Whether or not U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty will serve the remainder of her term or resign immediately is very much an open question. But, in any case, the battle for Connecticut’s 5 th U.S. Congressional District has begun with a show of unexpected fireworks. For many years, the 5 th District was a toss-up proposition; both Republicans and Democrats have held and surrendered the seat. Geographically the 5 th District touches the border of New York from Connecticut’s northern-most point to Danbury in the southern quadrant and includes much of Litchfield county and parts of Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven counties. Party affiliation is competitive, in round figures, 30 percent Democrat, 25 percent Republican and 45 percent unaffiliated. Over the years, the Democrat Party in Connecticut has moved from the center to the left, but the 5 th District has been a moderate preserve. During the Obama presidential election, Republican moderates within Connecticut's U.S. ...
Comments
It appears that the Dems, at least in the executive branch, are finally acknowledging that spending must be reduced. However, this general recognition is generally qualified by the claims that the Governor's agreement with the unions last year means there are no savings to be found there and, secondly, that medicaid cuts are difficult because of their being tied to federal dollars. I question the extent that the State can in fact be legally bound by any agreement with its employees if it were in its wisdom to either exempt itself from litigation and/or change the statutory framework that gives public employee unions their right to exist. The promises it has made simply cannot be kept. I also question whether the State can't find savings in Medicaid by rejecting the Obamacare expansion of eligibility, reversing, as I understand it, the decision made by Gov. Rell in 2010 "to provide increased medical benefits for (the near poor) through Medicaid while relieving the burden on state taxpayers.” The dramatic increase in the number of folks on medicaid is allegedly a prime reason for the current "unexpected" budget "shortfalls," and would appear to this inexpert financial analyst to be unsustainable going, as they say,forward.