There's a Strange Wind Blowing in Hartford

For people who don't intend on doing a lot of harm, Connecticut Democrats are sure having a heck of a week. A State Representative the last person to see a friend alive- and no one is still sure what happened. Two senior legislators attacking the Catholic Church and undermining the Constitution. A caucus driving our state into an $8 billion deficit- then refusing to make the tough decisions to get out of it.

Contrary to popular opinion, I am not a vindictive, mean-spirited person. I am willing to give a lot of room to Representative James O'Rourke. For those of you unaware- here's the quick version of the story. O'Rourke was at a bar, as was state employee Carol Sinisgalli. He offered to bring her home. They got into a fight on the way. She got out, he left thinking she was very near her house. She wasn't. And she was found dead in the snow hours later, dead from the freezing cold.

Now, I am of the opinion that this may have been an honest mistake by Rep. O'Rourke. However, there are questions to be answered. Regardless of any kind of altercation, he took the responsibility of brining Sinisgalli home. He should have made sure she got there. In the mean time, Rep. O'Rourke owes it to his constituents to answer their questions- whatever they may be.

Co-Chairs of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Andrew McDonald and Representative Michael Lawlor made the mistake of trying to take on the Catholic Church this past week with S.B. 1098. The bill seeked to reorganize the administrative, financial, and legal structure of the church- via state law. Needless to say, the proposition of the bill caused enormous uproar, not only in the Catholic Community in Connecticut, but in anyone who has ever read the Constitution as well. I am aware that laws concerning the Catholic Church exist already, but I don't agree with those either. As for the parishoner who sought the bill, obviously he is not a devout enough Catholic himself, or he would have sought to solve the issue within the church hierarchy itself.

Senator McDonald said on wednesday, "It was never my attention to offend anyone of faith" (Hartford Courant- Capitol Watch 3/11/09). For something that it was never your intention of doing, you did an awesome job, Senator. Next time someone comes to you with a concern about a private organization, don't try to overtake the organization yourself with legislation- how about a meeting with the concerned constituent and organizational leaders? Or is that too logical for you to do? I would also like to not with astonishment, Representative Lawlor's noticeable silence since the bill was pulled on Tuesday afternoon. Can take responsibility for defiling the Constitution, but can't apologize when he's called out on it.

While all of this has been going on, nothing significant going on about the deficit. Connecticut Republican Leader Larry Cafero made a key move by placing freshman and recent victor Rosa Rebimbas on the budget writing Appropriations committee. As someone who has spent years proving fiscal conservativism and tough decision making on her hometown of Naugatuck's Finance Board, it is one more signal that Cafero and the Republicans are putting more faith in the power of action to get rid of this mounting deficit.

We all have bad weeks, so don't feel too bad, Democrats. There is still plenty of session left to make up the blunders and follies that have plagued you this week. Your intentions may be good, but intentions don't translate into actions. Here's a tip from that old, dusty, politician's handbook- Listen to your constituents and do what they ask. Thank God its Friday.

Deficit Patrol...Day 2

In the spirit of the CTGOP and EverydayRepublican's "Dodd Watch," The CT Young Republican is now on what we like to call "Deficit Patrol." You saw yesterday's post with the Democrats in the State Legislature shelving, and effectively denying, Gov. Rell's proposal to reclaim the $25 million in bottle deposits to shave the deficit. But wait, there's more.

At a time when the Connecticut budget deficit really needs an axe murderer, today the Legislative Dems have decided to use a butter knife. They started on the right track today, they almost had a good day cutting $71 million from the budget. But just when it looked like things were going to go well, it all came to a screeching halt.

The real irony is the confidence in the Democrats have in cutting necessary positions, like when they considered Former Congressman Rob Simmons' job as the state Business Advocate (fear not though, Rob lives to work another day, just rolled into the DECD, rather than an independent agency). Strangely, they don't have the same confidence in not adding essentially useless jobs.

House Republicans offered an amendment to combine six independent state agencies that represent women, children, the elderly, African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. I know, it seems callous to think that each of these does not deserve their own agency, but its a bereaucracy, so surely there is some redundancy built in somewhere. (CTGOP Chairman Chris Healy said it best when referring to a $25000 Commission on Asian American Affairs to do, "little more than tell us there are Asian Americans living in Connecticut.")

Couple the $71 million with the $25 million we possibly could have gotten from the bottle deposits, and in 2 days, there is a third of the deficit taken care of. $157 million will be coming in from the federal government as a settlement for Medicaid funding, plus another $40 million in tax amnesty payments. The math adds up. $25 million would have gone a long way.

At any rate, it is an up hill battle ahead to cut a budget that should have never gotten out of control in the first place. But then again, what can you do facing the overwhelming majority we do now? Not to mention the even more daunting majority that will take office in the 2009 session. All that's left to say is Beware what you wish for.

Take your legislative agenda and shove it

Once again it seems as though the Connecticut Democrats have little intent to really do some serious work on the tremendous deficit we are facing, even with a viable option right in front of them. It looks as though the Legislative Dems have shot down Gov. Rell's proposal to take in the $25 million in unclaimed bottle deposits faster than a Saudi aircraft interfering in the Iraqi no fly zone.

$391 million deficit in the current fiscal year alone. A real possibility of hitting $6 billion in the next two years. These are huge numbers, and one cannot help but think that in the current fiscal times, $25 million can go a long way in shaving down the deficit tragedy.

All 44 of the House Republicans have stood up and said it is time to do something and unanimously supported the measure. The House Democrats have sat down and said its time to have some coffee and decided to shelve the issue for another day. But fear not, because even the Senate President Pro Tempore has said that the issue will live to be struck down another day, come January.

It is amazing to think that Connecticut can run a deficit with a fiscally conservative Democratic legislature. But wait, I forgot. The federal surplus in the Clinton administration came from a Republican Congress. Stupid me.