If your income goes down will you cut spending in your household budget? Will you find more ways to stretch your dollars? Of course you will!
State government works differently than you do. Revenue to state government (taxes collected) has crashed during this recession. The answer from majority Democratic leaders at the State Capitol – borrow billions of dollars and keep spending!
Last September the Democrats borrowed $950 million for operating costs without substantive spending cuts. Budget experts and economists warned us the recession would impact the state budget far longer than the private sectors of our economy. That warning should have motivated the Democratic leadership to entertain serious government reform to cut spending in future budget years. Unfortunately, we’re likely to see a proposal to borrow another billion dollars to pay for current year expenses!
Surely businesses and families have responded to the recession in their budgets but state government keeps driving full speed ahead to the budget cliff in 2012.
Our state budget for 2012-2013 is projected to have a $4 billion deficit. If we know the amount of future deficits why not fix the deficit problem? “Kick the Can” Olympics is the reason. The majority Democratic leadership is kicking the can down the road for a future governor and legislature to address the long-term budget crisis in Connecticut.
“Kick the Can” Olympics – a political game that lets the majority Democratic leadership claim they’ve “balanced the budget” in time for their re-election campaigns. Everyone who watches government operations in Connecticut knows 2012 is a nightmare for the next governor and legislature.
What a shame we can’t convince the majority Democratic leadership to make the tough decisions today that will lessen the budget catastrophe coming in 2012.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Connecticut Should Reject ObamaCare
An Open Letter to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
Signed by all Republican State Senators
Dear Attorney General Blumenthal:
As the elected official charged with representing the interest of the people of Connecticut, it is now time for you to take action to preserve the Constitution and protect our state’s citizens and businesses. The illegal mandates passed by Congress in the form of the so-called Health Care Reform law must be challenged.
Under our Constitution, those rights not explicitly provided to the federal government are reserved to the states. The Constitution does not empower the federal government to usurp the issue of making health care decisions for either the state or its citizens. The selection of healthcare providers and medical treatments, as well as the decision NOT to have certain treatments or coverage is the decision of the individual, protected by the Due Process rights of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. It is not now, nor has it ever been, in the purview of Congress to supersede those individual rights.
In addition, it has long been settled that the federal government has ceded to the states the responsibility of setting local healthcare standards of care, as well as regulatory authority over the medical and insurance industries. This inherent recognition of states' rights as pertaining to health care should remain, absent some Constitutional amendment granting oversight to Congress.
Finally, the attempted use of the Commerce Clause to justify this latest power grab by the federal government is unwarranted and improper. If the Commerce Clause, which springs from the authority to oversee economic activity between the states, was truly a proper source for an entire radical redesign of the health insurance industry, then it would not have been illegal to sell health insurance policies across state lines. In a free society, it has never been the duty of Congress to force the people of the United States to purchase a certain commercial product simply as a consequence of being alive. It is inherently illegal to mandate that free citizens must buy health care coverage or face sanctions.
We urge you to join the growing number of attorney generals who have already begun legal proceedings to stop this illegal action by Congress. Regardless of your personal beliefs or philosophies, you are bound by duty to protect and defend the people of this state, the small employers who will be penalized or put out of business by the mandates, the large insurance companies that call our state home and employ tens of thousands of our residents in an industry that will eventually be eliminated by government intrusion into our free markets, and the private citizens who will ultimately have to pay the $ 1.3 trillion price tag.
We would be happy to discuss this issue with you further at your convenience and we will assist your office in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Senator John McKinney, Senate Minority Leader
Senator Len Fasano, Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore
Senator Andrew Roraback
Senator Tony Guglielmo
Senator John Kissel
Senator Sam Caligiuri
Senator Dan Debicella
Senator Rob Kane
Senator Toni Boucher
Senator Kevin Witkos
Senator Scott Frantz
Senator Michael McLachlan
Signed by all Republican State Senators
Dear Attorney General Blumenthal:
As the elected official charged with representing the interest of the people of Connecticut, it is now time for you to take action to preserve the Constitution and protect our state’s citizens and businesses. The illegal mandates passed by Congress in the form of the so-called Health Care Reform law must be challenged.
Under our Constitution, those rights not explicitly provided to the federal government are reserved to the states. The Constitution does not empower the federal government to usurp the issue of making health care decisions for either the state or its citizens. The selection of healthcare providers and medical treatments, as well as the decision NOT to have certain treatments or coverage is the decision of the individual, protected by the Due Process rights of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. It is not now, nor has it ever been, in the purview of Congress to supersede those individual rights.
In addition, it has long been settled that the federal government has ceded to the states the responsibility of setting local healthcare standards of care, as well as regulatory authority over the medical and insurance industries. This inherent recognition of states' rights as pertaining to health care should remain, absent some Constitutional amendment granting oversight to Congress.
Finally, the attempted use of the Commerce Clause to justify this latest power grab by the federal government is unwarranted and improper. If the Commerce Clause, which springs from the authority to oversee economic activity between the states, was truly a proper source for an entire radical redesign of the health insurance industry, then it would not have been illegal to sell health insurance policies across state lines. In a free society, it has never been the duty of Congress to force the people of the United States to purchase a certain commercial product simply as a consequence of being alive. It is inherently illegal to mandate that free citizens must buy health care coverage or face sanctions.
We urge you to join the growing number of attorney generals who have already begun legal proceedings to stop this illegal action by Congress. Regardless of your personal beliefs or philosophies, you are bound by duty to protect and defend the people of this state, the small employers who will be penalized or put out of business by the mandates, the large insurance companies that call our state home and employ tens of thousands of our residents in an industry that will eventually be eliminated by government intrusion into our free markets, and the private citizens who will ultimately have to pay the $ 1.3 trillion price tag.
We would be happy to discuss this issue with you further at your convenience and we will assist your office in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Senator John McKinney, Senate Minority Leader
Senator Len Fasano, Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore
Senator Andrew Roraback
Senator Tony Guglielmo
Senator John Kissel
Senator Sam Caligiuri
Senator Dan Debicella
Senator Rob Kane
Senator Toni Boucher
Senator Kevin Witkos
Senator Scott Frantz
Senator Michael McLachlan
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
A Spending Cap in Connecticut?
On November 3rd, 1992 Connecticut voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution creating a constitutional spending cap. However, the amendment requires the legislature to define three key terms: increase in personal income tax, increase in inflation, and general budget expenditure. Without defining these terms, the Constitutional spending cap is ineffective and the legislature is only bound to a statutory spending cap that can be and has been ignored. A statutory spending cap does not have the binding power or effectiveness of a fully implemented constitutional amendment. Statutory language can be changed by a simple majority vote of the General Assembly, and often is.
I testified before the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee in support of SB-3, An Act Redefining Terms Concerning the Spending Cap. If passed into law, the bill will define terms necessary to implement Connecticut’s Constitutional spending cap.
For eighteen years, the legislature has been idle on this issue as they continued to spend without any accountability. The irresponsible government spending this cap was designed to prevent has spiraled out of control and played a major role in putting us where we are today. Year after year we propose language that will implement the cap and year after year the majority party refuses to take action. It is long past time for the legislature to finally take action and listen to the voice of the people.
The people of Connecticut have spoken. They made it clear eighteen years ago they wanted the legislature bound by a constitutional spending cap, but their vote has been ignored. I am unfortunately not very optimistic that the majority will take action on SB-3 and fully implement Connecticut’s constitutional spending cap, but I will continue to fight toward that end. The voters exercised their vote on this matter in 1992 and they should not be ignored any longer.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Connecticut State Sovereignty?
Tenth Amendment Legislation Moves Forward
Grassroots activists from around Connecticut gathered at the capitol complex Wednesday, February 17th, to join me and a coalition of legislative leaders in announcing that the Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE) will raise legislation reasserting Connecticut’s Tenth Amendment rights under the Constitution.
Just hours before the press conference scheduled to call on Democrat leadership to raise the legislation, we heard from Sen. Gayle Slossberg, co-chair of GAE, that our proposed resolution would be raised for a public hearing. I have no doubt that the leadership and dedication of the many activists who showed their support last Wednesday played an important role in moving this legislation forward. It was a powerful display of democracy in action. But activists can’t stop here. When the public hearing is scheduled in the coming weeks, it will be an even greater opportunity for citizens to exhort legislators from both sides of the aisle to stand up for the Constitution.
The Tenth Amendment Resolution calls on Congress to create only statutes that fall within their constitutional authority. The Constitution has only given Congress the authority to make laws that pertain to certain issues such as taxation, international commerce, currency regulation, the federal Judiciary, and the armed forces to name a few. The Constitution also grants Congress the authority to make laws necessary and proper for the carrying out of their enumerated powers which is a clause that has been manipulated to grant the federal government authority far beyond what our founding fathers intended. The Tenth Amendment reasserts that Congress may only make laws that fall within their Constitutional authority.
The federal government has been steadily expanding their authority in areas the Constitution has not authorized. Even ‘conservative’ federal administrations have ignored the Constitution and imposed both health and educational mandates on states. The most recent federal health care proposal, if passed, will be by far the most serious overreach of Congressional power and it is time for states to begin speaking up. Washington DC has a terrible habit of passing unfunded mandates down to states and the Connecticut General Assembly has done the same thing to our towns and cities. This top down approach on both the state and federal level is unsustainable, unconstitutional, and must stop.
If passed, the Tenth Amendment Resolution will be a key step towards defining in state statute the limits of congressional power. I also proposed legislation that would have taken that next step to define statutorily Connecticut’s rights under the Tenth Amendment and create a method by which the state can review federal laws, regulations and programs for compliance with the Tenth Amendment. I am still committed to pursuing the proposed statutes and consider the headway made on the resolution an important step in the right direction.
While this legislation won’t singlehandedly stop Congress from legislating issues outside their enumerated powers, it will make a strong statement that the people of the Constitution state are no longer willing to allow the federal government free reign over their lives. The Tenth Amendment should speak for itself and I only hope that the federal government will be reminded by our efforts in Connecticut to conduct their legislation within its boundaries.
Congratulations to the Connecticut Grassroots Coalition for their hard work!
Grassroots activists from around Connecticut gathered at the capitol complex Wednesday, February 17th, to join me and a coalition of legislative leaders in announcing that the Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE) will raise legislation reasserting Connecticut’s Tenth Amendment rights under the Constitution.
Just hours before the press conference scheduled to call on Democrat leadership to raise the legislation, we heard from Sen. Gayle Slossberg, co-chair of GAE, that our proposed resolution would be raised for a public hearing. I have no doubt that the leadership and dedication of the many activists who showed their support last Wednesday played an important role in moving this legislation forward. It was a powerful display of democracy in action. But activists can’t stop here. When the public hearing is scheduled in the coming weeks, it will be an even greater opportunity for citizens to exhort legislators from both sides of the aisle to stand up for the Constitution.
The Tenth Amendment Resolution calls on Congress to create only statutes that fall within their constitutional authority. The Constitution has only given Congress the authority to make laws that pertain to certain issues such as taxation, international commerce, currency regulation, the federal Judiciary, and the armed forces to name a few. The Constitution also grants Congress the authority to make laws necessary and proper for the carrying out of their enumerated powers which is a clause that has been manipulated to grant the federal government authority far beyond what our founding fathers intended. The Tenth Amendment reasserts that Congress may only make laws that fall within their Constitutional authority.
The federal government has been steadily expanding their authority in areas the Constitution has not authorized. Even ‘conservative’ federal administrations have ignored the Constitution and imposed both health and educational mandates on states. The most recent federal health care proposal, if passed, will be by far the most serious overreach of Congressional power and it is time for states to begin speaking up. Washington DC has a terrible habit of passing unfunded mandates down to states and the Connecticut General Assembly has done the same thing to our towns and cities. This top down approach on both the state and federal level is unsustainable, unconstitutional, and must stop.
If passed, the Tenth Amendment Resolution will be a key step towards defining in state statute the limits of congressional power. I also proposed legislation that would have taken that next step to define statutorily Connecticut’s rights under the Tenth Amendment and create a method by which the state can review federal laws, regulations and programs for compliance with the Tenth Amendment. I am still committed to pursuing the proposed statutes and consider the headway made on the resolution an important step in the right direction.
While this legislation won’t singlehandedly stop Congress from legislating issues outside their enumerated powers, it will make a strong statement that the people of the Constitution state are no longer willing to allow the federal government free reign over their lives. The Tenth Amendment should speak for itself and I only hope that the federal government will be reminded by our efforts in Connecticut to conduct their legislation within its boundaries.
Congratulations to the Connecticut Grassroots Coalition for their hard work!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Connecticut Democrats Jammed Healthcare?
Does anyone in Connecticut who is currently upset with President Obama and Washington Democrats over their attempt to jam national healthcare down our throats realize Connecticut Democrats did the same thing last year?
SustiNet - Connecticut Democrat's version of misguided health care reform passed the legislature last year and was vetoed by the Governor. The Democrats came back in a special session to override the veto over my objections and all Republican legislators.
The Connecticut Democrats' plan will cost Connecticut taxpayers somewhere between $530 million and $1.7 billion per year beginning in 2012. Where is this money going to come from? Taxpayers. Perhaps $1,000 per year for each Connecticut family in new taxes.
Connecticut Democrats offered empty promises with this health care reform proposal and no money to pay for it. They did victory laps on passing the bill and again when they voted to override the Governor's veto.
Connecticut Democrats jammed "healthcare reform" down our throats last year - no different than the shenanigans of Washington Democrats.
Where is the taxpayer's outrage?
My objections to the Democrats' misguided reform on the floor of the Senate and my no vote means little to Connecticut Democrats. When will Connecticut's taxpayers hold the Democrats in Hartford accountable for their actions?
SustiNet - Connecticut Democrat's version of misguided health care reform passed the legislature last year and was vetoed by the Governor. The Democrats came back in a special session to override the veto over my objections and all Republican legislators.
The Connecticut Democrats' plan will cost Connecticut taxpayers somewhere between $530 million and $1.7 billion per year beginning in 2012. Where is this money going to come from? Taxpayers. Perhaps $1,000 per year for each Connecticut family in new taxes.
Connecticut Democrats offered empty promises with this health care reform proposal and no money to pay for it. They did victory laps on passing the bill and again when they voted to override the Governor's veto.
Connecticut Democrats jammed "healthcare reform" down our throats last year - no different than the shenanigans of Washington Democrats.
Where is the taxpayer's outrage?
My objections to the Democrats' misguided reform on the floor of the Senate and my no vote means little to Connecticut Democrats. When will Connecticut's taxpayers hold the Democrats in Hartford accountable for their actions?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Path to Efficient State Government or Another Report Gathering Dust?
As a member of the Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes (CEAO) I had the opportunity to participate in putting together a comprehensive report that identifies cost saving measures to be implemented either immediately, within eighteen months, or within three to five years. Pursuant to PA 09-7, the initial report must be submitted the Governor, and House and Senate Leadership by February 1, 2010. I voted in favor of the CEAO report at our meeting on Friday.
The direction our state is headed in has given me grave concerns. The actions by the majority party last year to increase taxes did not fix the deficit. We need to get serious about cutting spending and finding savings in all areas of state government. I suggested consolidation of state agencies almost a year ago and while I was hopeful things would move along more quickly; this proposal and others like it are finally getting the serious consideration they deserve.
The budget that passed last fall gave the Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes the hard job of coming up with $50 million in additional savings from state agencies. It will be tough, but I think closely assessing the economic efficiency our state agencies is a good place to start.
The biggest challenge to implementing substantive changes to state government is the legislative process. The CEAO is only an advisory commission and has no power to implement change. We can only hope the legislative leadership of the Democratic majority will embrace efficiency in state government.
While the CEAO report set to be submitted on Monday is just the first draft, Commission members have identified proposals for which they will seek implementation immediately. Many of the immediate solutions are in the area of Information Technology and include plans for an on-line application system for the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation, Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services Services. The full report also recommends immediate savings by streamlining state agencies, utilizing electronic communication, changes to the contracting process, and maximization of federal funds. After revisions, the report will be available for review at: www.cga.ct.gov/gae/ceao.
Many of the ideas in this report only save thousands when we need millions, but the small steps do add up. In California, one of the proposals that have been mentioned here, a shift to Open Office software, has already been implemented and it’s time for Connecticut to get serious about finding creative and strategic ways to reduce our deficit. Increasing taxes slows our economy and any plan to increases revenue rather than reduce spending is a step in the wrong direction.
The direction our state is headed in has given me grave concerns. The actions by the majority party last year to increase taxes did not fix the deficit. We need to get serious about cutting spending and finding savings in all areas of state government. I suggested consolidation of state agencies almost a year ago and while I was hopeful things would move along more quickly; this proposal and others like it are finally getting the serious consideration they deserve.
The budget that passed last fall gave the Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes the hard job of coming up with $50 million in additional savings from state agencies. It will be tough, but I think closely assessing the economic efficiency our state agencies is a good place to start.
The biggest challenge to implementing substantive changes to state government is the legislative process. The CEAO is only an advisory commission and has no power to implement change. We can only hope the legislative leadership of the Democratic majority will embrace efficiency in state government.
While the CEAO report set to be submitted on Monday is just the first draft, Commission members have identified proposals for which they will seek implementation immediately. Many of the immediate solutions are in the area of Information Technology and include plans for an on-line application system for the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation, Department of Education, and the Department of Social Services Services. The full report also recommends immediate savings by streamlining state agencies, utilizing electronic communication, changes to the contracting process, and maximization of federal funds. After revisions, the report will be available for review at: www.cga.ct.gov/gae/ceao.
Many of the ideas in this report only save thousands when we need millions, but the small steps do add up. In California, one of the proposals that have been mentioned here, a shift to Open Office software, has already been implemented and it’s time for Connecticut to get serious about finding creative and strategic ways to reduce our deficit. Increasing taxes slows our economy and any plan to increases revenue rather than reduce spending is a step in the wrong direction.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Increase Governor's Budget Authority
Bravo, Governor Rell!
Your veto of the Democratic majority's recent deficit mitigation plan sheds light on the lame excuses of the Democratic leaders in the Connecticut General Assembly.
Where else can a budget deficit estimated between $337 million and $550 million be addressed by cutting expenditures a mere $12 million? Only in the Connecticut legislature - led by Democrats - Senate President Donald Williams and House Speaker Chris Donovan.
During our previous deficit mitigation deliberations I proposed doubling the Governor's statutory rescission authority. Governor Rell has proven she can make tough decisions during this budget crisis while the Democratic leaders in the legislature "kick the can down the road."
I applaud Governor Rell's proposal that a Governor's budget rescission authority be increased incrementally. This will allow the Governor to make the tough decisions the Democratic leaders are refusing to address.
The taxpayers of Connecticut demand their government live within a budget just like our residents must do with their home budgets. Let's see how fast the Democrats move this time...
Your veto of the Democratic majority's recent deficit mitigation plan sheds light on the lame excuses of the Democratic leaders in the Connecticut General Assembly.
Where else can a budget deficit estimated between $337 million and $550 million be addressed by cutting expenditures a mere $12 million? Only in the Connecticut legislature - led by Democrats - Senate President Donald Williams and House Speaker Chris Donovan.
During our previous deficit mitigation deliberations I proposed doubling the Governor's statutory rescission authority. Governor Rell has proven she can make tough decisions during this budget crisis while the Democratic leaders in the legislature "kick the can down the road."
I applaud Governor Rell's proposal that a Governor's budget rescission authority be increased incrementally. This will allow the Governor to make the tough decisions the Democratic leaders are refusing to address.
The taxpayers of Connecticut demand their government live within a budget just like our residents must do with their home budgets. Let's see how fast the Democrats move this time...
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