News Flash: Connecticut Has A Bad And Incompetent Government

 Something is very obvious in Connecticut. Connecticut has a bad and incompetent government. Bad in the sense that it no longer represents its constituents. It no longer represents right versus wrong, truth versus lie, and fact versus fiction. It has produced many different incoherent, blabbering pieces of rhetoric to keep up a fictional lie of how well Connecticut is governed by the Connecticut Democrat Party. And the tipping point has been reached for Connecticut Taxpayers who are now seeing through the charade.

Connecticut has had bad government for many years, but ever since the devastation and oppression of the Covid-19 regime, the acceleration from bad to abysmal has become much more acute. Finger pointing has been perfected to an art form in the state by the Democrat Party. But have no fear. The Democrat Party takes no responsibility for the issues that are facing Connecticut in 2025, but of course, it never has.

The Horrors of Bad Government in Connecticut include (but are not limited to),

Excessively high local and state taxes inhibiting economic growth and economic and personal freedoms.

Excessively high insurance costs for auto insurance due to the rampant thefts and hijackings of vehicles, especially by repeat offenders along with the horrific mismanagement of residential crimes and the mishandling of natural disasters.

Excessively prohibitive costs of doing business in the state due to a myriad of complex rules, regulations and laws that increase the costs of doing business in the state and eliminate profitability for small businesses. (And as a tutorial of things to come with respect to the impending and disastrous "bipartisan" mismanagement of Artificial Intelligence for state businesses, please watch my friend Tony De Angelo’ THIRTY WITH TONY show of May 22, 2025, dealing with the horrors of “Senate Bill 2”

THE SHOW STUPID POLITICIAN TRICKS PART 2 THIRTY WITH TONY 5 22 2025 )

THE SHOW STUPID POLITICIAN TRICKS PART 2 THIRTY WITH TONY 5 22 2025

 

A constant illegal drug problem further exaggerated by the legalization and taxation of marijuana, while “psychedelic mushrooms” are moving from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box as the next legal drug of choice.

An irrational and sickening excess of the promotion of the harm and exploitation of children through sex changes, boys playing in girls’ sports, pornographic reading materials in libraries in schools, and the condemnation of parents having responsibility of their children. 

This should sicken everyone in the state.

The state's takeover of local zoning laws and regulations. (Communities be damned).

Fiscal guardrails that are shunned and destroyed by the Democrat Party.

No acknowledgement whatsoever of the 100 to 150 Billion Dollars of short- and long-term liabilities and unfunded liabilities weighing on the state. (Hint: The celebrated and oft-repeated Fiscal Guardrails do not even touch this grievous liability).

The state’s complete lack of transparency in how and why it governs and lack of disclosure of whosoever else may be involved.

A state ethics department that one would compliment to call it a joke.

 The continuing saga of the legal and ethical quagmire of Governor Lamont, the self-deals of the Lamont family, and the highly questionable (and non-transparent) dealings of First Lady Ann Lamont in matters of state government.

A bloated state bureaucracy of excessive and overpaid state employees, state commissioners, state assistant to the assistant employees, state departments, state committees and mythical "nonprofits" that are secret from the public view and whose dealings are intentionally exempted from Freedom of Information, (such as ADVANCE CT where state business policy involving Eversource, Yale, and other big players is engineered under shroud of secrecy, citizen be damned).

This is not the way Connecticut should be governed. This is not the way the Grand Duchy of Fenwick should be governed. This is bad government in action. This is worse than "Lord of the Flies". And what can be done about it? Can the Connecticut Taxpayer trust anyone in their government? Why should they? Maybe it is time to start all over in the state.  Connecticut's problems never go away nor does the constant spending of Connecticut Taxpayers monies resolve anything. The passing of greater laws does not resolve anything but create added benefits for the masses to benefit a privileged few. Connecticut has the same problems year in and year out. All of the excessive laws and excessive taxation just further exaggerates the same old problems.  Nothing changes. Why is that difficult to see in plain sight?

Term limits, spending caps, administrative salary reductions, and an overhaul of state laws/regulations and ethical politicians would be a great start in ending Connecticut's bad government. But in a state that has veered this excessively to the socialist left it is not possible. Or is it? Time will tell as the stale incoherent leftists and their incoherent and incompetent rhetoric fall on the deaf ears of the Connecticut Taxpayers and they start to scream loudly about this mockery masquerading as government.

Connecticut. The Crisis-Driven Disaster.

Well-run states and organizations govern objectives and goals. However, Connecticut continually governs by crisis. There just has to be one. There is always a crisis in Connecticut. No matter which party controls Washington, the continual omnipotent Democrat iron-fist one party rule in Hartford always makes sure that there is some self-perpetuated failure, somewhere, where a Democrat can stand on as a soap box to remind us as to how badly we need Democrats. Take any time, place, or date and just change the crisis, and there is always one present. The pathetic state government could have an infinite amount of cash flow and would still need more money and never touch the $100-$150 billion dollars in short- and long-term debt along with unfunded liabilities looming over the state like a tarpaulin. For a crisis must be created. It never ends.

As the 47^th President of the United States Donald J. Trump is causing a whirlwind of national opportunity and enthusiasm in word, action, thought and vision, you can set your watch to Connecticut Democrats manufacturing yet another crisis in response to that . A new and continuing crisis is the supposed lack of "affordable" food in the state. Due to the cratered Connecticut economy and the lack of industry and leadership, many families with school aged children can't afford food, thus the state and town must provide free/low-cost breakfasts/snacks/lunches. The food in theory should be "nutritional" and be healthy. Apparently Connecticut has been receiving federal funds through a Biden-era program; the “Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program” and the “Local Food for Schools Program” which paid schools and food banks to buy "healthier" food options from local farmers (https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfs). This program apparently has its roots from Covid-19 funding and is being cut by the Trump Administration since the pandemic is over and the economy should be able to function without it given normal circumstances. This is normal thinking. But when you are a beggarly, welfare-dependent state like Connecticut, you depend on government assistance as a way of life. You know nothing different and you do not care to learn anything different.

Connecticut is typically the lead participant of free money programs and its never-ending giving/redistribution of Taxpayers monies. Connecticut's Covid-19 crisis was intentionally prolonged in order to receive more "free" money to get and spend. But what happens when that money gets cut off as in this case? It is the usual rhetoric and disgust as far as the cuts are concerned. Senator Chris Murphy stated: "most people who depend on food assistance in Connecticut work, adding that stagnant wages are not high enough to help them pay the bills...By ending these two programs, all you’re doing is hurting farmers and jeopardizing the food security of our families,” Murphy said. “These programs don’t save big amounts of money for the federal government; they don’t balance the budget.”  (https://ctmirror.org/2025/03/17/ct-schools-food-banks-local-farms/) It is inarguable that any savings would help balance the budget and lower the country’s $36 Trillion-dollar National Debt. Not to be outdone in crying the poor mouth, Senator Richard Blumenthal chimed in: "And while the pandemic exacerbated food insecurity across the U.S., (multi-millionaire Vietnam Combat Veteran) Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., argued that the White House is “taking the food off the table from working families so that the ultra-wealthy can have tax cuts.” (https://ctmirror.org/2025/03/17/ct-schools-food-banks-local-farms/) Can Senator Blumenthal directly trace the cuts in this program's funding with "Wealthy...tax cuts"? I find it hard to draw this correlation between the two, especially with a $36 Trillion-dollar National Debt. And wouldn’t job creation be the result of lowered taxes providing more free cash for spending? But again, these two fiscally incoherent Senators have been huffing and puffing for years and offer no solutions to our $36 Trillion-dollar National Debt and or the massive problems of the people they supposedly represent with affording food in Connecticut, other than to continually begging Washington.

Perhaps we can find some hope and perspective from the nonprofit and agency heads across the state! Like Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, whose last known salary was $291,114, other compensation of $54,529 and total compensation is $345,643 (https://givefreely.com/charity-directory/nonprofit/ein-061063025/)."Connecticut Foodshare was one of the largest participants in the program that had received about $3 million over the past few years. The group was set to receive another $1 million before the (pandemic) initiative was terminated." (https://ctmirror.org/2025/03/17/ct-schools-food-banks-local-farms/). One may wonder why Jakubowski is paid so much to "run" this nonprofit? Comparable private-sector executives with much greater responsibility and managerial accountability can look forward to half of his salary. His salary and those of his administrative staff if decreased, could be used to help feed people. But why do so many people in Connecticut need food assistance? Is it the excessively inflated cost of living due to high state and local taxes, high housing costs, high transportation costs, high insurance costs due to high crime rates and high electric costs? Does the bloated and politically connected state-run government contribute to the nanny state that distorts and destroys Connecticut's free market economy along with the state's affordability to live? Wasn't the above equilibrium minimum wage and state paid health/family leave insurance passed by Democrat legislative geniuses going to solve most of the state's affordability issues? And wasn’t taxing/taxing more the "rich" through the Utopian state income tax going to resolve once and for all the state's affordability issues so people could buy food on their own?  Why is this not happening? And why has the economic gap between the Connecticut state government, its state employees, and its programs fail year-in and year-out to resolve these pressing economic and social problems over the past 35 years? Just look at the costs of Connecticut's state government for salaries, benefits and pensions compared to the rest of the population that is not connected to government.

But to be fair, Connecticut does have a vision for economic growth and job development! There is a Connecticut Department of Economic Development! (“DECD”). The DECD serves officially as the state's primary agency for fostering economic growth and community development and is supposedly tasked with a broad mandate that includes economic development, housing, community development, transportation, education, and arts and culture. Its mission is supposedly to strengthen Connecticut’s economy by supporting businesses, promoting tourism, and fostering vibrant communities. The DECD employs approximately 100 full-time staff members. Daniel H. O'Keefe has been the commissioner of DECD since November 2023, earns more than his predecessor's $215,000 annual salary. However regardless of the bulbous spending of the DECD, Connecticut continually ranks last or near last in any reputable state poll comparing economic viability between states. A real economic development agency would be creating a business-favorable and job creating environment as opposed to consuming and wasting taxpayer dollars with little to no aggregate results. In fact, it is certainly a safe statement to say that the economic ranking of Connecticut would not be changed by one percentage point should the entire failed DECD model be dissolved and the funding expended be used to feed the hungry. This of course would not be the right answer. But neither is the continued wasting of tax dollars by crisis-driven leaders for little reason along with no vision or plan for real economic incentive and job growth.

Connecticut Taxpayers are now seeing through the stale, lost rhetoric of Connecticut's ruling political class. Connecticut Taxpayers should not have to forage to survive in a state that has no leadership, no ethics, no vision, and no results. Elected officials bellow at all times, and rant and rave against all of the injustices that they have helped to create in all of their never ending years of elected power and conquest.  The cut of the food aid program is just another example in the extensive line of economic failures pointing to the sad fact of there is never enough to be able to live a normal life in this once "Constitution" state that helped to found our country back in 1776. 

The Democrat-driven political cabal has never been the solution but is part of the fabric of the problem. Enough, is indeed, enough.

Who to believe in Connecticut?

 Who to believe in Connecticut? This is a question without an answer. Take the Connecticut Health System. We found out this past Thursday night that Dr. Deidre Gifford retired from her leadership role at Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy. Mind us all this is not some quiet fade into the sunset, but rather it is a blaring siren of scandal, drenched in fraud allegations tied to a canceled Medicaid audit. That audit, abruptly shelved, is linked to a bribery case involving Konstantinos Diamantis, a former state official now infamous for questions on his dealings. Emails uncovered in the investigation show Gifford was in on discussions about contracts and payments that reeked of kickbacks. And if that is not enough, her legacy and professionalism reaches all the way back to the debacle of her Covid-19 management and her incessant push for vaccines harming many innocent citizens and children. And her career reaches back even farther to her leadership of the Department of Social Services (DSS), and it was a masterclass in screwing things up. Under her watch, administrative costs ballooned—state audits pegged DSS spending at $50 million over budget in 2018 alone, with no explanation beyond “operational needs.” Access to care cratered too: rural clinics closed at triple the national rate, leaving swaths of eastern Connecticut without Medicaid providers. Deidre is an exemplar for a leader in King Governor Ned Lamont the Unaccountable’s Connecticut; screw up, get involved in multiple failures and swindles, become unaccountable, hide, and when the wolf starts for your door, quit, skip out, and cash in on taxpayer money. It is the Connecticut Gold Standard.

Who to believe in Connecticut? That is easy! Believe Ned Lamont! The Unaccountable was crowing on Thursday about U.S. News and World Report ranking Connecticut #8 in its 2025 economy category, which sounds great until you dig into how they got there. For the economy part, the report focuses on business environment, employment, and growth. Connecticut scores decently here because of the statistical and income distortion of Fairfield County millionaires and Yale graduates. But here is the catch: it tanked at #48 for fiscal stability and #43 for opportunity. So, we see that U.S. News is cherry-picking features to a privileged few and downplaying the ugly characteristics we are all too familiar with. There is no mention of the 2025 "Rich States, Poor States" report ranking Connecticut 44th for economic outlook and 48th for performance. There is no mention of the state’s crushing pension debt, high taxes, serial and blatant corruption, and business-hostile regulations. So, in the final analysis, you can’t believe The Unaccountable either, (but you already knew that).

Who to believe when it comes to the Connecticut Legislature? This is another unanswerable question. We do not know, especially when it comes to state budgets that normally are voted on at all times of the day and night with no transparency. There are no negotiations on state budget with the minority Republican party, even though this year Republicans presented a tepid alternative budget that somewhat lowers taxes and cuts spending.  “This budget is a step toward what residents deserve—affordability, accountability, and flexibility in the face of federal funding uncertainty,” stated Finance Committee ranking member Rep. Joe Polletta (R-Watertown). But the Democrats immediately condemned the Republican plan as “House Speaker Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said the plan is “not the most serious document I’ve ever seen, so we’ll probably have to write this one off.” (https://www.cbia.com/news/issues-policies/house-gop-state-budget-plan). Certainty the last ten years of Democrat fiscal horse-manure rammed down Connecticut Taxpayers throats are not the most serious documents I have ever seen and should have been written off for their excessive taxation, spending and loss of personal freedoms slammed into them. But again, Connecticut's Democrat party does not believe in either opposing voices, co-operation with elected officials from the opposition party nor any type of compromise or citizen input. They rule with an iron hand.

Trying to understand this new Democrat budget that again raises spending and taxes offers nothing different than in past budgets. Spending will go up over $1 billion dollars, since the first year of the budget increases spending over $395 million dollars, and the second year follows suit with over $770 million dollars according to initial estimates. Estimates of new and higher taxes for the first year of the budget are over $935 million dollars and over $1.2 billion dollars for the second year, although these figures are both secret and uncertain at the time of this writing. But who cares? As a reminder, Connecticut has $100 to $150 billion dollars in short- and long-term debt along with unfunded liabilities. Connecticut is unattractive to new citizens and businesses with its excessively high taxes along with a non-transparent and corrupted government. Why move to Connecticut? Why move your business to Connecticut? Given this economic situation of high taxes and high state debt it really would be an economically incoherent move.

Who to believe in Connecticut regarding solutions to the messes? Solutions are nonexistent to Connecticut's fiscal problems in the realm of the political class. I have written about this for many years now and all is getting worse. Connecticut badly needs a citizen driven "DOGE" type commission as has been recommended by my good friend Tony De Angelo on his weekly segment on the Lee Elci show 94.9 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBxTuCSLdCw) A no holds barred approach of dismantling the current bureaucracy is critically necessary and would be truly helpful to Connecticut Taxpayers to see where their hard earned tax monies actually go to.  Is Connecticut efficiently run? Is there waste and fraud occurring in the state budget? Are all monies accounted for going to the correct accounts and programs? Does state government have excessive management positions and or excessive "do nothing" types of jobs? Why are public hearings on state spending issues limited in nature? What is the plan to pay off the state's massive debt? Could you really trust anyone connected to a state paycheck or income stream to give you an answer on any of those questions? (And it is almost a certainty that the next Republican candidate for Governor will turn against such a necessary analysis and will state his or her belief that the state can fix itself fiscally with a little help and guidance).

But citizens now know that their government is untrustworthy. The list is endless on what a Connecticut type DOGE could investigate and find. Just think at how much money could be save for Connecticut Taxpayers? Just think of the economic boom the state could have with more money freely being used by private citizens and private businesses rather than Connecticut's Democrat Party and its associated bureaucracy deciding who gets what. Connecticut would be much better served with a fully transparent government along with a true system of checks and balances.

In closing, Connecticut Taxpayers are no longer being represented or heard in Connecticut's failing, politically inept and stale one party ruled government. A bizzarro-type government where increasing incompetency and fraud is rewarded while you pay more each year to see things get worse and worse. But who can you believe who tell you the truth? The sad fact is that there is seemingly no one whatsoever connected to government that you can believe in Connecticut for any reason, anymore.

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Cheng's Big Promotion!

 Leadership and integrity are highly prized and necessary traits for anyone in authority. But in Connecticut, neither leadership, integrity, or character seems to be a requirement for an executive position in state Government. In 2021, Manisha Juthani, MD, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) did her best Scarlett O’Hara impersonation to try to convince Connecticut residents that the non-delivery of critical Covid-19 test kits was not “her fault” even after promising these same residents that the tests would certainly be delivered as she saw them on the airport runway en-route to Connecticut.  King Governor Ned Lamont The Unaccountable has lied or lied by omission on a grand scale to citizens several times in the Sema4, Digital Currency Group and UNITE CT debacles, (inter-alia). Rep. Michael DiMassa and Mayor Joe Ganim, not nearly as sophisticated as the hi-tech enabled Ned The Unaccountable, elected to go with good-old country hardball ham and egg style fraud and theft.   And should my Liberal readers cry foul, we can mention disgraced former Governor John Rowland as well. It is almost as if a criminal accusation or conviction is a requirement to the ascendancy of a high-level Connecticut position.

However, in a sick way, we may have reached a new Connecticut Gold Standard in unaccountability, pilfering, and corruption. His name? Terrence Cheng, outgoing Chancellor of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU).

No doubt, readers will remember Terrence Cheng. As I stated in my blog on January 11, 2025; "Between July 1, 2021 and Oct. 24, 2024, Cheng charged $27,125 to his P-Card, with 70% of those for meals designated as business meetings...ordered a driving service on three occasions despite having a state-owned car and then later renegotiated his contract to get a vehicle stipend." (https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/audit-finds-cscu-executives-had-lax-attitude-expenses/3457803/)...Chancellor Terrence Cheng who is a Connecticut state employee earns a salary of $442,000 a year along with a $2,100 a month housing allowance and $48,759 in non-retirement fringe benefits (https://openpayroll.ct.gov/#!/year/2024 full_time_employees,otherspay1,pay2,pay3explore/0-0-0emplid_empl_rcd/103A097F0FCE960AA5B7A3AB4FFDB5A4/0-0-0/agency), apparently does not even live in Connecticut but rather in New York.  

But what is new here? Rather than making an example of this man and demanding repayment of all pilfered sums of taxpayer money in lieu of prosecution, we see that Terrence Cheng  is somehow being given a new full-payment nonjob as a "strategic advisor to the Board" as he moves to "transition" to this position in July 2025.  His contract as Chancellor has not been renewed as Chancellor but he somehow gets to keep the bulbous financial payment of the last year of his contract.

If Cheng worked in private industry he probably would have been fired for his actions and would have certainly paid restitution.  However in Connecticut, where Connecticut Taxpayers are damned and treated like garbage, Cheng gets to keep his last year of his lucrative contract, and will likely will have some sort of state pension and benefits in the long term. This is his "reward" for costly actions. But given the multiple grafts and larcenies of many wearing the Connecticut uniform, Cheng probably would have a discrimination suit against the state for not being treated as handsomely as previous state miscreants if he had not received this obscene last year of salary.

Of course to the struggling Connecticut taxpayer, having a “University Chancellor” is critically important to the price of their meat, eggs, and baby formula. Given the practical uselessness of that position, one only wonders what a "strategic advisor to the Board" does for higher education to deserve a salary of $442,187 a year, plus benefits? Does he go on expensive business lunches that he can charge to his procurement card? Does he advise more Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion gibberish to further complicate and redefine what higher education is in the state? Does he give ceremonial teas and pose for photos? Does he form more committees to study how colleges should teach less actual subject matter in the classroom and more political indoctrination curriculum? I cannot find any information as to his new position, what it entails or what he will do if anything for his pay. But of course, peons in Connecticut do not have the right to ask those questions of the elite and anointed ruling class.

Further, one asks how contracts are drafted on behalf of the state that do not include automatic terminations on morals and malfeasance issues such as this instance. But since this is Connecticut, we never see bright line policy and accountability where a public official is involved. (You would think by now that we have learned not to ask about such things).

In addition, as an educator how does Cheng's excessively high salary and benefits benefit the state college student in his or her education? Couldn't $442,187 plus benefits be better spent in actual education of the students and or in stabilizing tuition costs especially for those students who are willing to work for an education and trying to get a degree to better themselves, but face astronomical costs for a "subsidized" state college education?  How about if a Connecticut Citizen DOGE just looks at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system and investigates the incredible salaries, benefits, pensions of the administrative staff that has helped to push up these same astronomical costs for a "subsidized" state college education?

But alas, we know this will not happen. Cheng's position will be embraced by Ned Lamont and his Democrat Legislature as an essential position that cannot be undone. We as citizens are not allowed to question what our leaders decree upon us. The truth of this unethical decision is that its shows how corrupted education has become in Connecticut and how little respect the Connecticut Democrat Party has for either the Connecticut college student and or the Connecticut Taxpayer. Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Chancellor Cheng should have been fired and immediately dunned for immediate restitution and not promoted.

It is a straightforward process that does not exist in a state with Omnipotent One-Party Rule, and an acceptance for serial evil and malfeasance at the highest levels.