Welch urges serious look at state spending cuts

Republican state Senate candidate Jason Welch issued the following press release in his 31st District race:

Welch: It’s Time To Get Serious About State Spending

Jason Welch, the Republican nominee for State Senate from the 31st district, called for Senator Colapietro to reveal his plan to stimulate the economy and bring jobs back to the 31st. “My ideas have been on the table for months now, it’s time to hear his,” Welch said.*****

Welch is responding to a recent Bristol Press article where Senator Colapietro claimed that Republicans want to “gut” state government. In the article, Senator Colapietro said ”All the Republicans want to do is cut, cut, cut and I say, what, what, what.” In response, Welch said “I think his statements are merely rhetoric and fear mongering. I was one of the first state senate candidates to call for across the board spending cuts of up to 10%, with certain exceptions. I have outlined how those cuts need to come from the top of the agencies, not the bottom, in addition to reforming benefits for new state employees, while keeping and funding our promises to current state employees.”
“The question I have for Senator Colapietro is does he think the state can go on without cuts?” Welch continued, “because not even his own party’s candidate for Governor thinks that.” In recent television commercials, Mayor Dan Malloy has said that if he is elected Governor he will cut state agencies by 1/3. “Now that is gutting,” Welch said. “If Malloy is serious, then Senator Colapietro should be asking him what, what, what.” Welch thinks that cutting a third of state agencies overnight would be too much of a shock to the system of an already fragile economy.
Welch called on Senator Colapietro to find out what Mayor Malloy would be cutting if elected. “If the Democrats are serious about making meaningful cuts that would save taxpayers money then I ask Governor Rell to call the General Assembly back into session this month and let’s make the cuts now. Why wait until January 2011?” Welch noted that the Democrats have controlled spending in Hartford for years now, yet have been unable to produce a meaningful reduction in costs.
“The people of the 31st state senate district are tired of the finger pointing and lack of action,” Welch continued. Welch pointed out that during Senator Colapietro’s tenure in the State Senate the budget and spending have ballooned, the pension funds are severely underfunded risking the security of many of our state retirees, and Senator Colapietro recently voted to borrow nearly one billion dollars to help fund the state’s irresponsible spending habits.
“All this spending is done on the backs of our children and grandchildren and jeopardizes the pensions of current state workers.” Welch concluded: “It’s time that Connecticut gets serious about its spending habits and elect leaders to the General Assembly that understand that business as usual is not acceptable.”

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com