Real Change Starts in State Legislature
With towering political figures like U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd and Gov. M. Jodi Rell leaving the scene at the end of 2010, it is easy and popular to herald Tuesday’s elections as the end of an era. The changes produced by the Connecticut General Assembly arguably have a greater impact on the daily lives of most residents. But with the other races sucking the political oxygen out of the election season, precious little attention has been paid to the contests for these offices.
» Read MoreNew Politics Worse Than the Old Politics
American liberals assumed the opposition would subside as voters were inculcated in the embrace of the nanny state. With this end not yet in sight and their congressional majorities imperiled, their traditional object of rage, George W. Bush, has yielded to a new target: nonprofit advocacy groups that are reshaping the political landscape across the country.
» Read MoreCandidates Who Don’t Deserve Minimum Wage
In the race for Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seat, candidates Linda McMahon and Richard Blumenthal have traded barbs in recent weeks over the minimum wage. Federal candidates discussing the minimum wage might seem a bit comical, given that the State minimum wage of $8.25/hour makes the federally-mandated $7.25/hour minimum a moot point.
» Read MoreAbout as Apathetic as Everyone Else
Connecticut primary voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, August 10th to choose candidates to represent their respective party on the November 2010 ballot. Just 25% of eligible Connecticut voters exercised their right to do so, which caused some observers (this author included) to publicly grumble about the fact that the Nutmeg State primary is held in the dead of August.
» Read MorePutting Yankee Ingenuity Back to Work
One by one, many of the mills and factories that drove Connecticut’s economic engine over the past two centuries have fallen silent as industry migrated to lower cost locations around the world. This evolution and its fallout have posed a series of challenges to statewide policymakers that haven’t yet been confronted effectively. After six years of a caretaker administration, Connecticut’s next Governor must lead an effort to transform our economic environment for the new era.
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