Government needs to infuse common sense into budget deficit solution

This year’s legislative session began on Feb. 3 in Hartford. Movie fans familiar with Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” may find it a fitting start date, coming just one day after Punxsutawney Phil’s annual appearance. In the movie, Murray plays a TV news reporter covering the Pennsylvania event and finds himself reliving the same day over and over again.

In many ways, this legislative session will be similar. As Connecticut residents continue to struggle with job losses, smaller household budgets, and increasing costs on just about everything, the legislature will again be looking for solutions to the state’s financial difficulties.

The days of budget surpluses seem so distant, yet deficit mitigation plans are becoming old hat as we look under the same rocks over and over again.

And once again this year, the General Assembly will convene in the face of a large budget deficit, already projected to be around $500 million for the current fiscal year. If the recent past is any indicator of future behavior of the Majority, the Legislature will end up paying lip service and apply only what amounts to a Band-Aid to the state’s fiscal woes.

This is a pattern that needs to stop.

Years of steady employment and rising state revenues have led to increased spending and the creation of new programs as well as the expansion of existing ones. It is clear now, at least to some of us, that state government needs to be streamlined in order to ensure its viability moving forward.

So, how do we get there? One of the first things we can do to get state government in-line with where it needs to be is to inject some common sense into the process.

As an example, state government should not spend more than it can realistically take in. That’s a concept familiar to many families in New Milford and the Greater Danbury area, but it’s a far too infrequent thought on the minds of many in Hartford.

We should also enact a bonding cap to help contain the number of non-essential projects, otherwise known as pork, which receive state funding.

In essence, state government needs to live by the axiom that most state residents live by: Borrow only what you can afford to pay back.

Have you ever stood in line at a store when someone’s credit card is rejected? Maybe that’s what we need, someone to play the role of a surly cashier — telling us that we’ll have to put the non-essential item back and go without, as disappointing as it may be for some of us.

The General Assembly needs to focus on funding core government functions, and help the non-profit and private sectors fill in the holes.

We need to recognize that the more government tries to do, the less it does well. This economy has forced most non-profits and small companies to learn how to become ultra-efficient. Government could learn a thing or two if we would only take a time-out from our excessive spending habits.

Lastly, we should have all the government we need, but only the government we need, and eliminate duplication and waste wherever possible.

These are all fairly simple ideas, and the current economic climate is proof that it is time for the return of common sense in Hartford.

While the primary focus of the upcoming session will be on the bloated state budget, non-budget issues may come as a welcome relief.

Important issues such as domestic violence and Candlewood Lake safety concerns should not fall victim to the legislature’s incessant debate on fiscal matters.

But at the end of the day, the 2010 legislative session at the Capitol will be defined by whether or not we find the collective courage to make substantive changes to the way state government funds itself and operates, or whether the status quo prevails.

It is my hope we can come together and do the right thing for the people of the state of Connecticut.