Donovan Hires Amann

This can only be the result of a bet, a dare or a serious bout of drinking. It bespeaks the total lack of regard these two men have for their colleagues (who will inevitably have to wear some of the stink the hiring has created), their constituents (who surely didn't vote them in for this) and the taxpayers of Connecticut (who they clearly despise). This is absolutely the wrong thing to do at the wrong time and very much at odds with the mood that has to prevail in the State Capitol right now. How can they not see this, or be advised by someone who does see it? I thought Gov. Rell's appointment of the pro wrestling maharani wouldn't be topped for some time, but this is far worse. This is very nearly a crime.

Rell Rumble

Can the end of days be so near at hand? I wondered this as I read that Linda McMahon, chief executive of Stamford-based World Wrestling Entertainment has been nominated for a spot on the state Board of Education by Gov. Rell. For years, the WWE has done everything in its power to make America a stupider, more brutal society. It has promoted vulgarity, sexual stereotypes, steroid-fueled aggression and 2nd-grade-level humor in order to keep wrestling (wrestling!) at the forefront of our entertainment menu. Clearly, Linda McMahon has had a hand in all of this. If she truly has any concern for young people, she shouldn't sit on a state board, she should work to shut down her own company. And who in God's name pressed Rell to make this amazing decision?

State Budget: Here's Why It's Difficult

In the midst of a fiscal crisis, Connecticut's Republican legislators have proposed delaying binding arbitration for state employee contracts until June. Under the circumstances, and given the many sacrifices being made in the private sector, this does not seem an unfair thing to ask. Yet today, here come the state employee unions, appalled that they could be treated so shabbily. A statement from CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 says in part: "Connecticut needs real solutions that don't dismantle the public services on which Connecticut's residents rely more than ever." Who is dismantling public services? Why such a disproportionate response? I think the taxpayers of the state deserve a more measured, intelligent argument from those they employ.

Idiocracy at WTIC

In casting off Colin McEnroe, its most creative, unpredictable, wide ranging, buoyantly intelligent voice, the management at Hartford's WTIC-AM radio has struck a senseless blow to the heart of Connecticut culture. I understand that financial decisions had to be made. All media in the state are facing similar stresses. But sometimes you reach a crossroads at which you have to decide just what sort of radio station or newspaper or magazine you are going to be. WTIC reached that crossroads and decided to take the low road, the one that goes downhill to the land of the lowest common denominator, a tremendously uninteresting place governed by the endlessly repeated fears and anxieties of its commentators and listeners. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are many things, but they are never ennobling; they never challenge their listeners to go out and do or see something that might change the way they view the world or themselves. I don't want to elevate McEnroe too much; I was not a regular listener. But I do know that Connecticut needs voices like his if we are to remain a state of comparative enlightment and intelligence (and it makes no difference to me whether he is liberal or conservative). His bosses at WTIC made an idiotic decision, and they richly deserve their new reputation.

Connecticut's Top Public High Schools

LOTS of reaction to the "Top High Schools" feature in Connecticut Magazine. Anger from inner-city teachers and administrators who feel demographics need to be factored in; dismay from some suburban precincts who feel they didn't finish high enough; joy from those who feel the results perfectly illustrate the disparity between schools in rich and poor areas of the state. Our intention was simply to put the numbers out there to be used however they might. The fact is, these are the "top" schools in terms of the factors we used and they do a great job of preparing the kids they have. Whatever else it says is all in the eyes of the beholder. The results are now available here.

Why Obama Saved Lieberman

It seems to me that if those who voted for Obama were serious about the changes they want to see in Washington, they will just have to suck it up and live with Joe Lieberman's slap on the wrist. I was disgusted with our senator's behavior during the campaign and I'll never forget how low he was willing to go as a supporter of John McCain. But the bigger picture must prevail here. The malignant strain of partisan politics, fathered by Lee Atwater, nurtured by Carl Rove and infecting both sides of the aisle, must be eradicated. My guess is that Obama sees Lieberman as a potentially mollifying figure in that effort--someone unloved by both sides who nonetheless can be useful in bringing them together. The American people really want to see a new mood in Washington, and the energy and excitement associated with an Obama presidency just might be able to move in that direction. Oddly enough, Joe Lieberman might have a role in that effort, either symbolically or in real politics. If we want to see a new Washington, it's time for us to move on and get to the job at hand.

Why the Economic Scare Tactics at the Courant?

The Connecticut Center of Economic Analysis released a report yesterday that could well have been greeted as good news for Connecticut. It said the state had been in a recession for about a year, had seen "only modest job losses" during the period, projected 40,000 more job losses ahead before improvement begins and "anticipates the recession will not be a deep one for the state." The Hartford Courant treated the report with the headline "UConn Economists Latest to Predict Sizable Job Losses" and a lede saying the report was projecting "massive job losses." The 40,000 figure looks very bad, of course, but it represents only 1.8 percent of the state's workforce, so the newspaper's use of "sizable" was probably okay, but "massive" is a real stretch. The news in the report, however, is the prediction that the recession here will not be a deep one. Whether this projection turns out to be wrong or right is unknown at this point, but the reporter missed the story. What is the point of taking a mildly optimistic report and trying to make it as scary as possible for readers?