The following Op-Ed was published in The News-Times on Sunday, February 25, 2012:
The recent furor over the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services new regulations for ObamaCare demonstrates the clear violations of religious liberty proposed by President Obama.
Many argue the issue is all about healthcare choice but somehow have misunderstood that the objections are rooted in defense of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The issue is the survival of constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for conscience and religious liberty.
Cardinal Dolan of New York stated, “Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience. This shouldn't happen in a land where free exercise of religion ranks first in the Bill of Rights."
Cardinal Dolan said in a Wall Street Journal opinion, “This latest erosion of our first freedom should make all Americans pause. When the government tampers with a freedom so fundamental to the life of our nation, one shudders to think what lies ahead.”
Catholic and other religious institutions will soon be legally required to provide services which violate a fundamental principle of their religious beliefs.
This should be a battle cry for all faith institutions – the First Amendment of the United States Constitution is under attack.
The mandate infringes on the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion and also violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Our government should be protecting freedom not violating it and American citizens owe it to their country to strongly object to this violation of the United States Constitution.
“This ruling is a violation of religious liberty, an infringement on the conscience rights of individuals and institutions that contribute immensely to the common good,” said Bishop William E. Lori of the Diocese of Bridgeport.
One of the most troubling facts about ObamaCare is that nearly 2,000 exemptions have been granted to unions and corporations like McDonalds.
Why are religious institutions not granted similar exemptions?
Many lawsuits have been filed by Catholic schools, healthcare organizations and the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) seeking to strike down the mandate. The Beckett Fund is assisting with the lawsuits and has developed compelling arguments challenging the constitutionality of the Obama Administration’s actions.
Religious freedom prevailed in a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States last month. The case determined the government may not tell churches (in this case a Lutheran school) whom to hire or fire as ministers.
This week the United States Senate is expected to vote on the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (S.1467). The proposal will ensure that Americans “retain the right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs and moral convictions.”
Please call Senators Lieberman and Blumenthal at the U.S. Capitol (202) 224-3121 and urge them to support this measure.
This “one-two punch” of major news brought me back to 2009, when I stood with thousands of members of the faith community on the steps of the State Capitol in Hartford.
We stood together in strong opposition to Senate Bill 1098. That bill was a flagrant and unjustified attack on the Church’s constitutionally protected autonomy.
The bill would have removed all financial control from clergy of the Catholic Church and installed it in a board of directors comprised of lay members elected from within the parish. The bill would have also expanded the state’s authority to investigate Church finances.
We fought and we won. After tremendous opposition, the legislature tabled the bill.
More than two years later, I remain encouraged that so many Catholics, and many people of other religions, made the trip to Hartford to speak their minds on that controversial bill.
I also remain hopeful that people of all faiths will stand up now to oppose President Obama’s national attack on religious freedom.
The recent Supreme Court decision was another victory for religious liberty. The ObamaCare health mandate was a defeat, but we pray it will be just a temporary one.
I urge you to contact me at Michael.McLachlan@cga.ct.gov or call (860) 240-0068 with your thoughts, ideas and comments on how I can help you at the State Capitol.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, November 24, 2011
George Washington's Thanksgiving
By the President of the United States of America,a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was,that is,or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner,in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness,and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgression -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws,discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Geo. Washington
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was,that is,or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner,in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness,and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgression -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws,discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Geo. Washington
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Connecticut Democrats' Train Wreck
Connecticut Democrats think taxpayers should pay $443 million dollars to create 600 jobs. Are they for real? You bet they are! That is $738,333 for each job.
Jackson Laboratories is slated to get 17 acres of prime real estate and a free new building. The Connecticut taxpayers will be their largest shareholder in this new venture.
Private investors consider investments like this all the time but they get a return on their investment. In the medical research field a private investor would get a share of royalties earned and equity in the company.
Connecticut Innovations (C-I), the quasi-government, taxpayer-funded incubator charged with coordinating this government giveaway is changing their business model for this boondoggle. Current investments by C-I require equity and royalties in return for their investments. Not this time!
Connecticut Democrats are authorizing a major investment of taxpayer's money with no similar return on this investment! The new taxpayer-funded building and operations will be tax-exempt!
This proposal lacks common due-diligence for similar private sector transactions.
The Connecticut Democrats' Train Wreck is in the ditch again.
Jackson Laboratories is slated to get 17 acres of prime real estate and a free new building. The Connecticut taxpayers will be their largest shareholder in this new venture.
Private investors consider investments like this all the time but they get a return on their investment. In the medical research field a private investor would get a share of royalties earned and equity in the company.
Connecticut Innovations (C-I), the quasi-government, taxpayer-funded incubator charged with coordinating this government giveaway is changing their business model for this boondoggle. Current investments by C-I require equity and royalties in return for their investments. Not this time!
Connecticut Democrats are authorizing a major investment of taxpayer's money with no similar return on this investment! The new taxpayer-funded building and operations will be tax-exempt!
This proposal lacks common due-diligence for similar private sector transactions.
The Connecticut Democrats' Train Wreck is in the ditch again.
Monday, July 4, 2011
George Washington's Sacred Fire
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."
George Washington
First Inaugural Address
April 30, 1789
George Washington
First Inaugural Address
April 30, 1789
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Time for Collective Bargaining Reform
Many politicos in Connecticut are convinced Governor Malloy owes his Election Day victory to the unions. The mobilization of ground troops in the closing weeks of the campaign was monumental, even breathtaking. Residents in the big cities answered their doorbell on Election Day to respond to a union member's offer for a ride to the polls. Credit where credit is due – the unions outmaneuvered Tom Foley.
Governor Malloy clearly paid back the unions with his budget proposal. Leave a hole in the budget to fill with union givebacks and $180 million in cost savings from an “employee suggestion box.” Rattle the saber to appease the taxpayers by threatening layoffs if the unions don’t pass concessions then negotiate a sweet deal guaranteeing no layoffs. Private sector unions have never had management on their side like Malloy was for the state employee unions in 2011.
Suddenly Malloy was the poster boy for Democrats – negotiating union deals, raising taxes and RAISING spending. People started whispering Dan wants to be president!
Fast-forward to last week. The Malloy dirigible crashed to the ground. The helium leaked out and the hot air could not keep the ship of state afloat.
Now the state budget is a shambles. The Governor says 5,500 state employees will get pink slips. Connecticut economists suggest the multiplier effect of Malloy’s layoffs could mean a double-dip recession and as many as 16,000 newly unemployed.
The time is now to pull in the reins on the state employee unions in Connecticut. They elected our governor, were handed an early Christmas present and demanded more. Now, 15% of their membership will be kicked out of their jobs because last-in-first-out rules protect the majority.
SEBAC is a disaster for Connecticut. The organization is not effectively protecting their membership. Their rules are unworkable as we see by the failure of the concession agreement when nearly 60% of union membership voted to approve them.
Chris Powell of the Journal-Inquirer stated in his editorial, “With its extravagant laws for collective bargaining for public employees, Connecticut has put itself under minority rule in the extreme. First the sovereign people have to get the permission of their employees just to operate a government. And then that government's operations are largely determined by a minority of those employees.”
The time is now to reform collective bargaining for public employees in Connecticut. The taxpayers of Connecticut cannot sustain the current system.
Governor Malloy clearly paid back the unions with his budget proposal. Leave a hole in the budget to fill with union givebacks and $180 million in cost savings from an “employee suggestion box.” Rattle the saber to appease the taxpayers by threatening layoffs if the unions don’t pass concessions then negotiate a sweet deal guaranteeing no layoffs. Private sector unions have never had management on their side like Malloy was for the state employee unions in 2011.
Suddenly Malloy was the poster boy for Democrats – negotiating union deals, raising taxes and RAISING spending. People started whispering Dan wants to be president!
Fast-forward to last week. The Malloy dirigible crashed to the ground. The helium leaked out and the hot air could not keep the ship of state afloat.
Now the state budget is a shambles. The Governor says 5,500 state employees will get pink slips. Connecticut economists suggest the multiplier effect of Malloy’s layoffs could mean a double-dip recession and as many as 16,000 newly unemployed.
The time is now to pull in the reins on the state employee unions in Connecticut. They elected our governor, were handed an early Christmas present and demanded more. Now, 15% of their membership will be kicked out of their jobs because last-in-first-out rules protect the majority.
SEBAC is a disaster for Connecticut. The organization is not effectively protecting their membership. Their rules are unworkable as we see by the failure of the concession agreement when nearly 60% of union membership voted to approve them.
Chris Powell of the Journal-Inquirer stated in his editorial, “With its extravagant laws for collective bargaining for public employees, Connecticut has put itself under minority rule in the extreme. First the sovereign people have to get the permission of their employees just to operate a government. And then that government's operations are largely determined by a minority of those employees.”
The time is now to reform collective bargaining for public employees in Connecticut. The taxpayers of Connecticut cannot sustain the current system.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
CT Dems Manhandle Gov't Watchdogs
Today I raised questions about a Malloy administration proposal that consolidates nine state watchdog agencies under one umbrella.
The bill, debated in the Senate today for over six hours, consolidates the Office of State Ethics, State Elections Enforcement Commission, Freedom of Information Commission, Judicial Review Council, Judicial Selection Commission, Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, Office of the Child Advocate, Office of the Victim Advocate, and the State Contracting Standards Board.
This proposal undermines the watchdogs' independence.
The independence of these watchdog agencies has worked well for many years. Politics does not come into play in the operation of the agencies. Their decisions are independent ones. This bill violates that independence and it will call into question whether the watchdogs' decisions are based on politics or not. These watchdog agencies have restored the public's confidence and faith in government.
Taxpayers should be confident in these agencies. Once in a while, you get a bad apple politician who breaks the public trust. These agencies - because they are separate and independent from politics - restore that trust. This is about the integrity of what we do in government. The bill represents a good attempt to make government more efficient, but I have concluded that the big three watchdog agencies - Office of State Ethics, State Elections Enforcement Commission, Freedom of Information Commission - must be separate.
The current firewall between the agencies would also be torn down by Governor Malloy’s proposal. The potential conflict of legal matters could find one state watchdog agency suing the other. I'm concerned that the legal staffs of these agencies, for instance, should not be sharing legal responsibilities across agency boundaries. I don't think those firewalls were considered in the crafting of this bill.
I also have grave concerns over how confidentiality would be protected under the new agency consolidations.
There are many unanswered questions. For example, how will conflicts between these agencies be resolved? What are the rules? Who is in charge? Who will we be sure that hearings are fair? The bottom line is this: there are certain parts of state government which need crystal clear definitions - Ethics, Elections and Freedom of Information must remain beyond reproach. This law would take us in the wrong direction.
The bill, debated in the Senate today for over six hours, consolidates the Office of State Ethics, State Elections Enforcement Commission, Freedom of Information Commission, Judicial Review Council, Judicial Selection Commission, Board of Firearms Permit Examiners, Office of the Child Advocate, Office of the Victim Advocate, and the State Contracting Standards Board.
This proposal undermines the watchdogs' independence.
The independence of these watchdog agencies has worked well for many years. Politics does not come into play in the operation of the agencies. Their decisions are independent ones. This bill violates that independence and it will call into question whether the watchdogs' decisions are based on politics or not. These watchdog agencies have restored the public's confidence and faith in government.
Taxpayers should be confident in these agencies. Once in a while, you get a bad apple politician who breaks the public trust. These agencies - because they are separate and independent from politics - restore that trust. This is about the integrity of what we do in government. The bill represents a good attempt to make government more efficient, but I have concluded that the big three watchdog agencies - Office of State Ethics, State Elections Enforcement Commission, Freedom of Information Commission - must be separate.
The current firewall between the agencies would also be torn down by Governor Malloy’s proposal. The potential conflict of legal matters could find one state watchdog agency suing the other. I'm concerned that the legal staffs of these agencies, for instance, should not be sharing legal responsibilities across agency boundaries. I don't think those firewalls were considered in the crafting of this bill.
I also have grave concerns over how confidentiality would be protected under the new agency consolidations.
There are many unanswered questions. For example, how will conflicts between these agencies be resolved? What are the rules? Who is in charge? Who will we be sure that hearings are fair? The bottom line is this: there are certain parts of state government which need crystal clear definitions - Ethics, Elections and Freedom of Information must remain beyond reproach. This law would take us in the wrong direction.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
CT Democrats Expanding Government!
Connecticut Democrats keep marching down the road to larger, more expensive government. Today, the State Senate debated a bill to create a new state insurance exchange. Many questions remain unanswered after nearly three hours of debate.
Senate Bill 921 creates a new “quasi-government” organization that is granted power to “charge assessments or user fees to health carriers to generate necessary funding to support ongoing operations.” The bill also allows the new organization to borrow money. The major problem with this plan is there are no clear boundaries for this new government agency’s spending and borrowing.
The new assessments or user fees proposed in this bill are paid by “health carriers” but that translates into Connecticut residents paying the cost of this new government agency. The Democrats at the State Capitol claim this proposal is required under ObamaCare. Unfortunately, the final rules from Washington are not in place and Connecticut Democrats are jumping forward to expand state government.
A lengthy debate in the Senate made it perfectly clear this plan is premature and is perhaps misguided. ObamaCare mandates states to spend millions of dollars on the expansion of new government bureaucracies – translation – more costs to state residents mandated by ObamaCare.
Can someone please tell Governor Malloy and the Democrats in the state legislature to stop spending money? PLEASE!
Senate Bill 921 creates a new “quasi-government” organization that is granted power to “charge assessments or user fees to health carriers to generate necessary funding to support ongoing operations.” The bill also allows the new organization to borrow money. The major problem with this plan is there are no clear boundaries for this new government agency’s spending and borrowing.
The new assessments or user fees proposed in this bill are paid by “health carriers” but that translates into Connecticut residents paying the cost of this new government agency. The Democrats at the State Capitol claim this proposal is required under ObamaCare. Unfortunately, the final rules from Washington are not in place and Connecticut Democrats are jumping forward to expand state government.
A lengthy debate in the Senate made it perfectly clear this plan is premature and is perhaps misguided. ObamaCare mandates states to spend millions of dollars on the expansion of new government bureaucracies – translation – more costs to state residents mandated by ObamaCare.
Can someone please tell Governor Malloy and the Democrats in the state legislature to stop spending money? PLEASE!
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