GOP: Dems Cry Wolf on Tax Cut

As the House and Senate Democrats sat in caucus, supposedly cracking skulls to reach some sort of agreement on an energy bill (apparently no agreement has been found—even after five hours of wrangling), the House and Senate Republicans held a press conference to refute Democratic assertions of a “Tax Cut for 95% of Connecticut.” Earlier today, House Republican Leader Larry Cafero asked the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis if the Democrats’ 95% number was accurate—or whether they had asked OFA at all to verify that statistic (the Democrats’ had been saying that it was OFA who gave them the 95% figure).


Lo and behold OFA said that the Democrats had never asked them that question, and even if they had, the number would not have been 95%, but 58% instead! When you factor in the added taxes people will be paying on all clothing purchases, all internet purchase, all funeral expenses, all real estate transactions, etc. that are included in the Democrats’ tax package—that number drops to virtual nonexistence.


When asked about the ongoing budget “negotiations” and Speaker Amann’s contention that the Governor has not been engaged, Rep. Cafero informed those gathered that the Speaker had only attended two (2) budget meetings: the first was 17 minutes, the second was 12 minutes. Meanwhile the Governor has made the pledge that her budget director, Robert Genuario, would be available to them 24 hours a day.


Again and again, the Democrats’ inefficacy and, frankly, their inability to lead has been highlighted—not merely by the opposition party—but by the Democrats’ statements themselves. As the Hartford Courant aptly said in the opening line of their lead editorial today:

“…the Democratic majority in the General Assembly is not making a very good case for being returned to to power in the next election.”