Some notes of hope for the budget

After my pessimistic take on the Governor's speech, Heidi added on the comments some notes that should make things look a bit less bleak:

Yesterday, the Governor brought David Osborne of Reinventing Government fame to speak with legislators about the need to look at what government should do, how much money we want to raise, what programs have the biggest impact and their costs, and eliminating low-impact programs. You can hear his address on CTN here.

A coalition introduced a Blueprint for Connecticut's Future that recommends strategic cuts, enhancing revenue, using the federal stimulus and the rainy day fund, and reducing tax credits. Read the Blueprint here.

The Better Choices for Connecticut coalition released its recommendations to eliminate the projected deficit through targeted increases in the income, sales, and corporate taxes, tightening up tax expenditures, and using the federal stimulus and the rainy day fund. Read more here.

The budget is bleak, fortunately there are many smart, creative people looking for solutions. Let's work together to embolden our legislative and gubernatorial leadership to be tough and act in our long-term best interest.