Y CT Matters
There are personalities behind the policies. And when we disagree, the common ground is ... conversation. Yankee Institute President Carol Platt Liebau talks with people across our state and country about the topics that are impacting YOU — and covers the human interest stories that make Connecticut unique. Join us weekly for news, policy — and a bit of fun thrown in, as well.
Episodes
Video evidence of multiple people dumping votes into absentee ballot dropboxes in Bridgeport ignited controversy, a trial, and a new mayoral primary. But the perpetrators have not faced direct charges. So a group of city residents have filed a lawsuit on Nov. 21 demanding them to be arrested for ballot fraud. Cameron Atkinson, a criminal defense and civil rights attorney, is leading the suit on behalf of Fight Voter Fraud, Inc., a ...
How did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? Although President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863, much of the grassroots campaign is tied to the tenacity of Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book (the most widely circulated magazine at the time) and author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Author Mike Allegra, who wrote Sarah Gives Thanks, joins the show to discuss Hale’s efforts to establish Thanksgiving as a...
How can nonprofits and charitable organizations innovate their way toward new and exciting possibilities? Leah Kral — senior director of strategy and innovation at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University — studies just that in her latest book Innovation for Social Change: How Wildly Successful Nonprofits Inspire and Deliver Results. She explores hands-on design thinking strategies and techniques to use as a disciplined proce...
The Tax Foundation recently released its 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index. So where did Connecticut rank overall? How did Connecticut stack up against other states in varying subcategories? Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects for the Tax Foundation and author of the Index, explains Connecticut’s rankings and how it could improve. Read the full report here.
Are electric vehicles (EVs) less expensive than their gas-powered counterparts? Are they destined to bethe future once the government mandates kick in? The simple answer: no. According to “Overcharged Expectations: Unmasking the True Costs of Electric Vehicles,” federal and state governments are driving the auto industry “off an economic cliff.” Brent Bennett – the Life:Powered policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation ...
Many Americans struggle with debt, living paycheck to paycheck. Going to a payday lender or credit card company may be a short-term solution, but a long-term issue with paying off the interest. However, earned wage access (EWA) is another solution. EWA — sometimes referred to as early pay — is the ability for employees to access a portion of their already earned wages, if needed, outside of a traditional pay cycle. Yet states like ...
Harwinton has a problem. In the past two years, first responders have been called hundreds of times to the Short Term Assessment & Respite (STAR) Home, a DCF-funded shelter. There have been missing girls, stolen vehicles, burglaries, physical and sexual assaults, sex trafficking and injuries to both STAR residents and state troopers responding to melees within the home. First Selectman Michael Criss explains how the shelter is...
John Grande, a physical education teacher in Hartford, was reprimanded for his actions during a mandatory training on “privilege.” After filing a grievance with the local board of education, Grande reached out to the Hartford Federation of Teachers Local 1018 to take the matter to arbitration — but they wouldn’t because he was not “a paying member.” Grande took legal action, as unions must represent all Connecticut government emplo...
Aaron Vnuk is the owner of the crossfit gym in North Haven and founder of Blind River Studios, an independent production company. He is also blind — but he continues to rise above challenges and pursue his dreams. However, Connecticut’s business climate has made it difficult for him as a small business owner to thrive with its regulatory and tax policy. He explains how. Learn more about Blind River Studios here.
Connecticut’s public pension funds have one of the worst investment track records of any state in the nation with long-term, chronic investment underperformance, according to a report released by Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute (CELI). With their research team, Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian investigated why Connecticut’s underperformance has cost the state billions — while offering solutions on how to reverse c...
Historian Kevin Gutzman, a professor and former chairman in the Department of History at Western Connecticut State University, chronicles three titans of early American history: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. These close political allies implemented the foreign policy, domestic and constitutional agenda of the opposition “Republican” Party, founded to enact what they viewed as the American Revolution’s guiding pr...
Connecticut has a deep-rooted history, and YI’s Andy Fowler is exploring it in a new series called, “Hidden in the Oak.” The goal: to fill readers with a sense of pride about the state we call home and make the past relevant to today. So far, the series has explored how Nutmeggers impacted the Battle of Gettysburg; the prominent baseball leagues and icons of the sport; a haunted island; CT scientists and the Manhattan Project; the ...
Before COVID, Connecticut ranked low in openness and access in healthcare, but the pandemic provided an unprecedented experiment in expanding those areas. Dr. Robert Graboyes — president of RFG Counterpoint, LLC — examined Connecticut’s healthcare system, and offers seven innovative, constructive, bipartisan solutions in Yankee Institute’s latest policy report to relax prior restrictions on the provision of care. Read the full repo...
Public sector employees enjoy “release time” provisions — which enable employees to engage in union-related activities full- or part-time during their working hours. This means taxpayers are paying these employees to not do their job, while possibly supporting political activities with which they disagree. Ben Weingarten, editor-at-large for RealClear Investigations, dives into the costs of “release time” in his piece “To Unions, O...
The goals of the Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) were to free candidates from the influence of lobbyists and big money, and also enable candidates from more diverse backgrounds to run for office. However, the program is plagued with imperfections — and even notorious kickback schemes. Connecticut Inside Investigator’s Katherine Revello explores the abuses and shortcomings of CEP in a multiple-part investigation “Examining Connecti...
Marc Fitch — Connecticut Inside Investigator’s senior investigative reporter — is the new master of horror and suspense with the release of his latest novel, “Dead Ends.” He explains his creative process and gives insights into the chilling tale of four lives being thrown into chaos. “Deads Ends” is out August 15 and available wherever books are sold. Pre-order it here.
What makes a city or town livable? And how are lawmakers addressing housing and transportation concerns to the improvement or detriment of Connecticut’s municipalities? Dr. Jonathan Wharton — associate professor of political science and urban affairs at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) — discusses these critical issues with YI President Carol Platt Liebau, and explains how lawmakers can incentivize Nutmeggers from leavi...
Thinking about leaving the union or know someone who is considering it? Well, they only have the month of August to decide! Mike Costanza — a public school teacher in North Stonington and founder of the Facebook group “Constitution State Educators" — returns to the show to discuss how teachers can opt out of their union, and debunks the myths perpetuated by the unions if a teacher decides to leave. To learn more about Constitu...
Sometimes good people can do a bad thing. This was a lesson John Santa — former CEO of Santa Energy — learned when a friend went to prison for embezzlement. After visiting his incarcerated friend, John was inspired to found the Malta Justice Initiative (a former Catholic ministry) to educate and bring the sacraments to prisoners, which proved challenging. He soon discovered that the best way to help prisoners re-enter society was a...
Popular Podcasts
"McCartney: A Life in Lyrics" offers listeners the opportunity to sit in on conversations between Paul McCartney and poet Paul Muldoon dissecting the people, experiences, and art that inspired McCartney’s songwriting. These conversations were held during the past several years as the two collaborated on the best selling book, “The Lyrics: 1965 to Present.” Over two seasons and 24 episodes of “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics”, you’ll hear a combination master class, memoir, and improvised journey with one of the most beloved figures in popular music. Each episode focuses on one song from McCartney’s iconic catalog – spanning early Beatles through his solo work. Season 1 premieres on October 4th. “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” is a co-production between iHeart Media, MPL and Pushkin Industries. Cover Portrait © 1967 Paul McCartney / Photographer: Linda McCartney
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