Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

Just when the Connecticut chorus advocating more spending has become taxing, the Republican Party – absent Governor Jodi Rell, who has become a party unto herself – cleared its throat and began to sing a familiar tune. Republicans this year have produced their own budget, apparently on the sly, and not unexpectedly it contains zero tax increases. The problem with the Republican Party budget is not that it is little more than a series of campaign debating points; on the contrary, the GOP budget is detailed and comprehensive. The problem is that the alternative budget will be treated by the governor, the media and less so by Democrat legislative leaders, who will simply ignore it, as a “point of departure” for negotiations; serious budget negotiations will take place between the governor, who yet disposes of a few bargaining chips, and a Democrat legislature on steroids. Both the governor and Democrats have shown themselves to be big-time constitutional spending cap busters. The Democra...