In a story about the recent hike in the gas tax, Gov. Dan Malloy was quoted as saying that Connecticut is “…moving in the right direction.” A curious quote since the gas tax hike comes at a time when gas prices are in the midst of the annual summer spike. Yet another body-blow in what seems like the last round between us working stiffs and a flailing economy. Even worse? The revenue generated by the gas tax is no longer being used to fund our roads and bridges but instead, like most taxes and fees, is being diverted to the general fund, helping sustain, at least temporarily, Malloy’s bloated government.
The “right direction?” According to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis, Connecticut was the only state in the country whose economy experienced negative growth last year. Let that wash over you for a moment: Connecticut is the only state that is not part of the recovery we’ve been hearing about. The same study indicates that we were dead last in GDP growth. “GDP” is gross domestic product, the method of quantifying the productivity of geopolitical entities, and is generally accepted to diagnose the health of economies, whether of nations, regions or states, and our prognosis is not favorable. It tells us that of all the states in these United States, we are dead last. Go ahead: name a state that you like to make the butt of your jokes. Yup, they are ahead of us in just about every positive economic indicator. So while the recovery begins to take shape nationwide, we are being left out in the cold. Yet the guy in charge, our chief executive officer, the captain of our ship of fools, thinks we are “heading in the right direction.”
So while we read about neighboring governors like Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie being proactive, reaping the rewards of budget restraint and attracting businesses with tax credits and a favorable business environment, we get Dan Malloy and his record deficit spending, raising fees and increasing the tax burden on all of us. The closest we get is the Cannondale snafu, where we provided millions in incentives to Cannondale, a bicycle manufacturer, to relocate from one town in Connecticut (Bethel) to another town in Connecticut (Wilton). Someone needs to explain to the governor why that type of program doesn’t really help the state’s GDP.
We are driving the last jalopy in the neighborhood. But the worst part? All of this — the deficit spending, the increased taxes and fees, and the diversion of revenue — occurred while the governor and his Democrat-controlled legislature told us that they were “tightening their belts” during these difficult economic times. If all this was belt-tightening, then I shudder to think what happens when they convince themselves that happy days are here again.
This column is provided by the Republican Town Committee.