February 2020: New Session, Same Old Tricks

March 3, 2020

It’s a new legislative session, but Governor Lamont is up to the same old tricks.

For years the liberal left has falsely cast Republicans as “anti-women,” “anti-education,” “anti-blue collar,” “anti-animals,” you name it.  It’s a clever deception they use when we won’t take the bait to engage in identity politics or adopt policies that pit one group against another.

On the opening day of the 2020 legislative session, Governor Lamont kicked off his speech calling for a “positive, optimistic attitude” toward the lawmaking season – suggesting that Republicans were fearmongering, unpatriotic representatives of the Constitution State.

The call for a better attitude comes after he and the majority party were forced to wade through two solid weeks of thoughtful, researched and appropriate opposition to the most recent tolls package.  This proposal is a vague and desperate attempt to start down the slippery slope to tolling all vehicles.

My position is that while there are certainly improvements that can be made to the state’s transportation infrastructure, I want an independent study conducted to identify two important facts: 1) What exactly needs to be done, and 2) How much will it cost?

How can we go down the road (pun intended) on considering tolls when we have no actual number established for how much needs to be invested to fix roads, bridges, rail, etc.? Look at the wide range of made-up numbers tossed around by the Democrats. Governor Malloy only two short years ago was declaring the need for a $100 billion investment in transportation.  Lamont started at $21 billion in November and has gradually lessened the amount over the months he has been pushing tolls.  We are now at $19.4 billion and he has no explanation for the current estimate or why it has magically come down from his original guess.

Despite the Governor’s dishonest deflection, I am incredibly proud to represent Connecticut.  However, unlike Lamont, I love this state enough to want to make things better by facing reality head on – not just serve up some feel-good talking points while I plan to kick the gates wide open on an irreversible tax.  Connecticut taxpayers are clearly not be fooled by the attempt to rose-color tolls by calling them a “trucks only user fee.”

“Trucks-only Tolls” has the same ring to it as Governor Lowell Weicker’s “temporary” income tax.  Beware of politicians using words like “sunset” and “lockbox” also.  They are most likely up to no good.

So, my reply to Governor Lamont is – let’s talk facts.  I’m ready to chat whenever he decides to start fighting for the future we deserve.

My commitment is to reclaiming Connecticut for its citizens, reducing the out of control spending and overreach of our state government and focusing on making our state a more attractive place to live, work, and retire.

There is no doubt that reigning in habitual government over-spending will be a challenging road, but better we spend a tough few years solving decades-long problems than kick the can further down this unsustainable road.