We here in CT have a new legislative year quickly approaching with looming debt, layoffs and either much higher additional taxes or huge additional budget cuts coming - a lot of very hard choices to make
What will happen in the "Lame Duck" weeks and months of our government in CT?
What SHOULD happen and what WILL happen of course are 2 very different things.
The democrats still control the general assembly until the new senators and representatives are sworn in next January; let's hope the 2018 elections change that.
What SHOULD Happen is attacking the enormous budget problem but the democrats have other plans which will result in raising our taxes again and forcing homeowners and taxpayers in small towns and the suburbs to pay for the mismanagement and corruption of the cities that are doing poorly for their choices and continued refusal to spend their money wisely...
Ideally our elected officials will do the hard work of properly downsizing our bloated government and find solutions that will make the needed part of government that is required to run more efficiently while providing Better Service for those necessary items while managing to Lower the Costs of providing those services.
It is going to be a very hard job if the elected officials have the fortitude to make the cuts going through the budget line by line and department by department...
Each department and all of their offices need to be opened up; looked at separately as well as to how they relate to the whole wider government.
Weigh whether the department is in fact needed or has it become an old outdated form of government that really does not meet the needs of the citizens of Connecticut in the 21st century...
Weigh out exactly what each position does from the very top to the bottom in each of these departments which positions should be eliminated entirely or adjusted for our present and future needs?
Asking very Important questions like:
What expenses are being paid to out of state and even out of country businesses that should be instead contracted with Connecticut businesses? Taxpayer moneys should be spent in CT whenever possible
Can the position be done more effectively in the private sector?
Can the position be done more effectively at the town level?
Can the job be done in an electronic manner to reduce time and cost?
How many employees are actually needed vs how many are high level titles that really shouldn't be there in the first place because they do not actually assist in getting the work done for the people in Connecticut?
If you were able to make changes in our government what suggestions would you make to which departments and why would you make them?
Leave me your thoughts in the comments below.
#nq