Where do I start? I guess I'll start with Dan Malloy himself...
Dan, when you first ran for Governor, I listened to you on NPR. My thoughts at the time were that you were saying mostly the right things, and it seemed for the right reasons. You had been Mayor of Stamford, and I thought that perhaps during your tenure there, you might have been listening to, perhaps even understanding the business community. Your priorities seemed right. The only thing you had going against you was that you were a Democrat, and that brought up the question of whether or not I could trust you.
Could I trust you to keep the well-being of Connecticut as a whole as your main priority, or would you fall into the trap of becoming a pawn of the unions, particularly the government employee unions? You seemed sincere about the former, and I had hopes that the latter would not come to pass. I didn't vote for you, I'll say that up front. But I didn't vote for your opponent either. I knew that you would win, as the Republicans had become a hollowed out shell, that could not mount a serious competitor for Governor. So I crossed my fingers, and hoped.
Those hopes were soon dashed. Leaving aside the asinine stance and process that took many of our 2nd Amendment rights from us, you went on to pass the largest tax increase in Connecticut history. Most of this money went for government employee compensation, thus cementing your base - dare I say, your constituents. Good people in the state rolled their eyes and thought of the cliche that you just validated. $2.5 BILLION. A lot of scratch.
Then you had to run for reelection. Many of my friends could not conceive of you actually being reelected after such actions. They thought that you had handed the Governorship over to the Republicans. Many were conservatives and independents. Some where Democrats. I told them all the same thing. Watch. Just wait and see.
You then promised not to raise taxes again. And this time, the Republicans put a serious candidate up against you. The race was close, and I dare say that some of the votes you got were from people who believed (or at least, wanted to believe) your campaign promise of not raising taxes again. But your base was cemented in your favor. Exactly one person knocked on my door asking me to vote for you. He was wearing a union t-shirt. I asked him if any union might support the other guy. He told me that all the unions were supporting you. So I took the literature, thanked the man for stopping by, and then threw your pamphlets in the trash.
Now here we are in 2015, and the General Assembly has passed a $1.5 BILLION tax increase. You have not yet signed the bill. However, you've said two things. One is that you'll probably sign it. The other is that you didn't break your campaign promise because you proposed a budget that would not have raised taxes. Unfortunately, if you do sign this bill, you will have raised taxes and you can't palm off that broken promise on Republicans, or a Democratically controlled General Assembly. It's crunch time, Dan. And we both know what you're going to do.
Now there is a big dust up because GE is looking at leaving the state. Aetna and Travelers are also thinking in those terms. And your comment for them is that you're not aware of any significant taxes that GE has paid to the state. Or did you word that such that it only looks at the income taxes that they paid? Either way, apparently the sales taxes they paid on data processing services, which at least doubles in this proposed budget, doesn't count. Apparently property taxes GE pays to Fairfield doesn't count either. Nor do the income taxes that the highly compensated employees of GE pay. I could go on and on... the State imposes a myriad of taxes and GE pays many of them, and has done so for years. And your response is a cynical one, essentially an argument that GE was planning on moving its headquarters anyway, and that this is all cover for that. Sure Dan, the grapes were probably sour anyway. Of course, that doesn't explain why GE wouldn't just stay silent through this process, and just move their HQ anyway... what incentive do they have for taking the shot at you? All agree that the CEO of GE typically does not make statements like these. So something motivated him. Occums Razor: The simplest answer is usually the right one.
You'll tell me that this budget is good for me. Like the half percent of sales tax revenue going to my town. Sure... that's great. Will my property taxes go down? Please. They will spend it just like the state does. And they will sell the increase as something like "boy, it would have been bigger if not for the sales tax money." You'll tell me the infrastructure improvements will benefit me. Sure. Like I hadn't been paying that all along with some of the countries largest gas taxes, most of which got swept into the general fund when politicos like you and your friends in the GA couldn't bring yourselves to lay off a single employee. Hey, I get it. You can't fire your constituents!
Dan, I'm not a CEO. I'm not a government employee and I don't pay union dues. I am a middle manager in an insurance company not named above. I make a good living. I pay more than my fair share of taxes. But I'm not rich, or at least, not by rich people's standards. I have lived in Connecticut my whole life. My late brother did as well. Our parents were transplants but made a home for themselves here. I have two girls, one who attends Uconn and is studying to be a teacher, like her mom. She doesn't intend to settle in Connecticut. My other daughter is about to start at UHart, and she doesn't intend to settle here either. I work in Hartford, and I will be continuing to do so as long as it takes to get my kids on their way. I'm paying for their education, but alas, I get nothing from either the Federal or State governments in terms of help in affording it. I've tried to be a good citizen. I am an Eagle Scout. I have volunteered my time in Scouting for over 30 years now. I served for 9 years on my local Board of Education. I raised my children to honorable adulthood. Why tell you all this?
Dan, I'm tired. I'm tired of our state deciding what I am allowed to do and what I'm not allowed to do. Every time I turn around, the GA is meddling in my affairs. I'm tired of paying higher and higher taxes. I'm tired of a state run by people who apparently laugh off major corporate flight, while giving welfare to other companies at the same time. I'm tired of watching my state's anemic growth while thumbing their nose at corporations that might help turn that around and see Connecticut become an economic powerhouse. I'm tired of watching huge tax increases, while my children's mother's pension is funded at the lowest levels in the nation. In short, I'm tired of living in this state. I want to leave, but can't do so for another 5 years. So I'm stuck here. Made my bed, so to speak.
Dan, perhaps you'll be able to convince people that you won't raise taxes during your next campaign. Me? I'm a fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me kind of guy. But it is increasingly clear to me that Connecticut either doesn't know, or doesn't care about that old adage. Either way is fine with me. The state is in a death spiral, but we won't auger in for at least 5 years. I mean, hey, it is a nice place to live. So is Hawaii. But both places are too damn expensive. So I'll endure the worker's paradise for a while longer, and then I'll sell the house, pack up my guns, and get the hell out of Dodge. Where will I go? Someplace warmer, where the politicians haven't yet gone insane. I'll probably try and spend summer in New Hampshire. Love the Live Free Or Die state. Love the notion of the guy who stamps those out, day after day, behind bars. We could be like them, you know. Nah... forget it. Your constituents wouldn't like that.
Anyway, that's the score, Dan. You can just chalk me up as someone who was gonna leave anyway (I wasn't) and that I taste just like those GE sour grapes. Connecticut will be better off without me. Who needs people like me anyway?
