Last Wednesday night, I interviewed Gov. Ned Lamont as part of a special Connecticut Mirror Conversation. You can hear part one of this conversation on our last episode. We talked about where the state stands with pandemic response, vaccine distribution plans, and aid to businesses and individuals who are struggling through the economic downturn. 

In this episode, I ask the governor about how the state might provide the aid that residents are looking for, and whether he would consider raising taxes on wealthy Connecticut residents. 

“Now is the time to think about raising taxes on the richest individuals in the country. I think it’s really dumb to do it just by the state,” he said. “The wealthy and corporations are going to have to do more.” But, Lamont said he doesn’t want to put the state at a competitive tax disadvantage with neighboring states. 

We also looked ahead at the rest of a school year that will depend on that pandemic response. We talked on the day Lamont’s administration announced it would provide access to laptops and high-speed internet for all students.

And, we addressed some of the governor’s legislative priorities, including transportation funding. I asked him about expanding health care in the state, including the possibility of a public option, his response to racial inequities raised by the killing of George Floyd, and about his promise to provide middle-income tax relief.

Last Wednesday night, I interviewed Gov. Ned Lamont as part of a special Connecticut Mirror Conversation. <a href="https://ctmirror.org/podcasts/steady-habits-lamont-plans-for-vaccines-wants-to-keep-businesses-schools-open/">You can hear part one of this conversation on our last episode.</a> We talked about where the state stands with pandemic response, vaccine distribution plans, and aid to businesses and individuals who are struggling through the economic downturn.&nbsp;
In this episode, I ask the governor about how the state might provide the aid that residents are looking for, and whether he would consider raising taxes on wealthy Connecticut residents.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Now is the time to think about raising taxes on the richest individuals in the country. I think it&rsquo;s really dumb to do it just by the state,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The wealthy and corporations are going to have to do more.&rdquo; But, Lamont said he doesn&rsquo;t want to put the state at a competitive tax disadvantage with neighboring states.&nbsp;
We also looked ahead at the rest of a school year that will depend on that pandemic response. We talked on the day Lamont&rsquo;s administration announced it would <a href="Lamont%20administration:%20Connecticut%20is%20first%20in%20U.S.%20to%20close%20digital%20divide%20for%20K-12%20students">provide access to laptops and high-speed internet for all students.</a>
And, we addressed some of the governor&rsquo;s legislative priorities, including transportation funding. I asked him about expanding health care in the state, including the possibility of a public option, his response to racial inequities raised by the killing of George Floyd, and about his promise to provide middle-income tax relief.

Welcome to Steady Habits: A CT Mirror Podcast, hosted by John Dankosky. Our goal is to foster meaningful conversations with newsmakers and the journalists who cover them. We're planning to dig into Connecticut's biggest stories in policy and politics. Let's get started.

Steady Habits: A CT Mirror Podcast

Steady Habits: A CT Mirror Podcast, hosted by John Dankosky, aims to foster meaningful conversations with newsmakers and the journalists who cover them. Each episode, we dig into Connecticut's biggest stories in policy and politics.

Steady Habits: A CT Mirror Podcast, hosted by John Dankosky, aims to foster meaningful conversations with newsmakers and the journalists who cover them. Each episode, we dig into Connecticut's biggest stories in policy and politics.