CONNECTICUT: The House That Political Hacks Built

 At the close of the Second World War, there was a great migration from the southern states of the country to the coasts, along with a postwar baby boom. This influx of additional people caused well-meaning and thoughtful civic leaders to try to find ways to house this overflow of people and family growth. One solution was rental “projects housing,” creating small apartments of many sizes with attractive landscapes to give the residents a feeling of home. And the projects sprung up everywhere. Father Panik Village in Bridgeport, CT. Southfield Village in Stamford. Arnold Court in Greenwich, and the masterful Cabrini Green in Chicago, IL. Starting with visions of success, failure came. Combinations of the welfare system, the destruction of the nuclear family via that same welfare system, drugs, alcoholism, crime, and abandonment caused these projects to meet the wrecker’s ball, crumbling into the dust of needles and shell casings left long before. Families that stayed together followed the original intention of the projects and saved money and moved out to homes of their very own. City mismanagement caused the buildings to wear out much sooner than expected. Overall, it was a pitiful debacle, and the wrecker's ball was the punctuation ending this sad and failed chapter in history.

After this wasteful disaster of epic proportions, one sad lesson was learned: Housing provided without the opportunity of ownership and preserving one’s investment was invariably headed to ruin. However, developments such as New York’s “Co-Op City” and “Cooper Village” provided ownership and equity and have succeeded for decades. So, one would think that to provide success in housing other than abject failure, one would not try to do the exact same approach that failed decades ago and expect a different result.

However, Welcome to Connecticut! 

A place where a chorus of political hacks always have a better idea!

A place where the wrong solution is chosen about every time, and where failure is gift wrapped to masquerade as success.

A place where the failed approaches of the recent past are brought out to the sycophantic and ignorant as "unprecedented".

A place where cries of an “affordable housing shortage”  have caused the serial building of monstrous apartment developments that stamp out any semblance of local zoning and community character, as we find these housing monstrosities are entirely unaffordable due to dead business and salary growth in Connecticut. Therefore these developments head to the express lane to be the Cabrini Greens and Father Panik Villages of the future.

A place where no decent and durable housing can be built as the combination of a dead economy, a welfare-state environment, contaminated zoning laws, and the sheer cost of doing so makes all that a losing proposition not worth the risk for any builder or contractor in his or her right mind.

But never fear! Whenever there is a social or community need that good old economic principles are not permitted to deal with, you can rest assured that a combination of politicians, community activists, “religious leaders”  grossly overpaid “nonprofit heads” and “housing advocates” will step in to make a bad result, even  unthinkably worse.

And worse leads to what we already know.

Housing affordability? For things to be affordable, people must be able to produce sufficient income in order to afford them. “Connecticut gets an "F" on housing affordability screams a recent headline so states a recent report by Realtor.com.”   Connecticut ranked 46th out of 50 in the report. The median household income is just over $95,000 per year in the state, and the median listing price for a home is just over $500,000. “We need more homes, we need more multifamily homes, those missing middle options. But really, we need a combination of all those strategies for Connecticut to catch up to our peers,” Chelsea Ross with Partnership for Strong Communities said. (https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/connecticut-receives-f-for-housing-affordability-and-availability-in-new-report/)

The report itself should be must reading for those running for office in the November election, presuming they possess the basic comprehension skills in order to do so. Housing is a complete debacle for Connecticut, in contrast to the billions of dollars that have and will be spent on the guise of "affordable housing". "If the top of the class reshuffled, the bottom barely moved at all. Connecticut (No. 46, F), California (No. 47, F), Hawaii (No. 48, F), Massachusetts (No. 50, F), and Oregon (No. 45, D-) all hold the same rankings as last year...These states face structural challenges such as high prices, constrained land, restrictive zoning, and building costs that far outpace what middle-income buyers can afford.     (https://www.realtor.com/research/state-report-cards-2026/)

What I find interesting is that the "non-profit" Partnership for Strong Communities” organization is quoted in the above news report. "The Partnership" has been in existence since 1998, and their website states the following: Since our founding, the Partnership has successfully advocated for more than $2.6 billion in public funding in Connecticut. These investments have helped build homes and deliver services to increase housing affordability, supply, access, and stability. We have engaged community, civic, and elected leaders to come together and imagine, plan and execute effective change and to create a new paradigm of thinking about housing. (https://pschousing.org/our-history/). Their finances are interesting also. Their Executive Director, Chelsea Marie Ross received $132,271 in compensation along $5,762 in "other" compensation in 2024 (their last published financial statements) (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/200882009). Executive Compensation along with other Salaries and wages of $454,488 account for 54.3% of all expenses for this "non-profit". 

Many social-media users asking questions of, or making criticisms of "The Partnership" are quickly blocked because "The  Partnership", is imperious, and shame on us for not knowing that. Meanwhile, The State of Connecticut spends more than $1 billion dollars a year for programs such as the “Housing Trust Fund” and the “Time to Own” homebuyer program. After all, no amount of money is too large in order to deal with a "crisis".

Many find it fascinating that with the amount of Connecticut Taxpayer funded programs and "nonprofits" for "affordable housing" through tax credits, subsidies to municipalities and other programs, Connecticut continues its race to the bottom of both a shortage of housing and the affordability of housing. It is also important to note and is left out of the debate, is that Connecticut has one of the highest property rates in the country, with such rate increases attributable in many cases to waste, fraud, abuse, and duplication of services as opposed to consolidation. It is ranked third in the country for highest property tax rates with a real estate tax rate of about 1.54% to 1.66% of a property's assessed value. The logical question would be wouldn't the lowering of property tax rates in turn lower property and rental costs? That simple question seems lost in the race to control zoning by an elite political few, who, while living in their Greenwich mansions, demand a lower standard of housing that they can profit from in the guise of "affordable housing" while, (like Ned and Annie Lamont with Annie’s equity interest in benefit provider “Unite Us”), can sit back and reap the benefits of this obfuscation and exploitation of the relative underclass.  

There are many free-market solutions to lower the costs of housing and rents in Connecticut. The solutions have worked before and will work today. However, since the "non-profit affordable housing" industry is drive by profit and control and facilitated by overpaid bureaucrats, professional panderers. and Executive Directors, these solutions will never be mentioned. Connecticut's ruling Democrat elite savor and profit by bottom-feeding off the pitiful economic conditions that exist in the state while not paying the debts they create, thereby adding to the $100-150 billion dollars in short- and long-term debt and unfunded liabilities. Meanwhile a cacophony of activists, do-gooders, and suffering Sams and Sallies are quick to call anyone a racist, (or even worse, a Trump supporter), for calling this horrific mess to task.

 

One really does not need to read a report or listen to the comments of this chorus of failure to understand what is really happening. Just see what is happening around you. And to the cacophony of the hacks, just keep it up.  For it is certain that if they keep it up, housing will never be affordable in this state. 

The Continuing Connecticut Economic Free Fall Into Unconsciousness

 If I could invoke the spirit of the great “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney.  I can ask this question: "Did you ever wonder why they call it a State Legislature?”

Do you wonder? For after all, what in fact is a Legislature?

A Legislature is supposed to be the group of elected officials in a state who make, amend, or repeal laws. The term comes from Latin—lex for law, and latus meaning carried or proposed. A legislature passes bills in accordance with the will of the people, sets budgets, and handles state-level policies.

That is what a legislature is supposed to be. And then, we have Connecticut. 

And we have the Connecticut State Legislature. Such legislature being a body of individuals so out of tune and touch with the citizens they represent that the far corners of the Grand Canyon are closer in proximity.

In that connection, it is amazing to watch the Connecticut State House of Representatives and State Senate when they are in session. The State House consists of 102 Democrats and 49 Republicans, while in the State Senate there are 25 Democrats and 11 Republicans. As one can see, the Connecticut Democrat Party has an iron grip on Connecticut's State Legislature. And when Democrats rule the roost, your money flows like water without any regard to you. The costs of this Legislature are excessively high for the pitiful results it gives Connecticut Taxpayers. As just one 2024 example, $9,890,000 was spent for "Legislative Management", whatever that is, (not counting the operations budget) according to Open Payroll (https://openpayroll.ct.gov/#!/year/2024/full_time_employees,others/pay1,pay2,pay3/explore/0-0-0-0-0/job_cd_descr/Legislator/0--0-0-0/agency/Legislative+Management/0--0-0-0/union_descr/Legislative+Management/0--0/emplid_empl_rcd). This would be hysterically funny, if it were not so sad and so sick.

However, undeterred, legislators gave themselves a large raise to somehow attract a wider mix of individuals who would be willing to serve in the Legislature. So far nothing has changed other than the Connecticut Democrat Party further tightening their grip on power. It is also interesting to note the Connecticut's State payroll for 2024 was $5.8 billion dollars, while the state budget for 2025 is a mere $25.2 billion dollars. The "fiscal moderate" Governor Lamont has proposed a FY 2026-27 budget that increases spending to a $55.2 billion dollars for both years. Included in this proposal is to loosen and lessen Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails, start a major early childhood development initiative spending even more money in this area, (with little result), and more pork type spending projects.

But always keep in mind that your elected officials are there to serve you! And here is what YOU get for this $25.2 billion dollar investment according to a new study by the American Legislative Exchange Council (alec.org) in their 18th Edition of "Rich States, Poor States". Based upon equal weighting of each state’s rank in fifteen policy variables, Connecticut ranks #44 out of 50 states, after it has shown a constant drop in its ranking over the past six years.  

If one looks at Economic performance rankings based on the period of 2013 to 2023, Connecticut ranks #48 out of fifty states. This ranking is: "A backward-looking measure based on the state’s performance (equal-weighted average) in the three important performance variables. These variables are highly influenced by state policy." (https://alec.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ALEC_RSPS_18th_2025_Web.pdf). The three performance variables include State Gross Domestic Product, Absolute Domestic Migration, and Non-Farm Payroll Employment. Each area shows continual decline for the state. Contrary to biased and state-fabricated reports, Connecticut has lost over 171,000 citizens who have moved out of the state since 2013. Connecticut also has one of the highest property tax burdens in the country ranked at #45 out of fifty states and one the highest minimum wages in the country ranked #48 out of 50 states.  High property taxes and excessively high minimum wages have greatly contributed to the state's economic decline.

But chilling news such as this is lost with Connecticut's Democrat Legislative Super majority. There never can be enough spending and funds freely given out with no strings attached to satisfy their unquenchable need to spend Connecticut Taxpayers monies. This lack of thinking is evident by the free cash to the increasing amount of "nonprofit" groups who hold massive sums of money in their assets and seem never enough to solve the problems they supposedly are taking care of. We view this as well with the powerful state labor unions whose raises, benefits and pensions are never good enough for them. We see the political patronage positions that State Representatives and State Senators yearn for to help boost their state funded pensions to infinity. We see this with the hidden monies and 2% interest-only loans given away to politically connected businesses especially those affiliated with the Lamont Oak HC/FT hedge fund; Sema-4, Digital Currency Group and its affiliates, ADVANCECT, 4-CT, Boston Consulting Group, UNITE US, Mt. Sinai Genomics, “The Horsebarn Hill Investment Fund”, Tidal River Fund, McKinsey, and the Lamont-based Cayman Islands shell companies to name a few of many.  The list of economic "freebies" and "giveaways" is endless, and arrogantly continues in the open, again, citizen, be damned.

Thanks to the Connecticut Democrat Party, years of economic decline have nurtured $100 to $150 billion dollars of short- and long-term debt along with unfunded liabilities, to a point of economic Armageddon, a point of economic ruin and a point of true economic failure. Why has this been allowed? This Legislative session has not been any different than any other year (except as of the time of this writing no legislator has flipped over a car, drunk, on the way home). Connecticut Democrat Legislators want even more spending especially for social services of any type, more taxes especially on the "wealthy" (whatever their current moveable definition of it is), and most importantly less personal freedom for those who must toil daily in their command economy.

But let us remember the hardworking and decent taxpaying of Connecticut. He or she does not want more government. He or she wants to see lesser government and lower taxes. Many of these disaffected souls have cried for a Connecticut DOGE to rip and tear at the wreckage of the Connecticut fiscal morass and root out waste, fraud, and abuse. Many of these disaffected souls are correct in that neither the Legislature nor those in Connecticut government are capable of such an endeavor as most are well past being part of the solution and have become part of the problem over time. Therefore, the only type of DOGE that could work would be one done by capable individuals with no financial ties to government.

To this end, my good friend Tony De Angelo has outlined to Senator Rob Sampson exactly the type of DOGE on X that is necessary in Connecticut in order to fix things once, and for all, in my view:

“In order for a Connecticut DOGE to be the useful at all, it minimally has to be.

1) 5-10 NON politically connected individuals of stature and acumen, serving as volunteers.

2) 60 days of "no-holds barred" access to any item or record requested to be delivered in no less than 72 hours.

3) Remove every (read that as EVERY) restriction on records and state-connected nonprofits, agencies, and "quasi-publics" (whatever in the hell a "quasi-public", is).

4) Full access to all travel and other records from all offices including that of UConn Foundation, Advance CT, and the office of Gov Ned Lamont

5) Real-time access to the retirement plan and treasury. If we have at least that, it would be a very meaningful exercise.

If we have an "inspector general" type of corrupted shop-steward thing like Vincent Candelora has suggested, Connecticut DOGE will be a joke.

Your ball. (https://x.com/TonyDeAngelo7/status/1914703792320254259)”

Tony De Angelo summarizes what is needed to finally end the economic decline of what was once a vibrant and robust economic state. For Connecticut to have any chance of economic survival, it must weed out the corruption of theft, waste, and fraud that Connecticut's government has evolved into.

 Connecticut is on track to be #50 out of fifty states next years in the American Legislative Exchange Council (alec.org) in their 19th Edition of "Rich States, Poor States".   But who cares in government? I guess nothing really matters any more to the deluded leaders of the Connecticut Democrat Party who the authors of this morass are.  They have to be proud of the economic quagmire they have created and truly own.