No Surprise ObamaCare is Ruled Unconstitutional

On January 7, 2010 I wrote a letter to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal asking him to join his colleagues across the country reviewing the constitutionality of ObamaCare. No response.

On March 22, 2010 I authored a second letter to Blumenthal signed by all Republican State Senators stating, "The illegal mandates passed by Congress in the form of the so-called Health Care Reform law must be challenged." Our letter was clearly asking the Attorney General to protect Connecticut's Tenth Amendment rights. Months later a reply came defending ObamaCare.

Today, U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson ruled that Obamacare’s individual mandate — requiring Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty — is unconstitutional. The Obama Justice Department has indicated they will fight the decision in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Final arguments are scheduled for Thursday in a separate challenge to ObamaCare in a federal district court in Florida.

My message ignored by Attorney General Blumenthal last March seemed to ring true in federal court today:

"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."

Connecticut has a United States Senator-elect who needs a course in the United States Constitution. Perhaps this should be a requisite before the start of every new Congress. On the same note, Connecticut legislators should have a course on the Connecticut Constitution before every new General Assembly convenes.

Honor Our Veterans this Pearl Harbor Day

Pearl Harbor Day will live in infamy if we teach our children and grandchildren the importance of this day in history. The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument includes the USS Arizona Memorial.

We can never do enough to honor the service men and women who have given up so much defending our freedoms. As a tribute to these heroes who have served our country in the past and to those that serve today, Connecticut is building its first statewide veterans memorial. This memorial will be a symbol of our appreciation and respect for generations to come.

In our state’s history nearly 1.3 million Connecticut citizens have fought to protect our freedoms, and today there are more than 277,000 veterans living in Connecticut. This memorial will not only provide a place to pay tribute to those men and women who have served and are serving in the Armed Forces, but it will also memorialize the selfless contributions made by the veterans of our state and establish a site for the State of Connecticut to conduct official ceremonies and observances to honor veterans.

The Connecticut State Veterans Memorial will be located in Rocky Hill on 2.8 acres of grassy land adjacent to the Colonel Raymond Gates Memorial Cemetery and across the street from the Connecticut Veterans Home.

The design of the memorial was selected through a competition aimed at utilizing the talents and creativity of Connecticut’s many artisans, historians, scholars and designers. Once constructed, the State Veterans Memorial will feature a tree-lined walkway depicting a timeline of battles fought – the Revolutionary War through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Along the walkway will also be a wall with statements honoring those who have served and a special honor for those who lost their lives in combat. The walkway will lead to a wall with added words honoring past, present and future veterans as well as logos for each of the major Armed Forces. The memorial will also house an amphitheater for events that celebrate our service men and women.

The construction and installation of the memorial is slated to cost nearly $1.5 million. To cover these costs and to give citizens the opportunity to be a part of honoring friends, family and all veterans, individuals are asked to contribute. Information about how you can donate and make this project a reality can be found by visiting http://www.cthonorsvets.org/.

It is the brave men and women who join our Armed Forces that protect the rights and the liberties we cherish. Commemorating and recognizing their actions by erecting this memorial is wonderful testament to all these veterans do and have done to make our country what it is. I welcome this opportunity for our state to honor all of our courageous veterans.

Veterans' Day 2010 Address

The following is the text of my address during the Veterans' Day ceremony at the Danbury War Memorial:

"Good morning veterans, good morning Danbury. Thank you for joining us to honor Veterans Day.

I was here last week studying the names on the plaques before us – the inscription on one reads “In Honor of the Men and Women of Danbury who served in THE World War 1917-1919. In Memory of these men who made the supreme sacrifice for liberty.”

Note the words “THE World War.” Americans and the creators of this plaque never envisioned a second world war when they wrote these words. World War One was normally referred to simply as “The Great War.”

This plaque honors thirty five who were killed in action or died while fighting “The Great War.” Many names are familiar to us old-time Danburians but one jumped out at me last week – Raymond A. Walling.

Raymond A. Walling is immediately recognized by many of us standing here this morning but do we know who he was? The plaque reads Battery F. 56th Artillery Killed In Action August 31, 1918. We know him as the Raymond A. Walling Post 149 Veterans of Foreign Wars on Byron Street in Danbury. The next time I visit the VFW I’ll be looking for a biography on Raymond A. Walling.

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1919 the infamous Treaty of Versailles was signed between the Allies and Germany.

The first Armistice Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson on November 11th, 1919 with the following words, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 and today we honor all veterans – those here with us today and those lost in battle.

There are two patron saints of the military – Saint Christopher and Saint Michael the Archangel. I’d like to share my patron saint’s prayer with you:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of Heavenly Host, by the Power of God, thrust into hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Today I thank our veterans for their service to our country. All of us thank our veterans – I think we just don’t thank them enough.

May God Bless our veterans and may God Bless America.

Thank you."

Ground Zero for Election Irregularities?

What happens when the fairness of an election is questioned? Connecticut is ground zero for that question in 2010.

Bridgeport is Connecticut’s largest city and no doubt has far different challenges than smaller cities and towns but the Park City’s poor performance in elections is unacceptable. Unfortunately, the question of fairness of elections in Connecticut is burdened by Bridgeport’s history of poor performance.

Election Day 2010 is not the first time Bridgeport ran out of ballots. The 2007 municipal primary included charges of voting irregularities by a Democratic candidate for mayor when a polling place opened an hour late, poll workers were not trained in the operation of new ballot scanners and they ran out of paper ballots.

A close Democratic primary election in 2007 that came down to a couple hundred votes forced the loser to file legal action requesting the court to throw out the results. The state court refused to invalidate the results.

In the presidential election of 2008 Bridgeport was the center of attention in voter irregularities once again. This time ACORN, an organization in the middle of voter fraud across the country, submitted 8,000 voter registration cards in Bridgeport - many for persons who were incarcerated or underage. One voter registration card matched a 7-year old girl living in Bridgeport.

University of Connecticut students discovered 8,500 dead people on the voter rolls statewide in 2008. The Secretary of State quickly scrambled to assist local registrars in removing the deceased voters.

The Bridgeport election disaster continued this year when 250 absentee ballot applications were illegally obtained from local officials. Apparently two individuals listed their address as a vacant lot in Bridgeport.

On Election Day 2010 in Bridgeport the polls ran out of paper ballots AGAIN! The city has nearly 68,000 registered voters but only ordered 21,000 ballots. Several reports indicate most of the polling locations had long lines waiting for ballots to vote. Voters waited 90 minutes and more to vote. Many angry voters left the polling places without voting.

The Connecticut Democratic Party sued to hold the vote open past the 8:00 PM poll closing time. A state judge granted their request and ordered the polls remain open another two hours.

You can’t make up these stories but the nightmare continues.

Bridgeport election officials photocopied official ballots to cover the shortfall in official ballots. The photocopied ballots could not be read by the ballot scanners and were placed in separate locations. We soon discovered these ballots were never counted on Election night and were discovered two days later.

Democratic Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz has proven her ineffectiveness and incompetence as the state’s chief election official this year (thankfully her last year).

The day after the polls closed and Bridgeport had still not reported results Bysiewicz declared Democrat Dan Malloy the winner of the governor’s race. A short time later she sent an email message to registrars across the state saying final numbers were still a work in progress! Soon the Secretary of State’s office went into bunker mode. Republican Tom Foley was unable to get straight answers regarding Bysiewicz’s declaration.

The Bridgeport election officials finally got around to counting ballots on Thursday – over 36 hours after the polls closed in Connecticut. In a bizarre early morning press conference Mayor Bill Finch declared Dan Malloy the next governor of Connecticut.

Is anyone concerned about claims by state employee unions taking credit for Malloy’s victory. Does this mean we had a close election with a plurality of 5,000 votes out of over one million votes cast and the unions are doing a victory lap?

How did we get here? How did the mayor of Connecticut’s largest city become the Secretary of State? How did our largest city repeat glaring mistakes in elections? Why isn’t Connecticut concerned about voting irregularities?

I AM CONCERNED and as the Ranking Member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee I will submit legislation to address some of these election nightmares.

Constitution Day - 223 Year Later

Today we celebrate Constitution Day in the United States of America. On September 17, 1787 our Founding Fathers declared “We the People” and signed the document establishing the freedoms we enjoy. On this 223rd anniversary some Americans feel the Constitution is ignored by many elected officials, judges and educators.

Federal law states, “Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.” {36 U.S.C. § 106}

I assume this is happening in Connecticut but is that really enough? Why isn’t the Constitution a core curriculum every year for students?

I remember a lesson in Danbury schools talking about Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. We were taught Jefferson was the “father” of separation of church and state. In fact, the history is far more complicated and even includes a misguided decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1947.

One of the best articles I’ve read on this topic is from David Barton:

The Separation of Church and State

In Barton’s closing comment he states, “In summary, the ‘separation’ phrase so frequently invoked today was rarely mentioned by any of the Founders; and even Jefferson's explanation of his phrase is diametrically opposed to the manner in which courts apply it today. 'Separation of church and state' currently means almost exactly the opposite of what it originally meant."

When I read the Constitution of the United States today I see many areas our government appears to conflict with the Founding Fathers. This is a fascinating topic for me so I will keep studying.

A Young Life Cut Short on September 11, 2001

I had the pleasure to participate in a September 11th Remembrance Ceremony this morning at the site of Danbury's September 11th Memorial in Elmwood Park. The following is the text of my remarks:

"Thank you for joining us this morning to remember September 11, 2001.

On the first anniversary of September 11th, I was working on plans for a community celebration on behalf of the Mayor. We settled on a march down Main Street from the War Memorial to the CityCenter Green followed by a remembrance ceremony. A tropical storm blew through Danbury a few hours before the ceremony that afternoon and dropped trees and power lines across Main Street. An army of CL&P crews and city Forestry Department crews cleared the path for the celebration just in time for the start at 6:00 PM. The CityCenter Green was a sea of people.

The glass sculpture before us is the work of renowned artist Henry Richardson. The sculpture is a tower within a tower signifying the Twin Towers. The interior empty space is the same proportional dimensions as the physical presence of both towers. The inner tower here has the names of all Connecticut residents lost in the Twin Towers and highlighted in larger letters at eye-level are our Danbury-area residents. This twelve foot tower of glass is mounted on a pentagon of Connecticut granite.

The Danbury September 11th Memorial project was completed in less than a year and we hosted a spectacular dedication ceremony on September 11, 2004.

This is a special place in Danbury thanks to a group of people lead by Father Albert Audette who worked hard to make this memorial a reality. Vycki Higley Pratt, Kristy Gray, Firefighter Thomas Corbett, Sgt. John Krupinsky, Joel Levitt, Jan Nastasia, Jessica Soriano and I worked well together during the planning. This past year we lost another dedicated member of the committee – Sherry Williams – who passed on to join her daughter Candace Lee Williams – a passenger on Flight 11.

Candace Lee Williams was a student. A graduate of Immaculate High School’s Class of 1999, she was attending Northeastern University in Boston. She made the Dean’s List and was a member of the National Honor’s Society.

Candace was a Daughter, Sister, Granddaughter and Niece.

Candace was active. In high school she was a cheerleader, served on the student council, volunteered for the Special Olympics, played basketball and ran cross country.

Candace worked in the World Trade Center though she was on Flight 11 when she died. The plane she was in crashed into the building where she worked as an intern. She impressed her co-workers at Merrill Lynch so much that on her last day they sent her away in a limousine. The next semester Merrill Lynch asked Northeastern University for “five more Candaces.”

Candace was a dreamer. On 9/11 she was on the way to California, to meet her roommate for a short vacation. On that trip she wanted, more than anything else, to have her picture taken with the Hollywood sign

Maybe more than anything Candace was a helper. As a child she helped out at her grandparent’s construction company and not just in the office. She ran the machines, she poured concrete and she even put in septic systems.

At Northeastern University she developed a reputation as someone who would help others. Classmates appeared on her doorstep before exams, knowing she’d help - she even helped convince one friend not to drop out of school.

Airline records say that on Flight 11, Candace was seated next to Mildred Naiman, an 80-year-old grandmother. Candace’s mother said she’s sure her daughter died holding Mildred’s hand, comforting her.

You are looking at one of the most spectacular September 11th Memorials in the country. Candace Lee Williams and all the victims of September 11, 2001 deserve spectacular."

Visit Danbury's September 11th Memorial in Elmwood Park on Main Street.

Candace Lee William’s story is from “Project 2,996” 

Democrats Continue Their Bad Habits of Increased Spending

Connecticut has a public-financed, taxpayer-funded campaign finance system. What does that mean? Political campaigns for the state legislature and the Governor raise a portion of their campaign budget from individual contributors and get the rest of their funding from the “Citizen’s Election Program.”

The current program was ruled unconstitutional by two federal judges over the past year. The Connecticut General Assembly is in special session today to “fix” the program so that it complies with the court order and preserves the program.

Somehow the Democrats in Hartford think we should increase spending by awarding more “grants” to candidates for governor. This means Connecticut state government spends (paid for by taxpayers) another $6 million for political television advertising, bumper stickers and junk mail at a time when the food pantry cupboards are running bare.

When the federal courts ruled the Connecticut public-financed, taxpayer-funded campaign finance system unconstitutional they did not say we had to spend more money. No, that decision was made by the Democrats in Hartford.

It is no secret I am not a fan of public-financed, taxpayer-funded campaigns. I have voted on several occasions to remove funding for the program. I reluctantly participated in the voluntary program as the rules prove onerous for a traditional campaign funded by private contributors.

During my first campaign for the state senate in 2008 I was the first candidate to qualify for the Citizen Election Program (CEP). This required me to recruit over 300 contributors from within my district with a minimum $5 donation and raise at least $15,000. CEP then provided $85,000 to my campaign if I agreed to a spending limit of $100,000.

Candidates for governor may qualify for a grant of $3 million if they achieve similar success on a statewide basis. Today the Democrats in Hartford argued $3 million from the public-financed, taxpayer-funded campaign fund was insufficient and we should DOUBLE the spending to $6 million per candidate!

Connecticut residents are frustrated with state government’s disconnect from the realities of a recession. Somehow the Hartford Democrats keep spending more money and suggest this is necessary for one reason or another. Connecticut residents have a clear message for the State Capitol – CUT SPENDING!

There is no reason to increase spending for political campaigns. If there is $6 million “sitting there” then we should begin paying off the $2 billion we borrowed to pay regular expenses in the last year because the Hartford Democrats would not CUT SPENDING!