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Jean D'Arc Lives

According to a story in the Waterbury Republican American by Martin Begnal, the Democrats may have produced their first Jean D’Arc.

Joan Hartley is feeling the whips and scorns of the Democrat Party leadership.

Said Hartman, “"They told me I had to support this, and if I didn't then the benefits of the caucus wouldn't be available to me, and I would lose my committee chair, my office and my parking space."

“This” is the porcine Democrat bonding plan vetoed by Gov. Jodi Rell. Hartley is the lone hold-out preventing an over-ride of the governor’s veto.

And Keith M. Phaneuf of the Journal Inquirer, as usual, gets it right and calls things by their right names.

“Connecticut, which has more than $14.3 billion in bonded debt,” Phaneuf notes, “is one of the most indebted states, per capita, in the nation. And annual payments on that debt are consuming an increasingly large share of the state budget. This fiscal year's debt service is expected to top $1.83 billion, or 10.4 percent of the entire budget.

“The Democrats' bonding package also included more than $230 million in earmarks, often dubbed ‘pork-barrel’ projects by critics.”

The attempt by weak Democrat leaders to seize a piece of the bonding pie to distribute to their minions has, for the moment, been frustrated. Earmarks are special favors distributed by party leaders to the rank and file to compel their vote on questionable bills.

If the Democrat leaders had a rational program to sell to Connecticut citizens, they would not need earmarks.

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