income and disabled Medicare patients
The two-year, bipartisan state budget signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy this week will cut Medicaid help for at least 68,000 Connecticut seniors and disabled individuals, a change decried by doctors and health care advocates in the state.
Posted inMoney
Nation’s income gains strong, but Connecticut’s lag far behind
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Census Bureau’s good news that median income rose significantly in the United States last year wasn’t as cheerful for Connecticut. The state was among a dozen with the smallest rate of household median income growth in the nation, which had a robust increase of 5.2 percent. And not everybody benefited from Connecticut’s modest 1.8 percent income growth.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut must correct funding inequity in public schools
It is critical and past due that Gov. Dannel Malloy and especially Connecticut Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzell look at the inequity in funding of the students who attend the Bridgeport Public Schools as compared to the more affluent suburban school districts in Connecticut.
Posted inHealth, Money
More CT households need energy aid despite falling fuel prices
Falling fuel prices weren’t enough to prevent the number of Connecticut households in need of energy assistance from growing in 2015, according to a new report released Wednesday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CT policy recovering welfare benefits damages poor families
Government assistance should not be treated as a loan, and the law that allows the state to seize the estates of deceased welfare recipients hurts the surviving family members — the very people public assistance is supposed to help lift out of poverty. The law should be changed.
Posted inHealth, Money
Operation Fuel: Poor households in CT short $784M for heating bills
Poor Connecticut households this winter will face about $784 million in energy bills above what they can afford, according to a new study released Wednesday by Operation Fuel.
Posted inNews
High-income CT sends U.S. more in taxes than it gets back
WASHINGTON – When it comes to federal dollars, is it better for Connecticut residents to give or to receive? It depends on who you ask. Connecticut is among about 14 states receiving less in federal dollars than its residents pay in federal taxes.