Holding State Leadership’s Feet to the Fire on Budget

On Monday May 23, I joined House Republican Leader Larry Cafero (R-142) and State Representative Marilyn Giuliano (R-23) for a Budget Presentation and Town Hall Meeting at  Killingworth Elementary School to talk about Connecticut’s current budget crisis and all the different proposals to handle it.

I was glad to have the opportunity to speak with residents from the area about Connecticut’s economy.  We had a productive exchange of ideas and people gained a better understanding that we CAN right our state’s financial situation without raising taxes.

We brought a power point presentation that showcased the places where Connecticut’s economy has grown, or not grown as much, in succinct notes, graphs and charts.  Also a YouTube video was featured to illustrate the ever increasing size and cost of state government and the lack of union concessions.

The video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/Re5XdukW4oI

We discussed how the State Workforce's overwhelming number of managers and the generous healthcare, retirement and longevity systems need to be reigned in.  It is unbelieveable how our state leadership refuses to listen to the constant outcry from taxpayers and resists making sweeping changes to the boated and costly state government.  In Madison, public opinion plays an important role in shaping how the town budget can best serve the community.  Without feedback, we would never know that people are recieving the services they need.

How can government ask everyone including families, businesses and towns to tighten their belts to help this economic recovery while we increase the salaries of the 54,000 state work force and ensure each job for an additional 4 years? It seems that we need to look at this overwhelming piece of the pie to start reducing state spending.

Here is a link to some of my comments at the event: http://youtu.be/yvsx7I3oI8g

I was honored to have members of the community thank me for consistently voting to improve Connecticut’s monetary strategy during my first 90 days in office.