The Allied and Central Powers had been fighting in the “war to end all wars” for nearly three years when the United States officially entered the conflict on April 6, 1917. Prior to the […]
Members of the Legislative Regulations Review Committee (LRRC) are meeting on Nov. 28 to determine the fate of gas-powered cars in the state, and they are only being told part of the story by the […]
The Secretary of the State’s Office (SOTS) released a report on Wednesday (Nov. 1) outlining the absentee ballots returned by each town. The report revealed that out of the 47,741 absentee ballots issued for the […]
A task force commissioned to study issues associated with the repeal of the motor vehicle property tax held its first meeting on Monday (Oct. 24). Currently, Connecticut car owners pay property taxes that are “99.1% […]
Failure by Mandate – Download Little has more impact on our daily lives than conditions in the towns where we live. All of us care about ensuring that those of modest means aren’t priced out […]
Local radio personality Lee Elci has launched the second edition of the “King of Callers” contest — a competition where participants are encouraged to record impassioned rants on topics of their choice. Currently, the frontrunner […]
As the state launches a fresh marketing campaign to lure and retain families and businesses, Connecticut is still suffering under one of the nation’s most burdensome tax climates, according to a new study by the […]
After operating a food pantry for half a decade, the Faith Temple Assemblies of God in Hartford faced a setback in their efforts to expand their outreach. The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals denied the […]
For the second consecutive month, Connecticut’s unemployment rate (3.5%) is below the national average (3.8%), while state employers added 3,200 jobs, according to the Department of Labor (DOL) September Jobs Report. The unemployment rate is […]
There was “little interest” from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to expand into the Connecticut Valley when a delegation of sachems offered land in exchange for protection against the Mohawks and Pequots. Yet the English reconsidered […]
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.