Weekly CT Dem Dispatch

As the Budget battles becomes particularly ugly at the State Capitol, accusations of misconduct and fiscal irresponsibility are flying from both sides. I just happened to get the following in my inbox, a weekly newsletter from CT Democrats, which is just a sampling of the rhetoric during this difficult and painful time.

Dear Friends,

It was Dave Barry who once said, “Congress, after years of stalling, finally got around to clearing the way for informal discussions that might lead to possible formal talks that could potentially produce some kind of tentative agreements…”

One wonders if he was watching Connecticut Republicans over the past several months.

Initially, it was Governor Rell and her team who stalled budget negotiations first by refusing to present a budget that recognized the full extent of the state’s deficit since February 4. Second, she furthered delayed negotiations by walking out on May 27 as progress was being made. Third, she presented a second budget two weeks ago that remains nearly $1 billion out of balance, raises fees for many working professionals, cuts funding for the LIFE STAR program, cuts financial aid for college students, slashes services to the working poor and children, creates $700 in debt for every man, woman and child in our state. She still refuses to talk about procuring other sources of revenue.

Last week the Governor refused a request from Senate President Williams and Speaker of the House Donovan to personally get involved in budget negotiations. Nine days later and still counting, the Governor will not help craft a solution.

In a related development, Republicans in the House and Senate spent the majority of the last weeks of the regular legislative session filibustering floor debates on critical bills and ultimately preventing the passage of several important bills. This legislation included allowing our state to access funding from ARRA (Obama Stimulus Package) to fund the Summer Youth Employment Program; a bill to reform our teacher certification process to make it easier for qualified professionals to change professions and become teachers -- a bill that the Hartford Courant referred to as a “common-sense bill” and a bill that would have provided relief of state mandates on school districts.

And what did Governor Rell have to say about the tactics of Republican legislators after the close of the session? During last Thursday’s Prescott Bush dinner, Governor Rell praised them for their slowdown tactics during the last few days of the legislative session. She stated: "When they slow down the process in the House and Senate they prevent a whole lot of ugly bills from getting through."

We deserve better. Let the Governor know that the people of Connecticut want her at the negotiating table. Let her know that we need her to be honest about the size of our deficit. Let her know that we need her to understand that deep cuts to the poor, working families, the disabled, children, and education do not represent our values. Let her know that we want to protect Connecticut families; that we want everyone in the state to share the responsibility for balancing the budget. Thank you for reading the Democratic Dispatch, and thank you for making our voices heard.

You can reach Governor Rell's office by calling 860-566-4840.

Sincerely,

Nancy DiNardo