Born Broke: Our pension debt problem by J. Scott Moody and Wendy P. Warcholik, Ph.D. AUGUST 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Connecticut’s public pension system is one of the most expensive in the nation – which may explain […]
Born Broke: Our pension debt problemby J. Scott Moody and Wendy P. Warcholik, Ph.D. AUGUST 2014YANKEE INSTITUTEFor Public PolicyEXECUTIVE SUMMARYConnecticut’s public pension system is one of the most expensive in the nation – which may […]
Once again, the government class in Hartford is looking after its own. In the wake of the governor’s nomination of two new 66-year-old judges (along with some other nominees in their sixties), there was some […]
Everyone knows that Connecticut’s pension system has some serious unfunded liabilities. But state employee pension rules need more than fiscal reform. In a new outrage, a UConn music professor — who has been confronted by serious […]
EAST HARTFORD – A new Quinnipiac poll highlights how badly Connecticut’s people have been hurt by state government’s tax-and-spend policies. After being subjected to the largest tax increase in history in 2011 along with 77 […]
EAST HARTFORD – The retired state employee with the largest pension benefit in 2013 was former Professor John Veiga, who received $283,273 according to new data compiled by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy for […]
STAMFORD – The featured speaker at the Yankee Institute’s Policy Luncheon had a clear message for Connecticut’s policymakers and opinion leaders: “Fix the state’s unfunded liabilities now!” Curtis Dubay, a Connecticut native and Senior Tax […]
In an op-ed for CT News Junkie, Yankee Institute Deputy Director Heath Fahle compares Connecticut to its next-door neighbor Rhode Island in terms of each state’s approach to pension and Medicaid reform. The result? Rhode […]
The State of Connecticut employs nearly 50,000 people on a full-time basis and like most employers, they provide benefits to help employees plan for their retirement. Unlike most private sector employers, however, public employees are […]
The Hartford Courant published a commentary piece by Yankee Institute Deputy Director Heath Fahle on Sunday, August 25, touting both the strengths and weaknesses of life in Connecticut. The takeaway? It’s a great place to […]
The Connecticut State Legislature will begin its 2023 session on January 4th and will adjourn on June 7th. The “long session,” as non-election years are called in Hartford, will be centered around the biennial budget. The Office of the State Comptroller reports that state government found a way to spend $47.11 billion in 2022 and, if trends continue, we can expect that number to grow even more going forward. Concerns over energy prices, inflation, and general cost of living continue to dominate the headlines and the threat of a recession hovers over economic forecasts.
What will our elected officials be working on to improve policy outcomes for Connecticut residents? What tax reform proposals will there be? What can be done to lower home heating bills? How will state and local budgets be affected by fewer federal resources? How will schools be implementing to curriculum requirements?
While we wait to see the thousands of individual and committee bills that while dominate the myriad policy debates this year, Yankee Institute is hard at work promoting free-market solutions to the problems we face from Stamford to Putnam and Mystic to Salisbury. To that end, we have produced a new edition of our Charter for Change. The Charter provides commonsense reforms to make Connecticut’s government work for its residents.
Though the list of reforms may be exhausting to review, it is far from exhaustive! And that’s why we want to work with you to build a broad-based coalition to encourage sound policy reforms to enable Connecticut residents to forge a better future for themselves and their families.
It’s also imperative that we do so. As we noted in a report and CT Mirror op-ed last year, the debate over whether we’re in a national recession really misses the point for Connecticut residents. We had more people employed in the private sector in 2007 than we do today. Our economy has grown at one of the slowest rates in the nation for the past decade, and we are getting outpaced year after year. We’re not attracting innovation and industry. We’re losing some of our best and brightest as they seek other parts of the country where it’s easier to make a living.
But together, we can reverse this trend.
At Yankee Institute, we know Connecticut is a state with boundless opportunity, and we intend to help make our state more than a place where people are just able to make ends meet! Connecticut should be a place where everyone can thrive – and with your help, it will be.