Connecticut Turns Left

To the Editor:

Somehow I missed a left turn signal. The Democrat Party stormed into the State House in Hartford last fall. As a result we have seen the biggest turn to the left in the history of Connecticut.

Our legislators have: passed the biggest tax increase we have ever seen, liberalized drug laws, granted transgender rights at the expense of non-transgender people. Add to that illegal aliens can now attend state schools for the cost of in-state tuition, employer mandates that dampen a slow recovery, and early release of prison inmates.

The icing on this liberal cake is the budget gap closing slight of hand. Faced with a $2 billion budget gap the folks in the State House accepted a package of $1.6 billion in cuts and call it a job well done! The crazy part of that is $180 million is to come from savings based on employee suggestions. Just in case you didn’t know this... hope is not a strategy.

And the state employees got off with minimal concessions that have not been accepted by the rank and file. But the brilliant minds that dumped on us all this left Hartford before the union voted. It is just wrong-headed to think that any of this represents the best interests of the people.

Meanwhile, back in Newtown, the Board of Education has once again wandered off the reservation. The issue of owner-operator bus service for the schools finds itself back at the top of their agenda. It was pretty clear to me that the last go around on this pointed to the fact that the parents and community saw the current transportation system as beneficial and wanted to keep it in place.

The crowd in Hartford has broken enough campaign promises; why do our local officials see the need to follow suit? As Herb Rosenthal pointed out in this section of The Bee last week [School Bus Contract Process Has Been Rigged,” Letter Hive, 6/10/11] the entire process surrounding owner-operator issue is, at best, questionable.

The situation in Hartford is too far gone to do anything corrective. However, maybe, just maybe, the Board of Education can get back on to topics that are of concern to parents and of value to students. For example, reduce the number of administrators, put the time and energy in classroom resources and put staff development back where it should be, i.e., an after-hours program, not an interruption of the learning day.

What we need is elected officials that represent the people, not a few special interests. Let’s start at home at the very least to make sense out of nonsense.

RP Gottmeier

Antler Pine Road, Sandy Hook                                   June 12, 2011