Governor Malloy’s Tax Increase Proposal

The Yankee Institute for Public Policy, an independent think-tank in Connecticut, has come up with a list of all tax hikes the Governor is proposing. As you can see, they are numerous. The piece also includes the elimination of several tax exemptions the Governor has included in his budget. Here is the link:

http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/2011/02/gov-malloys-twenty-one-tax-increases/

Video on the Role of Government

I have posted a new video from C-SPAN 3 on the role of government in American life. American Government students in particular should check it out.

Wave of Protest

It should come as no surprise that a wave of protest has occurred in Middle Eastern and North African nations from Tunisia, to Egypt, to Yemen, and now Jordan. Amidst economic turmoil disaffected people living under autocratic rule will eventually take to the streets demanding reform. And in an age of Facebook and Twitter these protests can very quickly cause a chain reaction and reverberate well beyond the region. Even China has clamped down on the internet in recent days for fear of internal dissent.

These protests are somewhat reminiscent of the 1848 Revolutions in Europe when virtually the entire continent was engulfed by mass demonstrations, and this in an age without mass communication. The events of 1848 also were caused by an economic crisis that turned into political protest.

Today’s protest may serve as the harbinger of democratic reform in the impacted areas, a development that the United States may or may not welcome depending upon who obtains power in these countries.