July 28, 2010

Barnes: GOP can do better than Democrats

Open letter from Thomas Barnes, Jr, the head of the city's Republican Party:
The Democrats have said to the local GOP don’t count on any change in Hartford because they are doing such a great job running our great state. This is from the article in the Bristol Press 07/27/2010 headlined Dems to GOP “Don’t Count On It.”
I first would like to say that the local GOP is not counting on anything and from the sounds of the article the only politicians that are counting on winning are the Democrats. We understand that we are the minority party in Connecticut and in Bristol. We also understand our victory is anything but assured. That being said, I think voters are starting to wake up to the fact that the state is on a fast track to fiscal doom if something doesn’t change. Let’s take a quick look at the legacy that this current legislature is leaving for the incoming legislature.
The last 2 budgets have been balanced by borrowing close to a billion dollars for each year and using numerous one-time income sources such as federal “stimulus” money. All this has done is push the deficit higher and higher so that next fiscal year the TAXPAYERS face a 3.5 billion dollar budget deficit.
Let’s put that number in perspective. The total state budget for 2011 is 19 billion and the deficit, as projected, is about 18 percent of that budget. The Democrats think this is a job well done?
We have unfunded liabilities in the 50 to 60 billion dollar range. Has the legislature done one thing to address those problems? Do they view TAXPAYERS as a money tree?
The Democrats have also said that they are the ones who are “for” middle class, but they continue not to fund the state pension. They continue to borrow money and put the burden on future generations. These are the very voters who claim to serve and whose votes they are counting on in November.
Our property taxes continue to go up and municipal leaders have been calling for a repeal or suspension of the unfunded mandates that burden our local municipalities. Has anything been done about that? They set up a commission to review this burden chaired by our very own Frank Nicastro. Did anything come of that? No. Instead, this Legislature continues to pass on more and more of these unfunded mandates that are crushing our cities and towns. 
We CANNOT continue down this path forever. At some point, we have to rein in our ever growing state budget and begin to get serious about funding the promises that have been made to our state work force. We are the most taxed state in the United States and it still isn’t enough for the current state legislature.
While the local GOP knows nothing is guaranteed, what we do know and understand is that every seat at the Legislature belongs to no political party or candidate. Those seats belong to the people of Bristol, Plymouth, Plainville, and Harwinton.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

TJ..the "promises" to the state work force are what brought us the huge deficit in the first place.

Anonymous said...

The best thing for the GOP to do is really practice fiscal conservatism rather than their own preferred spending. Also to drop the social conservatism from the platform, that will go a long way of attracting more younger voters. For example look at the Pauls, or CT's own Peter Schiff running on the GOP platform.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Barnes, you do not have a clue when it comes to winning elections.

Anonymous said...

Wake up people Barnes is right on.

Anonymous said...

July 28, 2010 1:49 PM:

I don't agree. The GOP should be against gay "marriage".

Anonymous said...

3:09

We'll see.

Anonymous said...

Wake up people! Disaster is about to fall upon the State of CT! Unless the state lays off thousand of workers - we are headed for a tax bill that nobody in the history of the USA has seen on a family! This is not about coming after union people - this about a State that is about to go bankrupt! That is the problem with these politicians - they can never give the bad news straight! They are always just looking out for themselves! What they dont want to tell everyone in a huge union state is that their needs to be lay-offs and big ones! That is the only way to save this state! Raising taxes will not work one bit.

Pathetic Bristol GOP leaders said...

Even the arguably most "moderate" GOP gubernatorial candidate, Mike Fedele, is talking about bringing state employee compensation in line with those in the private sector. But the cowardly Bristol GOP wants to ensure state employees get what's "promised" to them. Worthless and panderers are two words I have to describe them.

Anonymous said...

We have made commitments and contractual obligations to state employees those promises can not be changed, so the best anybody can do is start putting aside money to pay for those things. We can't even beginn to deal with these contractual obligation until 2017 when the state employee contract comes up for renewal.

If you want to hear lies that we should recind all pensions and stop post retirment benefits from existing contracts, the GOP can say that, but that is not even close to the reality of the situation. Contracts are contracts, so lets stop making future promises and begin funding the ones we already made.

Fedele is talking about that, but he is only talking about doing it going forward and is lying if he thinks he can go back and rewrite exisiting contracts retro active. good luck with that is what I say....

Anonymous said...

You can rewrite contracts if both parties agree - if not as an employer(owner) you can lay-off - and settle any contract that has a settlement Claus. Which I am sure all the State ones do. So, there are options for any new Governor - I am sure they will use all of them - they have no choice.

Anonymous said...

July 29, 2010 10:41 AM - you have no idea what you are talking about! Any contract can be negotiated again at anytime. Both parties just need to agree. If they don't there can be layoffs..And the layoffs will be what is ever in the contract that deals with layoffs.

Anonymous said...

Thank You Tom COLAPIETRO for driving us over the cliff.The VOTERS WILL NOT BE FOOLED THIS TIME!!!!

Anonymous said...

Keep in mind that all these contracts were approved and agreed to by people YOU elected, or representatives of people YOU elected, or by the rules that these people put in place

That includes people like Ward, Hamzy, Krawiecki, Stortz, Couture, Nicastro, Colapietro, etc..

Anonymous said...

I agree that Tommie Toupe' is in bed with the unions. We all know that. Who cares?

This is about Barne$ and the rest of the Bristol RINOs. We need different people running the party.

Anonymous said...

July 29, 2010 1:07 PM
Who would you like to see run the party? Last I checked there isn't a huge line of people wanting to take on that role. Seems to me you like to sit at your computer and write anonymous comments about people you have never met.

Anonymous said...

July 29, 2010 2:45 PM:

Anyone who won't listen to the group of also-rans who won't go away amd who have been giving the GOP a bad name for decades in Bristol.

Anonymous said...

2:45

There are people interested, but the power brokers fight them all the way.

Anonymous said...

How can whining and doing nothing by the Barne$$$$ people think they can do anything? They haven't done anything but sit back and blsme the democrats for everything even when his rich friends screwed the taxpayers out of what they had. I don't think these guys know what it's like to hurt!

Anonymous said...

Hey 10:05 HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BANKRUPT?

Anonymous said...

Mocabee the useless Tommy hater is back!

Anonymous said...

Oh and this article has what to do with Tommy ,Art ? Duh useless as usual !

Anonymous said...

Jason Welch... new...refreshing...INTELLIGENT...motivated....FAIR....HONEST....YOUNG

And the alternative:The toupe guy?

Not even close.

Anonymous said...

July 29, 2010 3:31 PM


Who are these people you speak of, have them step up and get involved. As to these "power" brokers you speak of, doesn't the party have to have power ino order to broker it??

You can't have it both ways and say the powers that be are keeping people away and then say the party has no power.

Anonymous said...

July 30, 2010 11:11 AM:

I'd like to step in here. Your statement is just plain ignorant.

Anyone who's ever been involved with the Bristol GOP knows who the "power brokers" are. There's perhaps a mix of people who just won't go away, the "leaders" who have a ton of cash and have a stake in a large corp, and who thuis weild temendous power and clout within this group, there are the "experts" who are either retired or are on welfare and then there are the lackeys and thugs who are role players. That's the clique albeit the "clique" has a minute amout of "power" due to the lack of registered GOP voters in comparsion to registered Dems in Bristol. They do have "power" to select the required by charter GOP minority members on the respective positions.

Anonymous said...

July 30, 2010 11:11 AM

Wow!! You are one condescending person, no wonder these "power" brokers you speak off have kept you out....must be hard always being the "smartest" person in the room.

Anonymous said...

And Art, the Jason lover explain to us where he came from and loving him isn't because he is an insurance like you is he? You are so translucent. Not your hatemongering love for anybody but Tommie Toupe. Come up with some better names or get a real job and look at your own past. "Not so hot"

Anonymous said...

July 30, 2010 8:52 PM commentor:

Which comment are you responding to? Is it the one at July 30, 2010 11:11 AM or mine at July 30, 2010 12:01 PM?

Does it matter? You don't seem to have much for brains anyway.

Anonymous said...

July 31, 2010 8:58 AM commentor:

You said it. I'm just not sure anyone can identify what "it" is you are saying.

Anonymous said...

8:58 Art, not to sure what you are saying that's new! Same old hatemongering trash which is by the way useless like you.

Anonymous said...

Forget the useless, lying phony comments (yawn...)

Jason Welch is the candidate with class. He's smart, personable, and eager to get our state out of the mess it's in.

Anonymous said...

to 12:05 (Yawn) the truth hurt? You love any rotten Republican ! Useless ! HaHa And you've done what?

Anonymous said...

6:22 Hey Art You-all have done what? OOPS I forgot you-all are too useless to do anything except call people names. (Yawn)

Anonymous said...

useless Boi's whinning and flipping there toupes!

Anonymous said...

6:19 C'mon admit it you phony. Now your trying to convince that you are not the useless one. What's wrong can't think on your own? (Yawn) you bore us useless!