The ‘matter’ with Connecticut

Professor H. Howell Williams posed a provocative question for his political science students at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury last week. “What’s the matter with Connecticut?” he asked them.

Their final papers at the end of the semester will relate to this question that could be answered in a myriad of ways.

I was there in Room 023 in White Hall Tuesday morning to talk about the media’s role in state and local politics. Given that we’re in the midst of Editorial Board interviews with candidates, the timing was perfect. There was a lot to talk about.

I like explaining the purpose of the editorial pages, also called opinion, and how they work. The publication in The New York Times of the anonymous op-ed by a senior Trump administration official last month (“I am part of the resistance inside the Trump Administration”) had the unintended consequence of helping the public understand the distinct difference between opinion and news. One does not influence the other. Key editorial page editors at the Times knew who authored the op-ed, but could not and would not reveal the name to news reporters.

In the Western political science class we had a robust discussion on how commentary gets published and whether they would have run the anonymous piece. We talked about how editorial boards go about endorsing candidates. And how they get their news — mostly through social media.

With decades in journalism, I could go on and on. But Professor Williams’ question intrigued me and I really wanted to know what these students thought was “the matter” with our state.

So I made sure to leave time in the 90-minute class to get back to that question. Their answers surprised me.

First, may I say, this class of about 20 is engaged. For example, I mentioned that I was heading next to Hearst headquarters in Norwalk for an editorial board interview with the Democratic candidate for attorney general. Anyone know who that is? I asked, expecting no one would. But at least one student raised his hand: State Representative William Tong, he said. Right!

Their perspectives are informed, not clueless.

And most said they like Connecticut and want to stay here. One young man said his family is leaving for North Carolina once he and his sister graduate college, but he wants to keep Connecticut as his home. A young woman said her major is music education and the state’s proximity to New York City and Boston translates to increased job opportunity. Another young man wants to raise a family here someday, a place where they can have a yard.

I wish I had been taking notes so that

Let’s keep the conversation going — what do you think? Email me.

I could use their names and quote them direct. I didn’t go into the class with plans to write a column, but decided to later when their comments kept peppering my mind.

We hear laments from longtime residents that taxes are too high and highways too congested — both true — and everyone is either moving out of state or wants to. But not so for these Millennials.

We talked of values upheld in our state, such as accepting Syrian refugees when states like Indiana would not, and extending fairness to Dreamers who now are eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid to which they contribute, and taking the lead on gun violence prevention.

Nothing is absolute, of course; one student did say he wants to move to Tennessee.

For me, after hours of quizzing candidates about closing the state’s looming $2.3 billion deficit next year and the other seemingly intractable problems, it is refreshing to hear young people focusing on not the “matter” with Connecticut but rather the promise.