Scary Time for the Ship of State

We are often formed by our first real serious job. Our skills and demeanor are honed during those first years of adult life to survive and to climb the career ladder. Gov. Dannel  Malloy is no different. He was a prosecutor in his early days and his demeanor is, well, aggressive. He does not tolerate fools or delays well. Prosecutors do not have time for niceties. To a DA, it's "take the deal or face a jury," or "your client will have to do some time;" or "this evidence is weak and the witnesses are shaky - kick the case."

It seemed like the natural personality to be Governor after the matronly, disengaged Rell era.

You have to respect Gov. Malloy for his clarity of purpose. He is taking names and no  prisoners. Since he took office, Malloy has never looked beyond the next day in his approach to governance. He easily rolled House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, who was on his way out and up to run for Congress and Senate President Pro Tempore Don Williams, D-Brooklyn, who simply wants a job, any job to get him out from under.

That leaves the Republican opposition who are numerically insignificant, but who have managed to propel a common sense, thoughtful alternative during Malloy's first Legislative session. House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, has single-handedly brought discipline to the Republican message. Senate Republican Leader John McKinney, R-Fairifield, a extremely articulate leader has allowed new State Senators Joseph Markley, R-Southington, Len Suzio, R-Meriden and Jason Welch, R-Bristol to emerge as conservative voices long missing in both chambers. The consistency of the Republican message and the votes that go with it will pay out in 2012 - just ask the Congressional Republicans who opposed President Obama's health care and economic policies in 2009.

The media called the Republicans the "party of no," and "obstructionists." Moderate Republicans rung their hands, but Conservatives won the 2010 Election and with it, the House of Representatives.

This week, the Democrats will bow to Malloy on his absurd $500 million attempt to manage Connecticut's dying economy.The question is whether the Republicans will resist the temptation to pour perfume on the pig and embrace it. The stink on the $300 million Jackson Laboratory deal is beginning to waft to the House Chamber. It took the state of Florida two years to figure out this was a laughable ripoff that no one other than a Democrat would support. The Malloy administration has taken a few months to see it as a steal.

The reason is simple - Reelection television ads for Gov.  Malloy. They are already been storyboarded - Dan Malloy in hard hat pointing to the horizon; Dan Malloy standing over blueprints, running his finger across a design while others nod approvingly.

But Malloy won't be denied. He saw the opportunity and we will worry about the details later.  Speaker Donovan is running for Congress and has his staff making contribution calls in the hallways of the LOB. Williams is still looking for a job.

But will Cafero and McKinney do what is necessary to stop it all or raise enough of a stink that voters figure out this mess? It is unclear.

These deals will go through, adding to the Malloy mystique but aggravating a disastrous financial outlook for the taxpayers of the state. The numbers are indeed adding up.



Malloy's largest tax increase since George Washington slept here budget has a built in $1 billion surplus, fueled by higher income, sales and energy taxes. It may not be enough because  the Connecticut economy has had enough. Wall Street returns for the last quarter are off while housing remains flat.  And in an ironic twist, Malloy's plan to get state employees to pony up money for their health care and to take precautionary health exams is working. Well, it's working for the employees. Under the plan, the administration hoped only half the state's workforce would elect to take the health exams rather than pay a premium. Over 90 percent have signed up, meaning the state will have to find another $200 million.

Sadly, no one really knows what the true picture of Connecticut's finances. The state Comptroller believes there is a $78 million surplus. No one believes that. No one has heard from state Treasurer Denise Nappier about the impact of any of these corporate handouts on the state's bond rating.  The Democrats control all the budget data and information. The Office of Fiscal Analysis, the supposedly independent agency on budget matters, has been silenced.

And remember the Malloy Suggestion Box for state employees? That was supposed to enlist the thoughtful ideas of state workers and managers on how better to deliver state services at lower costs.  No one has reported how that program is going which is supposed to generate $200 million in budget savings.

But those are the details of governance that mean little to those who rule with impunity - secure in their knowledge that no one - neither the media, the business community - will question their agenda. It is a scary time indeed.

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