Connecticut

Quinoa Chickpea Burger with Kale and Potato Chips

Cecilia V. (original recipe)

I took a break for a while but today we return to the campaign trail with a visit to Connecticut, homeland of my dad. I made it through a busy March, but the early April primary schedule was no reprieve. Now, looking ahead at the next five recipes (Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin), I feel like we've taken a step up, these feel advanced, like I will need to use what I have learned, almost like a Healthy Lunchtime boss battle, or perhaps five boss battles in a row!

Starting with Connecticut. This one is fun because we've made veggie burgers before, very successfully, but in both previous cases it was vegetarian as written so I simply followed directions. This time I must adapt a meat burger into a veggie burger. What a challenge!

Fun fact. Both George W. Bush and John Kerry, the two major-party candidates for the 2004 Presidential election, attended Yale and were members of the fraternity Skull and Bones (S&B). I like to joke that S&B was scheduled for two terms of the Presidency, but when George W. Bush became extremely unpopular and his re-election was by no means assured, they had to nominate Kerry against him to guarantee S&B in the White House for a full 8 years. (Read about them. They are terrified of owls.)

Speaking of candidates, since I last wrote there has been a shake-up at the top of the Democratic Party ticket. I was prepared to not vote for Biden based on his half-assed excuses for his Iraq War vote (I still remember you!), not to mention support for the War in Gaza, but I figure Kamala Harris deserves her own, fresh assessment. Clearly she has not backed away from JB's stance on the War in Gaza, so that looks pretty bad starting out.

Since we are anywhere, what about the economy, the issue voters care about most? Well, she's abandoned her support for universal healthcare, which is sad. I contend that this is the Number One Issue for the economy. Instead, she wants to expand the Affordable Care Act and I would love her to tell us exactly what and how. As for the economy broadly, her platform fits into a tent that she is branding the Opportunity Economy. I suppose this is in contrast to my own branding of Middle-class Aspirations.

When I hear "Opportunity Economy" my mind goes immediately to the American Dream. Opportunities do not guarantee outcomes. Sure, hard work is rewarded, but there is a lot of luck too, including whether your circumstances motivate you to work hard. I feel like we focus on the winners when we discuss the American Dream and we forget the losers. Perhaps Green Day wisely agrees when they sing, "The American Dream is killing me."

I could make my case for "carve out a place for Middle-class Aspirations" how it would create opportunities for the lower-class, security for the middle-class, and a safety-net for the upper-class, but instead let's go deeper on KH's Opportunity Economy.

Let's focus on -- she is proposing a $50,000 tax credit for new businesses. This isn't really a bad idea, but really this just helps businesses get over the first hump, $50K only goes so far and then you need a business model that can sustain doing business and that is where my Wealth Deserts program (see Minnesota) is more clever because it promotes businesses where there is a potential unserved clientele, where the economic conditions are not conducive to profitable operations without modest intervention.

Her other proposal is money for first-time homeowners, which is fine, it's probably money into middle-class pockets, but is this really a solution to the problem of affordable housing as a society-wide issue? Many will still be too poor to afford a house. It doesn't help homeowners to hold onto their house or to move to a more-expensive real estate market (say, for a better job). One of my great college regrets was never taking the course Affordable Housing. I don't have all the answers but it's an issue important to me so I will continue to delve deeper.

Despite renters often left behind, I do see that homeownership in America is a measure of Middle-class Aspirations. I often wonder, what exactly voters mean by the Economy. The most obvious is do you have income, healthcare = do you have a job? How good? How secure? A second is inflation, how much does your money buy you? A third is certainly your living situation. Can you afford rent? Can you afford a nice house in a good neighborhood? Clearly we need to increase the supply of good neighborhoods and good jobs or else there is no way to fairly govern a zero-sum game!

I was supposed to lead this into a discussion of the insurance industry (I have a lot to say), which I understand is big in Connecticut, but I fear it would be too boring. I could end it here but I feel that would be unfair to Cecilia as the winner from Connecticut. A quick Internet search reveals that you are celebrated for high quality of life.

OK. Why? Here is a pamphlet, "Live in Connecticut: No better place to work, play and raise a family." Apparently the key to a rewarding life is a complementary balance. Good schools, low crime, green spaces, cultural opportunities.

Connecticut also has the highest per capita income of any U.S. state (some report it is second to Massachusetts), so that probably helps, although it is #1 or #2 for income inequality, which is less than ideal. Only my state of New York maybe ranks worse, although some methods show Connecticut tied with Wyoming. There is also a significant racial income gap. I found an article with a title worth repeating: "Connecticut in Crisis: How inequality is paralyzing 'America's country club'. Go ahead and read it if you like, or let me summarize.

Says a non-profit executive helping needy families in New Haven: "The optimistic way is to think the rising tide lifts all boats. The reality is the boat has a hole in it and there are some individuals who are not in that boat." Especially true after the Great Recession. "What's left: a bifurcated economy that produces wealth but doesn't spread much of it out." According to an expert quoted in the article, "financial industry hubs in Connecticut and New York exacerbate inequality in those states, but he noted that disparities are present throughout the U.S. economy."

It seems like one of the great appeals of Connecticut is lower taxes than neighboring New York and New Jersey, but this is among the reasons services for the poor can't be better funded. Connecticut politicians don't want to scare away high-income individuals, but critics say there is a lot of room to raise taxes on the rich while still staying well-below the rates in neighboring states. The counter argument is that more people will move to Florida, where there is no state income tax.

Florida is great to visit and many people make a happy life there. But in my mind, the way for Connecticut to succeed is not to out-Florida Florida. It sounds like there is a very nice version of Connecticut (that has nothing to do with low taxes) and the challenge is to maintain that for the middle- and upper-classes while expanding the benefits to lower-class families. I've argued the same for New York. Some businesses will locate in Florida because of the appeal of Florida. But New York and Connecticut have a lot to like too, and I feel like we should build on our strengths rather than lose sight of these. I've argued the same for my alma mater, Cornell. Apparently during Board of Trustee meetings they talk more about Harvard than Cornell. But I don't think our goal should be to out-country-club Harvard when we could instead double-down on our rural character, breadth of study, and history of inclusion.

To be fair, I've argued before that areas like education should be primarily funded through the federal government, and this would tend to alleviate the "race to the bottom" that might occur among states looking to balance budgets and lower state and local taxes. I used to think being a state governor would be kind of fun, with more ability than a gridlocked Washington to get things done. But I'm not certain I'd be good about elevating my state's interests over those of Americans living elsewhere. I am in favor of policies that carve out a place for middle-class aspirations across America. This will require profound changes to our federal governance, and in the meanwhile, states like Connecticut have to make due and do their best with what they have.

Cecelia's goal was to identify a food that Americans love (the hamburger -- invented in Connecticut!) and to make it healthier while still tasting great. This is a slightly strained metaphor for Connecticut's economic challenges. How to retain your state's character and great taste, while offering something that is a little healthier when it comes to income inequality? Raising awareness won't solve the problem but it is usually the first step, so let's talk about income inequality.

Ingredients

• Kale, stemmed and chopped

• Yellow potato, sliced thinly

• Olive oil

• Salt

• 1/4 cu. Quinoa

• 1/2 cu. Water

• 1/4 cube No-chicken bouillon

• 1 7.5-oz. can Chickpeas, drained and mashed

• 1 tsp. Teriyaki sauce

• Salt and Pepper

• Olive oil

• Hamburger buns

• Mustard

• Pickle slices

• Tomato slices

Preparation

In separate bowls, combine a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt each with kale and potatoes respectively. Mix, then bake on baking sheet for 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, make the quinoa. Bring 1/2 cup water a boil, stir in bouillon, then add quinoa, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Combine cooked quinoa, mashed chickpeas, teriyaki sauce, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into patties and pan-fry on one side, then flip and cook the other side until browned.

Smear mustard on one half bun, then place burger patty in bun and top with pickles and tomato. Serve with kale and potato chips.

Discussion

I made this a long time ago, hence I do not recall the exact cook time for the patties. Also, I never got around to making the kale and potato chips, so that is less than good. What I recall is that it was a little bland, which is not surprising considering chickpeas are tasty but maybe not so flavorful as chicken. To compensate, I would increase the teriyaki sauce and/or no-chicken bouillon. Maybe consider nutritional yeast. It didn't turn out perfect but I think it has potential. Homemade kale chips are pretty great so I would definitely recommend you make them.

I am somewhat reluctant to leave Connecticut but I have more than a dozen other destinations and less than two weeks to write them up. It may be noteworthy, my school begins its college hockey schedule this weekend, and our league contains two Connecticut teams (Yale and Quinnipiac). When I was a school kid in the late 90s, I witnessed a terrific fight between Cornell and Yale (one goalie even left his crease and skated across the ice to fight the other goalie!) but my friend missed it because he got sick and left the game early. Fighting is pretty rare in the collegiate game.

On the ice we may be rivals, but as usual, we root for the league in non-conference games, so look for Quinnipiac in particular to have success on the national scene and help lift the league and every boat's chance of making the NCAA tournament. In a great year for Connecticut hockey, 2014, Yale defeated Quinnipiac in the championship game, while Quinnipiac won a national title just two years ago in a season that saw only 4 losses. So we may be leaving Connecticut but we'll meet up at least 5 times this season and enjoy the games while we remember your state's haves and have-nots.

Louisiana

Connecticut Home to the oldest continuously planted municipal rose garden in the U.S.

Delaware