During his farewell address in 1796, George Washington said, "However (political parties) may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which... men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."
It’s time to rethink the role of public employee unions in democratic governance. Public employee unions are politically impregnable, but their corrosion of first principles of democratic governance may leave them open to constitutional attack.
‘I’m going to focus on the old business motto, KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.” That’s how Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont put it Monday in announcing his decision to base Covid-19 vaccine eligibility strictly on age. [Editor's note: With the exception of teachers who are being jumped ahead. - See CT Examiner link below.]
The Democratic Governor is right that complexity is the enemy of speed. It’s also the enemy of equity. Decisions about who is or isn’t an “essential worker” are arbitrary.
As polar sea ice melts, uncovering trans-Arctic trade routes and unprecedented oil and gas fields, Russia and China are rushing to stake claims. Just last month, three Russian LNG tankers made history by sailing the Northern Sea Route in the dead of winter. China, too, has eyes on the Arctic with its “Polar Silk Road” project.
As part of his proposed $1.9 trillion relief bill, President Biden wants to send $350 billion in unrestricted cash to state and local governments to fill their budget holes. But the prospect of federal aid has encouraged many of these supposedly blameless states to keep piling on costs, including pay raises for government employees. As private businesses hold on by their fingernails, public-sector labor unions have their hands out.
Connecticut state workers pocketed a 3.5% bump in July and another worth about 2% this month. Gov. Ned Lamont had initially suggested postponing the raises—“to lead by example”—but SEIU blitzed the airwaves with TV commercials accusing politicians of wanting to “take away” their wages. Mr. Lamont folded.
The Millstone Power Station in Waterford, Connecticut consists of three nuclear power units; Unit 1 began operations in 1970 and closed in 1998; Units 2 and 3 are still operating, having begun operations in 1975 and 1986, respectively. There are 31 storage containers for nuclear waste at Millstone, with capacity for 135 canisters.
● Read Lee Elci's column in The Day
A group of progressive Democratic lawmakers last week called on the governor, also a Democrat, to declare a fiscal emergency, and proposed a $3 billion legislative package of new spending on education, property-tax relief, a one-time stimulus payment of $500 for people who lost their jobs during the pandemic, and other measures.
Lawmakers proposed paying for these new spending items by raising taxes on the wealthy and on corporations to produce more than $4 billion in new revenue annually. The proposal includes establishing a 5% surtax on capital gains for individuals making more than $500,000 annually and raising the state’s top income-tax bracket to 12.696%
Stamford and Darien and our surrounding communities are the crown jewels of the state of Connecticut. As a Stamford native and graduate of our public schools, I’m running to be your state senator for the 27th district (which covers much of Stamford, and most of Darien south of Interstate-95) to make them even better.
State Reps. Jeffrey A. Currey, D-East Hartford, Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, and Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour would require schools to teach about "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientations and gender identities."
Gov. Ned Lamont on Jan. 26 extended his authority to unilaterally run the State of Connecticut, enacting sweeping executive orders through April 20. Republicans, in contrast, offered to approve an extension until March 1 in exchange for future declarations to be no longer than 30-day increments and voted on by the legislature.
