Common Sense: Our Families Use It. Why Can’t Government?

Opinion by State Representative Marilyn Giuliano

 

The State of Connecticut is at a crossroads. During the past year we have been struggling with job losses, smaller household budgets and increased costs for groceries and school tuition. You deserve a lean, agile government that can tackle problems head-on before they spiral out of control.

 

 

We have two choices – continue business-as-usual with policies that favor special interest groups, or forge partnerships with residents and leaders ready for recovery, reform and reinvention of how our state government works.

 

I intend to bring a few common sense principles to Hartford during the upcoming legislative session which begins on February 3^rd.

 

Don’t Spend More Than You Take-In.  Keep spending aligned with revenues.  Spending needs to be reduced to what we can reasonably anticipate in revenue without assessing new taxes.

 

Borrow Only What You Can Afford To Pay Back.  During the last legislative session, the majority borrowed $1 billion to pay for a portion of the budget deficit, and that’s  more money than the state has ever borrowed before.  As a result, Connecticut’s good credit rating has been damaged costing taxpayers more in the long run.  We need to restrict what can be bonded, and set a bonding cap.

 

 

If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Fix It. (And If It’s Not Working, Get Rid of It).  State government must systematically evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of every state job and every state program.  We need to demand results-based accountability of state programs, and stop funding wasteful, ineffective programs.

 

The More Government Tries to Do, The Less It Does Well. The most efficient government is a lean government.  Connecticut must maintain funding commitments to towns in the areas of education, public safety, transportation, and public health.  Cuts in state spending should shrink the size of government, not shrink the government’s commitment to its core functions.

 

We Should Have All the Government We Need, But ONLY the Government We Need.  We need to focus on eliminating duplication of services by multiple state agencies, and cutting the excess and waste in state government before another penny in new taxes is raised.

 

Citizens deserve a state government that is efficient, cost-effective and responsive to those it serves.  And that starts by making your government live within its means.