Author, Doctor, Speaker, Joseph Bentivegna

Doctor Bentivegna is an ophthalmologist living in Connecticut. He has written numerous op-ed pieces for The Hartford Courant and The New York Times regarding health care, tort reform, and the political situation in Haiti.

Energy Policy is Rendering Connecticut a Third World Country

        As a volunteer physician in Haiti, one of the first Creole sentences I learned was “Pa gen currant.” “There is no power.” Haiti’s power supply was unreliable and outages were common, which is why the wealthy had their own generators. Plutocrats, environmentalists and feckless politicians are now replicating Haiti’s problems here in Connecticut.       This was highlighted by the hurricane Isaias in which hundreds of thousands lost power for over a week. But even before this event, consumers were complaining of outrageous electrical bills and in my Fairfield neighborhood, we had lost power four times during the two-week period before the hurricane for inexplicable reasons. After Eversource finally deigned to reconnect our power a week after Isaias, we lost power again.       Much of the anger has been focused on the executives at Eversource, who are raking in multimillion-dollar salaries in spite of their legendary incompetence. But who enabled these grifters in the first place? It was our political class who are now feigning outrage over the system they … [Read more...]

If Columbus Must Go, So Should Yale

        With increased racial tensions spreading across the country, statues of those associated with slavery - Robert E. Lee and other Confederate generals - have been either removed or vandalized. Here in the Northeast, statues of Columbus are suffering the same fate. In Boston, a statue of Columbus was beheaded while in Middletown and New London, Connecticut, his statue was removed. The city of Columbus, Ohio is considering changing its name. Yet the slave merchant who financed Yale University, Elihu Yale, remains unscathed. Why? Because he is the namesake of one of America’s most prestigious and liberal universities.                   Elihu Yale in the center with slave in a dog collar       Columbus has been under assault for years. He was once termed the “discoverer” of America, until Native Americans accurately noted that their descendants were here first. But he was an intrepid explorer who had the courage to sail into oblivion in the hope of reaching India by another route. Instead he … [Read more...]

Coronavirus Mutates to Protect Rioters

        America is confused. Just a few weeks ago, we were being told by our betters to social distance and wear masks for our own protection from the coronavirus. But when the riots began after a police officer murdered George Floyd, our betters no longer enforced rules on social distancing, as rioters were standing less than six feet apart while hurling bricks and Molotov cocktails through store windows.       Being a Republican and not from the party that understands “science” and “data,” I decided to investigate this issue further. Fortunately for me, my medical school roommate interned at Johns Hopkins with Dr. Sidney Ribostone, who went on to receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2012 and is advising our political leaders on how fight this virus. Thus, I was able to set up a Zoom interview with Dr. Ribostone at his Duke University office.       Dr. Ribostone and I exchanged pleasantries and as a liberal Democrat, he was surprised a … [Read more...]