The top line numbers from the jobs report last Friday were heartening: The unemployment rate fell to 7.3% nationally as hiring increased significantly compared to the July 2013 numbers. A closer look at the data, […]
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 Tax Foundation is one of America’s oldest and most respected research organizations focused on taxation policy in the U.S. For example, the Tax Foundation’s Principles of Sound Tax Policy are the gold standard for […]
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 Cato Institute’s Jim Powell examines how the once-prosperous Connecticut economy became one of the worst performing in the nation. His answer? Misguided big government policies that squandered the state’s proud legacy of entrepreneurship and […]
The Yankee Institute honored the legacy of Dr. Milton Friedman on Wednesday, July 31 with a luncheon and policy discussion led by Jason Bedrick of the Cato Institute. The New Britain Herald’s Scott Whipple called […]
Connecticut collects revenue from at least 371 unique sources of revenue, but the bottom 200 don’t even produce 1 percent of total state revenue. Are these really worth keeping? Yankee examines the issue in Too […]
Milton Friedman would have turned 101 years old this year. In celebration of this anniversary, please join the Yankee Institute in honoring Milton’s legacy! We’ll be hosting a luncheon on Wednesday, July 31 at the […]
34% of unionized Connecticut workers would quit their union if they could EAST HARTFORD – A third of union households in Connecticut say they would opt out of their union if given the chance, according […]
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.