Amputation
There’s been a stand-off for some time, while the Governor and the legislative Democrats waiting for the other to be the first to raise the issue of taxes in the current budget crisis. Well, the standoff is over:
More revenue translates into a bid for higher taxes - something House Speaker Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, suggested earlier in the day during a radio interview on WNPR.
“The wealthy as well as the average person needs to kick in,” Donovan responded to one caller’s question about potential tax increases. Donovan has long been a fan of a so-called millionaires tax and is a strong supporter of organized labor. (Via Brian Lockhart)
Wyman said the governor and legislators eventually will have to admit that a combination of tax increases and spending cuts are inevitable.
“They’re going to have to tighten their belts, and they’re going to have raise taxes,” Wyman said. (Via Capitol Watch)
But while Rell is putting on the “working together” hat…
“It has been very difficult,” she said. “I will be honest. I’ll say that over and over again. It’s been a very difficult process. … It’s going to be time for all of us to come together [as leaders] and act. And I think they all agree. There aren’t any great options in this budget.”
… she turns around and shows that some pretty right-wing instincts are under that moderate facade:
“I’m looking at everything we’ve done as a state in years past — what worked, what didn’t,” Rell said. “And all of them are on the table. And some of them will be in the budget.”
But not taxes?
“No taxes,” she said.
As the economy has worsened and revenue collections have fallen far below what state analysts feared, Rell said she has been forced to return to budget cuts that she had initially rejected. Some cuts that she had viewed as “no way, no how” are now in the mix. (Via The Courant)
This… is crazy. Democratic leaders are talking about using the full toolkit available to the government, and gearing up for a mix of approaches to repair the State’s ailing economy, while Rell’s solution is to take a buzzsaw to the State government – a cuts-only budget.
The Democrats have proposed doing the increases – and will take the political hit for it – because they understand that the government does a lot of things that people genuinely rely on. Rell is talking about straight-up amputation, when surgery and medicine are what we really need. Let’s hope that she can stow her right-wing theatrics before the process plays out – and if she can’t, that the Democrats can put a sane balanced budget together over her opposition.