While Connecticut Republicans standing a chance of winning seats this November, exactly what the party will fight for is a mystery. With the economy in a mess due to some of the highest taxes in the nation and a budget process held hostage by last-minute leadership proposals, the party must do two things.
1) Institute a minimum four-week review period for budgets so the public and assembly can read, discuss and pass them. Currently, bills are presented with minutes to go with no oversight except for a few lucky and too powerful officials. This is dishonest and lacks any form of accountability. It is one more way for a select few to run the government and potentially hide unnecessary programs and pet projects.
2) Republicans must have a long-term plan to reduce taxes. Both issues are crucial to the future of our state. Currently, party leadership seems to enjoy short-changing the state by heavy handing programs and funding. No wonder this state is in a mess. This takes courage and must be made public if the voters are to have any confidence in the Connecticut Republican leadership.
It is not enough to just vote in Republicans this year. We must vote in a party that has an idea of what to do to make our state great again. They must stop dilly-dallying with small, tangendental items, fix the ‘big things’ and be accountable.
Serge G. Mihaly, Jr. lives in Woodbury.