[East of the River]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I actually voted for Stemmerman in the primary. I knew he'd never win but for the sake of voting for the person I believed to be most competent, that's why I did. For a state that always loves priding itself on being SO much better than much of the country, we sure are scraping the bottom of the barrel for candidates of both parties. We can point fingers at legislatures of other states and laugh and criticize them all we want, but in the end, we have no right to throw stones. Our politicians suck for other reasons, chiefly among them they put social justice and PC culture ahead of budget matters.

Well there is no easy solution to CT's problems. You would have to be nuts to be governor of this state. Also if your a political up and comer being governor of CT at this point in time may be a death sentence to you career. That's why you had mostly rich guys looking for something to add to there obits as the finalists.

The states best bet would be to freeze taxes where they are. Cut as much as possible, try to renegotiate state contracts, and hope a blue wave can send some money for infrastructure because were not going to have any on our own. Once the budget gets better I would say we rework some of our tax structure but we can't afford too right now.

[RunD1987]

That's what worries me about Stefanowskis' plan.

Talks about SBAC and then goes on about reducing staff numbers at State Agencies through attrition.

However, certain agencies are below the bare minimum of staffing. Certain Agencies are extremely understaffed with staff working 80 plus hours.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I actually voted for Stemmerman in the primary. I knew he'd never win but for the sake of voting for the person I believed to be most competent, that's why I did. For a state that always loves priding itself on being SO much better than much of the country, we sure are scraping the bottom of the barrel for candidates of both parties. We can point fingers at legislatures of other states and laugh and criticize them all we want, but in the end, we have no right to throw stones. Our politicians suck for other reasons, chiefly among them they put social justice and PC culture ahead of budget matters.

Boughton was electable and someone competent, with a good track record. Not going to get much better than that.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Boughton was electable and someone competent, with a good track record. Not going to get much better than that.

There were questions about his health though. I think that made some people nervous. Jay

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

There were questions about his health though. I think that made some people nervous. Jay

The biggest reason Stefanowski is at the helm and not Boughton or Stemmerman is because not enough people went to the polls in the primaries. Less than half of all registered Republicans in this state showed up to case their vote. And unfortunately, as with many deep-red states, too many people put love of party above love of country and vote solely on party lines. Whereas residents in states like Texas and Kentucky will only vote for candidates with an "R" after their name, too many people here only vote for those with a "D" after theirs.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

The biggest reason Stefanowski is at the helm and not Boughton or Stemmerman is because not enough people went to the polls in the primaries. Less than half of all registered Republicans in this state showed up to case their vote. And unfortunately, as with many deep-red states, too many people put love of party above love of country and vote solely on party lines. Whereas residents in states like Texas and Kentucky will only vote for candidates with an "R" after their name, too many people here only vote for those with a "D" after theirs.

I don't agree with that. Three of our last four Governors were Republican (Rell, Rowland, Weicker). A Republican, Weicker was our US Senator for 18 years and a Congressman before that. Rowland was a long time Congressman as was Chris Shays, Rob Simmons, Stewart McKinney and Nancy Johnson. I think the problem is that the Connecticut Republican Party has so lost its way and is out of touch with the world today. Connecticut is a well educated state and I agree people should not blindly vote by party. But look at who they have run in the past. Tom Foley twice??? Linda McMahon??? Not the best choices really. Jay

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by East of the River

The states best bet would be to freeze taxes where they are. Cut as much as possible, try to renegotiate state contracts, and hope a blue wave can send some money for infrastructure because were not going to have any on our own. Once the budget gets better I would say we rework some of our tax structure but we can't afford too right now.

LOL! ^^^That is a lot of variables that all have to work out just the right way to see any success.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to see change. Rest assured, Lamont will win, taxes will rise, more residents will flee, and he will be droning on and on about how the middle class keeps taking a hit. It won't be change so much as it will be meet the new boss, same as the old boss. .

There were too many government screw ups swept under the rug from the 1990s and 2000s all the while everyone (inside the state and out) thought the state was all hunky dory and successful. From the Malloy administration onward the proverbial rug has been lifted up to expose the buildup of proverbial dirt. Welcome to the real world.

[papafox]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to see change. Rest assured, Lamont will win, taxes will rise, more residents will flee, and he will be droning on and on about how the middle class keeps taking a hit. It won't be change so much as it will be meet the new boss, same as the old boss.


Your paychecks will be getting smaller once again very soon, Connecticut. Brace yourselves.

Which is exactly why I will probably become a snowbird in Florida to avoid income tax and will also stay in CT the absolute maximum amount of time allowed by law to not trigger taxes.

Enjoy all that CT has to offer, without paying a dime in income tax! Perfectly legally.

Fortunately, even in my late 30's, I work a job where I can split 6 months each year here vs down south.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I don't agree with that. Three of our last four Governors were Republican (Rell, Rowland, Weicker). A Republican, Weicker was our US Senator for 18 years and a Congressman before that. Rowland was a long time Congressman as was Chris Shays, Rob Simmons, Stewart McKinney and Nancy Johnson. I think the problem is that the Connecticut Republican Party has so lost its way and is out of touch with the world today. Connecticut is a well educated state and I agree people should not blindly vote by party. But look at who they have run in the past. Tom Foley twice??? Linda McMahon??? Not the best choices really. Jay

Jay, Weicker switched parties when he became governor, and that idiot still defends and justifies his introduction of the state income tax. This state of ours hasn’t fared so well since then in terms of reasonable taxation and our lawmakers spending within their means. Add to that the fact that, just in the last ten years alone, this state has swung far to the left, and the Republicans who win the primaries in this state aren’t exactly the cream of the crop as you said and I agree, and that’s how we’ve wound up with the dim bulbs we now have at the helm. And Connecticut may be a well-educated state, but well-educated doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll-informed. We’re entering a period in this country where people don’t read anymore, and if they do watch the news, they’re likely to gravitate towards a network that merely reinforces their own beliefs. This is happening everywhere, not just in CT, but in our case, it’s particularly bad because most people lack even a rudimentary understanding of economics, hence the reason why they continue to vote for people who drown us in debt. Unfortunately, I’m not confident that either candidate has a real plan to solve this problem once and for all, which is why I plan on writing myself in.