Op-ed: My issue with Hartford (and the political process)

GKB

G. Kenneth Bernhard

I have a full appreciation for the difficulty of governing and of the multiple issues with which our governor and our legislators have to deal. Their responsibilities are numerous, their mission is complex, and their time is short.

I also have great admiration for their willingness to commit to public service. But I am, nevertheless, critical of the endless amount of deceit that comes from both branches of our government about the budgeting process and the state of our economy.

The information is continually rearranged to suit a political agenda and/or to avoid making difficult decisions. The hard facts are dressed up and dispensed with camouflage.

I would like our elected officials to be more honest, tell us the facts, however unappealing, and then motivate us all to get behind real solutions.

Connecticut’s budgeting process is often an exercise akin to moving the deck chairs on the Titanic. The public statements about Connecticut’s economy are mostly crafted to make people feel good, rather than to keep them informed.

We get most of our real information from public service not-for-profits, think tanks and independent consultants who have to labor through the “fog” dispersed by the public sector.

If our state elected officials, and we, don’t face the reality of how bad things are, we cannot begin to plan, much less make, a better future.

G. Kenneth Bernhard is a Westport resident.