[Stepfordct]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Florida has Disney. Without Disney Florida would easily need an income tax to stay afloat. Remember the space shuttle jobs lost? Imagine that ten fold.

As for Texas it has oil. Boom and bust is a fact of life there. Some of my family was there in the mid 80s and got out.

https://www.houstoniamag.com/news-an...l-bust-houston

Originally Posted by JayCT

I am a very disillusioned Republican who has grown to dislike the party and honestly I borderline hate it. It’s become the party of liars, hypocrites and absolutely no integrity. They pander to the very dregs of society.

I agree with you about Stewart and have said many times the same thing. Unfortunately there aren’t more Republicans like her. In fact there are very few and even less on the national level.

I’ve repeatedly emailed the Connecticut Republican Party leadership saying this but I guess I don’t contribute enough to get an acknowledgment. Their loss. Jay

Jay if you think the Democrat party is better, than maybe there's your answer. Or just register as in independent?
You constantly criticize the Republican party....which is your right. But times change, maybe your just not really a Republican?

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I am a very disillusioned Republican who has grown to dislike the party and honestly I borderline hate it.

I was a very disillusioned Democrat as a young man who had grown to dislike the party and honestly I borderline hated it. I viewed them as the party of high taxes and handouts to the non-producing, long before they started being pro criminal and anti LEO, btw.

Solution found: I changed parties. I engaged in campaigning, at one point, against people I had previously supported. It felt good, still does, and I knew morally it was the correct thing to do.

[mdovell]

What I ramble on in terms of Defense seems to be ringing true. If we actually think that the high GDP of the state can be maintained with defense industry we're going to have significant issues going forward. What an 18 million dollar tank can be taken out with a missile that cost $200,000 and an 85 million dollar playing can be taken out with a missile that doesn't even cost 5% what's the future of the military. Tanks planes and now even votes can be taken out with some form of rockets.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/...r-the-us-navy/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...hips-obsolete/

This is not some left-wing blogger this is an actual US representative from the state of Connecticut writing this article. Can frighten Whitney and Electric Boat build more for the civilian rather than military sector? I don't know. What company is making new cruise ships given the price of fuel? How many places are ordering planes given the price of jet fuel?

In the early nineties that were significant layoffs across the defense sector due to the fall of the Soviet Union. Now it's not so much that Russia's fallen but everything that we thought could happen with their massive military turned out not to be true and if we don't really need to maintain things with significant amounts of tanks and planes and submarines and ships then why do we have all these people working to create these things?

[JGBigGreen]

Rep. Courtney is calling for more investment in the Navy so I’m not sure your point is supported by posting his editorial. Whitney and Electric Boat will be thrilled with this.

Originally Posted by mdovell

What I ramble on in terms of Defense seems to be ringing true. If we actually think that the high GDP of the state can be maintained with defense industry we're going to have significant issues going forward. What an 18 million dollar tank can be taken out with a missile that cost $200,000 and an 85 million dollar playing can be taken out with a missile that doesn't even cost 5% what's the future of the military. Tanks planes and now even votes can be taken out with some form of rockets.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/...r-the-us-navy/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...hips-obsolete/

This is not some left-wing blogger this is an actual US representative from the state of Connecticut writing this article. Can frighten Whitney and Electric Boat build more for the civilian rather than military sector? I don't know. What company is making new cruise ships given the price of fuel? How many places are ordering planes given the price of jet fuel?

In the early nineties that were significant layoffs across the defense sector due to the fall of the Soviet Union. Now it's not so much that Russia's fallen but everything that we thought could happen with their massive military turned out not to be true and if we don't really need to maintain things with significant amounts of tanks and planes and submarines and ships then why do we have all these people working to create these things?

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by Chazbme99

Stefanowski will have a good chance at winning because the Democrat brand is hurt big time right now. Biden and the Democrats have really wrecked the country. The effect this will have on state wide and local elections is hard to determine. We still have months of campaigning and politics to help figure this all out. Lamont is very vulnerable. He can promise more giveaways and push his questionable record but voters will see through this. Lamont is still just a northeast liberal democrat looking to tax and spend like usual. When the federal covid money is spent and gone the state will be in trouble. Too many freebies and not enough people paying into the system. How about some more growth of high paying white collar jobs instead of more Amazon distribution centers and day drivers.

Biden and Democrats on the national level may be hurting but on the state level, Democrats will continue to do well because this is a blue state where they have organizational advantages, have cities on lock and are trending well in the suburbs.

Barring a major issue/scandal, Lamont has been a steady hand, even worked (groveled to?) the Trump administration during COVID etc. If the Republicans had put a more electable/dynamic candidate then Lamont would have been in trouble for sure.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by EUPL

Please not NED. We need someone to keep the young generation in CT. We need someone young to drive people to the polls and get excited for CT. Ned is not the guy.

The only young person that comes to mind who could potentially connect with young voters is Erin Stewart, and unfortunately, she isn't running for governor. Someday, hopefully, that will change.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by BobNJ1960

I do think Lamont will be favored, but you forgot Jay Ned cannot escape the massive juvenile crime issue and being soft on it, nor can he escape the bill aimed at eliminating local zoning control. Both will harm him in the suburbs.

I haven’t forgotten anything.

Lamont and the Legislature have enacted revisions that realistically or not address the juvenile crime problem so that point is mute.

There certainly is a lot of outrage in the suburbs over the affordable housing mandates, however I’m not sure that is sufficient to overcome all of the positives Lamont has on his side. Fiscally the state is in the best condition it’s been in, in decades. Smartly Lamont has resisted increased spending and has enacted $600 million in tax cuts. That’s unprecedented and very hard to overcome.

Lamont has also been very proactive in addressing abortion, signing into law one of the very first laws protecting womens reproductive rights in light of the potential rescinding by the Supreme Court of Roe verses Wade.

Lamont been lauded for his handling of the pandemic. He can point to having one of the very lowest infection rates in the country despite being one of the hardest hit states early in the pandemic. That says a lot and will go a long way to his re-election. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I haven’t forgotten anything.

Lamont and the Legislature have enacted revisions that realistically or not address the juvenile crime problem so that point is mute.

That’s not a moot point, because it’s nothing more than smoke and mirrors to manipulate the layman voter into believing something was done. Anyone who knows the process of the state judicial system knows the recent bill is deliberately misleading. Unfortunately, most voters know nothing about it and put too much trust into media and politicians.

The fact that Lamont signed this misleading bill is just the latest proof showing what dirtbags he and the rest of his Democratic team really are.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

The only young person that comes to mind who could potentially connect with young voters is Erin Stewart, and unfortunately, she isn't running for governor. Someday, hopefully, that will change.

If CT GOP keeps nominating folks like Foley and Stefanowski, she may never run -- who can blame her?

MA GOP is even worse, after Baker, they have really gone off the deep. The Dems are even worse

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by mdovell

What I ramble on in terms of Defense seems to be ringing true. If we actually think that the high GDP of the state can be maintained with defense industry we're going to have significant issues going forward. What an 18 million dollar tank can be taken out with a missile that cost $200,000 and an 85 million dollar playing can be taken out with a missile that doesn't even cost 5% what's the future of the military. Tanks planes and now even votes can be taken out with some form of rockets.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/...r-the-us-navy/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...hips-obsolete/

This is not some left-wing blogger this is an actual US representative from the state of Connecticut writing this article. Can frighten Whitney and Electric Boat build more for the civilian rather than military sector? I don't know. What company is making new cruise ships given the price of fuel? How many places are ordering planes given the price of jet fuel?

In the early nineties that were significant layoffs across the defense sector due to the fall of the Soviet Union. Now it's not so much that Russia's fallen but everything that we thought could happen with their massive military turned out not to be true and if we don't really need to maintain things with significant amounts of tanks and planes and submarines and ships then why do we have all these people working to create these things?

You seem to feel our states economy is solely dependent on government military spending. That just is not true. Our state has a pretty diversified economy. The biggest sector is Finance and Insurance followed by the Community, Business and Personal Services industry. Manufacturing is next.

That said while a good portion of that is military, an equally good portion is not. Remember that Pratt & Whitney is the premier manufacturer of private aviation engines. I believe they have said it’s about 50/50.

Also note that there is no reason to believe that military spending will decrease. The Navy has committed to a long term program to modernize its submarine fleet which is why Electric Boat is booming. That’s not scheduled to subside for at least a decade or more. Certainly given the war in Ukraine means our country will continue to invest in its military for the foreseeable future. Jay