Op-Eds
January 30, 2016
Op-Ed
Earlier this week, one of Connecticut's oldest employers sent a jolt through the headlines. Electric Boat President Jeff Geiger announced plans to hire 1,500 engineers, metal trades workers and support personnel at its Connecticut facilities in 2016. The announcement included a positive forecast for the years ahead, with projected growth from 14,000 employees up to 18,000 by 2030.
September 28, 2015
Op-Ed
Earlier this month, five Chinese naval warships entered U.S. territorial waters off the coast of Alaska. In acknowledging the transit of these vessels, the United States made clear we viewed this action as well within the rights of China — and any other nation — to conduct innocent passage through the legitimately established territorial seas and nonthreatening military activities within the exclusive economic zone of another country.
June 24, 2015
Op-Ed
At a roundtable I convened at Electric Boat on May 28, U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez noted that our nation is facing what he called an “Eisenhower moment.” In the wake of World War II in the 1950s, President Eisenhower led a national undertaking to develop the federal highway infrastructure that interconnected our country at an unprecedented level and grew our nation’s economy. Today, Secretary Perez noted that our nation must mirror that effort to develop a “skills infrastructure” in our workforce that will help our economy grow and succeed.
February 26, 2013
Op-Ed
Unless Congress crafts a bipartisan compromise by Friday, the Budget Control Act of 2011 will sequester — or cancel — $85 billion of spending planned for the rest of this year. The cuts would be mindlessly spread across all federal agencies, regardless of priority or need. Activities affecting all Americans would be cut. Everything from the Navy to Head Start will be partially curtailed on an indiscriminate basis. Waiting times at airports will go up, food safety inspections will be limited, aircraft carrier deployments would be curtailed and pre-school slots would be eliminated.
January 2, 2013
Op-Ed
In the wake of the horrible massacre in Newtown, the entire nation has engaged in a conversation on the issues President Barack Obama raised at Newtown High School’s interfaith service Dec. 16. Advocacy for stronger gun laws, better mental health care, and enhanced school safety measures has filled the airwaves and the Internet, setting up a huge challenge to state legislators and the new Congress, which will be sworn in Thursday.
November 29, 2012
Op-Ed
As we near the edge of the fiscal cliff, Medicare — the health insurance program for America’s seniors and disabled— is in the crosshairs. Former Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan authored a budget that called for Medicare to be turned into a voucher program. Others have called for new co-pays for skilled nursing or home health care.
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May 11, 2012
Op-Ed
In the midst of the most desperate threat to our nation, President Abraham Lincoln looked beyond the dire present of the Civil War and signed a groundbreaking national commitment to higher education. On July 2, 1862, the Morrill Act created the land-grant system for state educational institutions to foster engineering and agricultural science.
March 8, 2012
Op-Ed
As Congress gears up for the 2012 Farm Bill reauthorization, America’s dairy farmers need particular attention to safeguard their livelihood. Coming off recent catastrophic lows, we must reform our nation’s dairy programs so that prices are fair to farmers and reasonable to consumers.
February 3, 2012
Op-Ed
Education should not be the province of the lucky few, but the right of every American with skill and determination. Given the opportunity to better themselves through higher education, individuals can provide for their families and strengthen our nation.
January 24, 2012
Op-Ed
“Slower Growth in Health Spending” (editorial, Jan. 12) misses the point when it suggests that the Affordable Care Act — a law whose ink was barely dry at the time — had a negligible effect on health care spending in 2009 and 2010. In fact, recent growth trends suggest that the law is particularly effective at reining in Medicare spending, which now makes up 15 percent of the federal budget. It does so with modest changes to provider reimbursements and by introducing efficient preventive care practices in anticipation of accountable care organizations."
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