Connecticut Should Reject ObamaCare

An Open Letter to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal

Signed by all Republican State Senators

Dear Attorney General Blumenthal:

As the elected official charged with representing the interest of the people of Connecticut, it is now time for you to take action to preserve the Constitution and protect our state’s citizens and businesses. The illegal mandates passed by Congress in the form of the so-called Health Care Reform law must be challenged. Under our Constitution, those rights not explicitly provided to the federal government are reserved to the states. The Constitution does not empower the federal government to usurp the issue of making health care decisions for either the state or its citizens. The selection of healthcare providers and medical treatments, as well as the decision NOT to have certain treatments or coverage is the decision of the individual, protected by the Due Process rights of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. It is not now, nor has it ever been, in the purview of Congress to supersede those individual rights.

In addition, it has long been settled that the federal government has ceded to the states the responsibility of setting local healthcare standards of care, as well as regulatory authority over the medical and insurance industries. This inherent recognition of states' rights as pertaining to health care should remain, absent some Constitutional amendment granting oversight to Congress.

Finally, the attempted use of the Commerce Clause to justify this latest power grab by the federal government is unwarranted and improper. If the Commerce Clause, which springs from the authority to oversee economic activity between the states, was truly a proper source for an entire radical redesign of the health insurance industry, then it would not have been illegal to sell health insurance policies across state lines. In a free society, it has never been the duty of Congress to force the people of the United States to purchase a certain commercial product simply as a consequence of being alive. It is inherently illegal to mandate that free citizens must buy health care coverage or face sanctions.

We urge you to join the growing number of attorney generals who have already begun legal proceedings to stop this illegal action by Congress. Regardless of your personal beliefs or philosophies, you are bound by duty to protect and defend the people of this state, the small employers who will be penalized or put out of business by the mandates, the large insurance companies that call our state home and employ tens of thousands of our residents in an industry that will eventually be eliminated by government intrusion into our free markets, and the private citizens who will ultimately have to pay the $ 1.3 trillion price tag.

We would be happy to discuss this issue with you further at your convenience and we will assist your office in any way possible.

Sincerely,

Senator John McKinney, Senate Minority Leader
Senator Len Fasano, Senate Minority Leader Pro Tempore
Senator Andrew Roraback
Senator Tony Guglielmo
Senator John Kissel
Senator Sam Caligiuri
Senator Dan Debicella
Senator Rob Kane
Senator Toni Boucher
Senator Kevin Witkos
Senator Scott Frantz
Senator Michael McLachlan

Appearance on Fox 61's The Real Story

On Sunday, March 7, I appeared on The Real Story to discuss Senate Bill 153, An Act Providing Safe Harbor For Exploited Children.

The proposal aims to protect sexually exploited children by requiring the courts to assume that anyone under the age of 17 prosecuted for prostitution was coerced or enticed.

Increase Governor's Budget Authority

Bravo, Governor Rell!

Your veto of the Democratic majority's recent deficit mitigation plan sheds light on the lame excuses of the Democratic leaders in the Connecticut General Assembly.

Where else can a budget deficit estimated between $337 million and $550 million be addressed by cutting expenditures a mere $12 million? Only in the Connecticut legislature - led by Democrats - Senate President Donald Williams and House Speaker Chris Donovan.

During our previous deficit mitigation deliberations I proposed doubling the Governor's statutory rescission authority. Governor Rell has proven she can make tough decisions during this budget crisis while the Democratic leaders in the legislature "kick the can down the road."

I applaud Governor Rell's proposal that a Governor's budget rescission authority be increased incrementally. This will allow the Governor to make the tough decisions the Democratic leaders are refusing to address.

The taxpayers of Connecticut demand their government live within a budget just like our residents must do with their home budgets. Let's see how fast the Democrats move this time...

Legislature Continues to Repeat Same Mistakes

During our most recent special session, I compared the handling of the current fiscal crisis to the popular Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. In the movie, Murray's character relives the same day over, and over again until he finally learns his lesson.

Legislative Democrats have yet to learn their lesson and continue to offer the same empty solutions to deal with Connecticut's current fiscal crisis.

The legislature continues to repeat the mistake of not cutting spending when we have a deficit -- meaning at the end of the year our only choices are to borrow or raise taxes. Governor Rell and the legislative Republicans have offered moderate, specific cuts to get us out of this deficit, and the majority Democrats continue to refuse to get serious.

No Way To Run A Business, A Household, Or The State Of Connecticut

The General Assembly’s majority legislators continue to put their heads in the sand and pretend that somehow, some way, the state’s ongoing fiscal crisis will just go away. Rather than heed Governor M. Jodi Rell’s call for a special session to address our $466.5 million deficit, they chose to ignore the flood tide of red ink drowning our state.

It seems to me that the strategy at the State Capitol is to keep state employment, wages, and benefits high and immune to any meaningful cuts, while turning a deaf ear to the massive layoffs, wage cuts, house foreclosures, and business closings that have become commonplace in the private sector. The legislature’s continued resistance to taking meaningful action simply prolongs the state’s fiscal problems and greatly lessens our chances for a robust recovery.

Governor Rell’s response to the Democrats’ lack of decision-making ability was right on target and reflected what so many Republican legislators have been predicting for the past year. Three months ago, I voted against the budget that is now in deficit because, rather than shrink state government, it called for spending even more than last year, raising taxes and fees, borrowing, draining the Rainy Day Fund, and using one-time revenues to cover operating expenses. As I anticipated, passing this budget put our towns and cities in a precarious situation and further threatened our already beleaguered state economy. It now looks like the majority will propose further raising taxes, and perhaps even more borrowing, to close the deficit.

As Governor Rell said in response to legislative leaders’ recent refusal to heed her call to hold a special deficit mitigation session: “The new taxes and fee increases contained in the current budget are not generating the levels of revenue they were predicted to bring in, so why would even higher taxes be the answer now? And, the payments on the debt we are incurring will add to the burden on future generations. If we borrow more, we jeopardize our credit rating, making it more expensive to pay for important projects in the future. In fact, the state Treasurer estimates a lowered bond rating could cost the state as much as $80 million a year.”

To underscore the Governor’s concerns, Moody’s and Fitch’s investor services have already revised their outlook on Connecticut’s general obligation bonds from stable to negative. This clearly reflects the legislative majority’s lack of political will to cut spending in the face of declining revenues – unlike nearly every other state legislature.

This is no way to run a business, household, or our state. The citizens of Connecticut do not deserve this, and neither do the municipal government leaders who have already set their budgets for the year. This recession has forced so many families, businesses, non-profit organizations, and others in Connecticut to do more with a lot less. Those in Hartford, who are insulated from the reality of what is happening, do not understand that in economic crises, many small business owners go without pay, put their families at risk and sacrifice, so that their businesses and employees can survive. They have the right to expect their state government to do the same. So far, they have been sorely disappointed.

Senator Toni Boucher (R-26) represents the communities of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

We Need to Start Planning... Now

Last Friday I submitted a letter and proposals to the Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes, which is set to meet again at 10am on Monday.

When taken together, the recommendations would save over $250 million per biennium (based on OFA estimates) without diminishing the quality of service provided by government. Most of the recommendations will result in a reduction of the state work force, as redundancies are eliminated and functions are transferred to more efficient providers. While the state work force cannot be reduced until FY11 at the expiration of the SEBAC agreement, I believe we need to start planning now.

Let's Lend A Hand Where We Can

I am happy to invite you to watch an interview I recently did with two women who are working hard to put an end to hunger in Connecticut. Nancy Carrington is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Food Bank and Cheryl Bedore is President of Masters Manna in Wallingford. Both women joined me on my show Forum with Len Fasano to talk about the important work their organizations do and how you can pitch in.