December 11, 2012

Carpino Op-Ed: TIME TO RIGHT THE SHIP

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As I prepare to take the oath of office for a new legislative term on January 9th, the one thing residents in the district have conveyed to me is to continue fighting for common sense budgeting because residents cannot take any more tax increases.

Our current budget situation, sadly, is like the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. The same budget problems Connecticut faced in 2011 have reemerged for the upcoming year. And, if we don’t change course, the problem will continue to linger and haunt our children. Connecticut has a budget deficit for this fiscal year of over $400 million.

At the most recent Appropriations Committee hearing on the budget deficit the chairs of the Committee indicated tax increases were still on the table. In addition, the Governor himself stated he could not make any promises about the town aid level he will recommend in his next budget. The administration is projecting the cost of maintaining current services would burst the constitutional state-spending cap by more than $1.2 billion next fiscal year.

I voted no on the 2011 budget due to an over-reliance on tax hikes —and it’s proving to be an even worse budget than anyone could have imagined. If we have learned anything we have learned that you cannot tax your way to a balanced budget or to economic prosperity. In the case of the current budget, the state’s largest ever tax increase hasn’t come close to covering spending — partly because much of the year’s anticipated tax revenue hasn’t materialized, but chiefly because total state spending has actually increased by more than $1 billion during fiscal 2012 and 2013.

The Governor will be required to submit a deficit mitigation plan to the General Assembly before the end of the year and I will be called into special session. The Governor has asked for a bipartisan budget solution and I stand ready to achieve that

goal. We ALL represent the citizens of Connecticut. It’s time both sides of the aisle in Connecticut work to towards the common sense principles I have enumerated since I took my first oath of office—Spend no more than you make, Borrow only what you can afford to pay back.

Cuts will be difficult. Unfortunately, my predecessors made poor decisions and we must right this ship for all of Connecticut. I give you my word that I will do my best to make fair decisions in difficult circumstances.

I wish you all a safe and healthy new year.

If you would like to comment on this column or other issues of concern to you please contact my office at 1-800-842-1423 or visit my website: www.cthousegop.com.