Latest Dem Budget Serves up More Tax Hikes, Job Losses, Economic Misery

The latest two-year budget plan served up by the state legislature’s majority Democrats August 31st is a warmed over version of their earlier proposals that relies on billions in tax increases, borrowing, and one-shot revenues to pay for more government spending programs and to close the state’s $8 billion deficit, Representative Williams said after the state House of Representatives voted on the plan.
“The liberal Democrats who control the state legislature have once again shown how out of touch they are with the cold economic realities that most people in our state have been dealing with since the recession got underway more than a year ago,” Representative Williams said. “People are losing their jobs, losing their homes and being forced to do more with less to make ends meet. They want to see concrete steps being taken that will bring us out of the recession, encourage economic growth and bring back the jobs that have been lost over the past year and a half.”

“Instead, what they are getting is more spending on expensive government programs and higher taxes on families, individuals and employers that are prolonging the economic hard times, creating more joblessness and forcing more people to abandon Connecticut for good. Last week, Governor Rell offered several major concessions to Democrat budget negotiators in an effort to resolve the impasse. Instead of agreeing to meaningful spending cuts as a gesture of good faith that might have resulted in an agreement acceptable to all sides, Democrat legislative leaders dug in their heels and offered little more than a warmed over version of their previous proposals,” Representative Williams said.

“Their addiction to reckless spending and higher taxes at a time when we can least afford it will worsen and prolong the recession, mean more business failures and joblessness and more of our most productive citizens leaving Connecticut for good. I could not put my stamp of approval on their budget by voting for it. Instead, I supported a ‘no tax increase’ budget that would put us back on the road to economic growth and job creation while preserving state aid to municipalities and local school districts – as well as grants to communities from the state’s share of Indian casino slot machine proceeds – at current levels.”

Representative Williams and all House Republican legislators were united in opposition to the Democrat budget proposal.