Cicero Freedom suppressed again and again regains bites with keener fangs than freedom never endangered -- Cicero The primary system in Connecticut was initiated to purge politics of party bosses such as the formidable John Bailey. Governor Ella Grasso, the first woman in the nation to serve as governor in her own right, was a product of the Bailey system, now defunct. Under the boss system, the party boss selected candidates for major state positions and presented them for affirmation at party conventions; a delegate convention being conventional and traditional, incumbents manage to retain their seats – why disturb the political universe? – and the façade of democracy is preserved. However, there is a downside to all primaries preceding party conventions. In semi-anarchic modern times, the candidates chosen in primaries often are not acceptable to voters in general elections. A primary choice may be a Hobson’s choice – that is a “choice” that is no cho...
“Saying Gov. Ned Lamont’s plan is not enough, Senate Republicans are calling for $1.5 billion in tax and electricity relief in an election year,” the Hartford Courant tells us in its February 12 report, “ GOP unveils $1.5B tax cut plan .” Republicans are calling for tax cuts. Democrats are calling for tax relief . The two are entirely different. A tax cut is an uncollected tax that leaves dollars in the accounts of taxpayers who are, free market Republicans will insist, better able than tax-hungry bureaucrats to decide how dollars should be allocated. The difference between a tax cut and a tax rebate or credit , preferred by state Democrats, is the same as the difference between a price reduction and a temporary price discount. A rebate must be collected before it can be rebated. But a tax cut leaves dollars at the disposal of taxpayers. Rebates and credits can be easily redistributed by the tax collecting authority, but it is not possible to redistribute an un...