Illegal Aliens Denied Tuition Break

Governor M. Jodi Rell has vetoed a measure that would grant illegal immigrants the same in-state tuition rates as legal residents of Connecticut; in other words, pay $8,000 instead of $21,000 to attend the University of Connecticut.

This bill was, of course, preposterous. These “students” would have none of the responsibilities of being a citizen, including the ability to vote, or pay income tax or have jury duty. They are; however, typically a burden on social service programs. As a result, the case could be made that they should pay double tuition.

Nevertheless, as I have mentioned here before, these people are felons. Being in the United States illegally is a felony. Most of them do so under fraudulent documents with fake social security numbers, or by actually committing identity theft; another felony.

Rep. Filipe Reinoso (D-Bridgeport) spearheaded the effort to obtain this giveaway to illegals. But the most obnoxious advocate of this measure was by far Minnie Gonzalez, who threatened the General Assembly during floor debate on May 17^th, saying if they continued to treat illegals as “second-class citizens” that she would make life “miserable” for all of them.

I still have yet to see any coverage of her outrageous outburst from any mainstream media outlets, but if anyone can show me where it appears, I would be very interested.

In her veto message, Governor Rell said “This bill does not address the underlying problem that these students face – that they are not legal residents of the United States.”

State Senator Dan DeBicella (R-Shelton) probably summed it up best in commending Governor Rell for the veto: “In a world of limited resources, we need to prioritize financial aid for legal residents over special benefits for illegal aliens – the governor has just done that.”

Bears Invade!

It seems that there has been a notable increase this spring and summer of bear sightings in Connecticut communities. Some have speculated that their natural habitat has been disturbed, sending them out into civilization. Perhaps Global Warming has screwed up their natural instincts...

A recent sighting in New Britain was caught on video and can be seen here. There is also coverage in the Courant here. Last month a black bear was seen in Hamden. The story is here!

Last month a black bear was also spotted in Bridgeport. But allegedly, when police caught up with Mayor John Fabrizi, he was warned that the next time he wandered naked through a neighborhood at night to eat out of trash cans, he may want to shave his back for fear of being shot with a tranquilizer dart.

The black bear problem is so serious now, the state DEP has a web site for you to report sightings: Go here if you have a report!

Is Rep. Richard Roy Gepetto?

I can't be certain, but State Rep. Richard Roy (D-Milford) looks suspiciously like the famed toymaker. I intend to investigate if Representative Roy has made any votes impacting the toy industry that he should have recused himself from.

How to Blow a Budget

If there is something Jim Amann and Don Williams are NOT, it's shrewd tacticians. There is a very good reason House and Senate Democrats, enjoying super majority and veto-proof status didn't get much of what they wanted in the budget deal. Simply put, they showed their hands too early.

Chris Keating gives some interesting insider dope on the critical flaw in the Democrats' strategy at his blog at the Courant. In essence, when Democrats were unable to get a veto-proof margin on their own budget, despite 107 members in the House and 24 members in the Senate, they ran their budget anyway. When they did that, they exposed their lily-white, malodorous underbelly.

"Once that became clear, it strengthened our position,'' said George Gallo, Chief of Staff to the House Republicans. "They lost a bargaining chip. They really did. That changed the dynamic, and that changed the debate. That really sealed their fate. That was the turning point.''

Gallo observed that House and Senate Republicans now knew where all the Democrat votes were, and that they would not be able to override a veto. They would be unable to get what they wanted, and they would need to make a deal.

If House Speaker Amann and Senate President Williams had not decided to make a big show of ramming through their first sham budget which the governor quickly vetoed, they would have had far more leverage to negotiate with. Instead, they gave a clear demonstration of where all the fractures in their caucuses were, and it was easily exploited.

As it turns out, Jim Amann and Don Williams would have been better off having accepted Governor Rell's proposed budget from February. The supermajority worked themselves out of the position of advantage, and as the House Republican 'No Tax Increase' budget got momentum from public approval, there was little they could do.

In the Keating blog, Rep. Chris Caruso (D-Bridgeport) denied House Republicans made any "sea change" to the budget. Perhaps Caruso missed what was going on in between ambling his sizable girth out to the bench outside the House Chamber to make constant cellphone calls concerning his mayoral bid, and being captured on camera on CTN consuming enormous sandwiches at his chamber desk.

A budget was finally passed in the House at 2:25 a.m. this morning. It's not perfect; spending is way up, and there is no substantial tax relief of an kind. However, taxes were not increased, and that is a major victory for House and Senate Republicans, Governor Rell, and the taxpayers of Connecticut.

Horseman joins Connecticut Local Politics

I am pleased to announce that Ghengis Conn has asked me to join the team over at the preeminent state political blog, Connecticut Local Politics, as a conservative front page poster. I have gladly accepted his kind invitation.

Currently, Connecticut Local Politics is run by Ghengis Conn, and two liberal front pagers, Caffeinated Geek Girl and Gabe, and two conservative posters, Disgruntled Republican and now myself. All of these folks, as well as the numerous commentators on the site from all sides of the political spectrum make this site lively and fun.

I have already made my first contribution there. Please take some time to go visit CTLP, and join in the debate.

This blog will continue forward, and my joining CTLP will not draw away from what I do here, so make sure to keep checking back!

Rell Vetoes Medical Fatties

For those of you who have the fever for the flavor of a fatty, and were hoping that you'd be able to roll a big fat stinker in the name of pain relief by the end of the year, you'll need to wait a little longer. Hopes of the pro-marijuana crowd were drained like old bong water when Governor M. Jodi Rell vetoed a measure that would permit marijuana use for medical reasons earlier this week.

That's right, if you were hoping to get stoned with a wink and a nod from state government... maybe next year. More likely when there is a Governor Blumenthal or another Democrat.

This bill would have allowed for someone suffering from things like glaucoma, or cancer, ALS, or another terminal disease to own up to four potted marijuana plants, and to administer the resultant drug to themselves, should a doctor prescribe it.

Never mind that this is against federal law, so if the state law were signed, the owners of the plants could still be charged federally. Also, you can't get marijuana at a pharmacy. As House Minority Leader Larry Cafero said... "How do you get it? You gotta make a drug deal, baby!"

This bill wasn't really about helping suffering people, though I do believe many advocates had that intent. It was merely an attempt by the "legalize it" crowd to make pot more mainstream, and help pave the way for legalizing it recreationally.

I for one am pleased the bill was vetoed. I think the veto may have prevented an unforeseen up-tick in fifteen-year-olds being mysteriously diagnosed with glaucoma.

The Search for Humility Continues

Just as O.J. continues to search for the real killer, former Governor John Rowland's quest for humility carries on. An Associated Press report from over the weekend that caught up with Rowland finds the former governor as narcissistic as ever.

Rowland's ten month sentence on bribery and corruption convictions seems all to light when you consider that celebu-tard Paris Hilton received a 45 day sentence in the slammer.

It has been nearly three years since Rowland left office in disgrace, and Governor Jodi Rell has since done an admirable job cleaning up the various messes left behind by him. That capable stewardship earned Rell an overwhelming election to the office for her own full term last fall.

But Rowland has some bitterness toward Rell. "Jodi acted like we weren't even friends," he said. "[She] threw me under the bus when it got rough." Rell was likely upset at Rowland's betrayal of his office and the public confidence. He also betrayed her. He threw himself under the bus when he sold his office for repairs to his cottage, a hot tub and flights on private jets and stays at posh locations.

When his press coverage started to suck because the press wouldn't give up pursuing his misdeeds, he summarily fired two loyal members of his press team. One might say he threw those people under the bus.

Rowland's ruminations about politics are perhaps most revealing: "It's the place for the ego-driven, and that was me... I still have to watch it. You know, I get some applause and I start to get those old feelings. I have to watch out for that arrogance. You're always in recovery." Recovery? Is there a five-step program to recover from arrogance?

He continues: "A lot of people in state government made more than me most of the time. My chief of staff made $125,000 or something like that. I think my press secretary made a buck ten. You begin thinking, 'I'm making nothing compared to a lot of other people..."

Rowland's pattern of corruption and misdeeds seems to have begun as far back as when he was in Congress in the early 1980's. Are we to believe he has always been so behind the eight ball in pay? Is this generating sympathy? With one statement, Rowland takes blame, and with the next he tries to spread it around a little.

Claiming now to earn around $60,000 a year, while also volunteering a couple times a week teaching job interview skills, resume writing and speaking to a class of recovering drug addicts, and painting a lonely image of himself with his dog, Rowland should be happy he's out of prison. Former Senator Ernie Newton got five years, and former Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim received nine years for corruption.

Rowland really ought to still be in prison. He betrayed the trust of the people of Connecticut, and let a lot of true believers down.

Will the Democrats Kill Cookie Puss?

Carvel, the ice cream and frozen dessert giant, has announced it will open a new 120,000 square foot plant in downtown New Britain. This is certainly a coup for New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart and Governor M. Jodi Rell, adding an estimated 225 new jobs over the next three years.

However, under Connecticut's prevalent anti-business climate, businesses have been evacuating the state on pace with its native population. That evacuation has lost us over 240,000 state residents according to the Yankee Institute. Will Carvel survive in a state economy that is constantly hampered, dampened and tampered with by legislative Democrats?

We know Republicans can sell a company on the benefits of Connecticut's location and appeal. Rell and Stewart have proven that once again. Also, predictably, when Republicans enjoy this kind of success, a Democrat can be found nearby trying to take credit. A Democrat council member running for mayor named Jim Wyskiewicz claimed it was the council that should get credit because they "pass[ed] legislation." While Rell and Stewart were securing Carvel, I'm sure Wyskiewicz was passing something, alright.

Where, I wonder then, is the eagerness of Democrats to take credit for the recent loss of the Peter Paul plant in Naugatuck? The closing of this plant is costing the state 200 jobs, and no one is more squarely to blame than Democrats.

Once again, the Yankee Institute identifies the problem. Curiously enough, after the enaction of the state income tax in 1991, net job growth in Connecticut has hovered around NOTHING. Job growth had hovered around 30% for the fifteen years prior. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's happening here, but it does take Democratic ignorance to allow for it.

So yes, it's terrific news that Carvel is opening a site here. I love Carvel. No doubt, the children of Connecticut who lament the departure of Mounds Bars from our great state will welcome the massive influx of Cookie Puss and Fudgie the Whale desserts it will offer.

But Carvel's entrance is a soft belch against a hurricane-force wind of business adversity blowing right out of Speaker Jim Amann's and Senate President Don Williams' offices. The Democrats have engaged in a War on Business. And so far, they are winning.

Healy Should Remain

The news that broke late last night that Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy was arrested for DUI in South Carolina last month may come as little surprise to those who think they know him. His past struggles with alcoholism are no secret, as he had a publicized prior arrest in 2002.

Healy's recent arrest was on May 15th. He was in South Carolina to attend a presidential debate. He now stands to lose his license for a year, as this is his second offense. He should face the full legal consequences of his actions. The incident five years ago should have taught him to keep from behind the wheel when intoxicated.

Publicly admitting alcoholism is a tough thing to do, as is taking responsibility for one's actions. Healy has done both, and he should be respected for it. And I do wish him well as he struggles to recover from a grave addiction that many grapple with.

There is, of course, a political side to the matter. Healy made these revelations within weeks of the Republicans State Central Committee's election for chairman. He intends to seek re-election to the post for a full term. Should Healy remain chairman? That is up to the 72 members of the CT GOP State Central Committee, but I for one believe he should remain.

There are those who are calling for Healy's skin. Most of these are libs and Democrats who are seizing on a cheap opportunity to try to make political hay. I care not what this group of demagogues and hypocrites have to offer. These are the same people who were silent when people like State Representative Kevin Ryan (D-Montville) or State Representative Patricia Dillon (D-New Haven) received their DUI offenses. Ryan's three offenses were particularly notable as he spent some time in prison as a result. Dillon still seems drunk constantly, but that may be due to ill-fitting dentures slurring her speech.

Healy would not be the first person in politics to get a DUI, nor will he be the last. In Rhode Island they say it isn't springtime until a Kennedy has driven on the sidewalk.

But the reason Healy should remain is because of his talents. He is a gifted political mind, shrewd, quick, and astute. He is also a brilliant writer and speaker, and has been an excellent chairman since his tenure began. I believe he is still the man to lead our party through these stormy political times, and know he has the energy, drive and talent to accomplish significant wins for Republicans across Connecticut. Feeding him to the wolves would cheapen our party, and do wrong by a good man.

I call on the members of the Republican State Central Committee to do the right thing and return Healy to the chairmanship as we head into an absolutely critical municipal election season, and a watershed state and presidential election in 2008.

Healy is the man to spread the Republican message to Connecticut voters. Let's keep him in the chair.

The Curse of the Grasso Statue

At the State Capitol, in one of the many niches along the facade, an imposing and hideous visage stares out over the main entrance toward the Legislative Office Building. At first glance, you may mistake it for an unusually ugly gargoyle, or some other image of gothic horror. Yet, it is none of these. A closer inspection reveals it to be none other than former Governor Ella T. Grasso.

In contrast with the other statues displayed in the niches around the building, this statue is not carved in the high Victorian realism that statues of other greats such as Gideon Welles or John Haynes are. The Grasso statue looks like a childish work in comparison, lacking realism or detail in its cartoonishness, appearing almost to be sculpted of white Play-Doh.

And yet, a legendary curse attends this sculpture, and induces hand-wringing and anxiety among those in the know. Since the completion of the Legislative Office Building in 1988, the statue has stood over the entrance most used by staff and legislators traversing between the LOB and the capitol. After 9/11, this entrance is one of only two that remain open. Grasso is holding a book awkwardly in one hand, and gesturing with what appears to be a karate chop with the other, her skirts billowing out.

It is said that if you dare to look up Ella Grasso's skirt as you walk into the Capitol, a sinister fate will befall you!

Legend tells that former State Treasurer Paul Sylvester scoffed at the legend. We know what happened to him. It is also rumored that former Governor John Rowland respected the curse, yet having just won a third term, he could no longer contain his curiousity. He looked! And his administration was doomed.

Supposedly, former State Senator Ernest Newton ALWAYS took every opportunity to look up Grasso's skirt. In fact, supposedly there was a day he walked arm in arm with Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim into the capitol, and made a point out of showing Ganim Grasso's uninspiring underpinnings. Both are now in Fort Dix!

State Representative Jefferson Davis, convicted of sexually assaulting his foster son never did look. But it is said that he was extremely interested in the Reverend Thomas Hooker statue.

Others have looked, and suffered lesser fates than prison. Some legislators have lost elections, and some have suffered great public humiliation. I have it on good authority that, as he made his way to the Capitol on the final day of session, House Speaker Jim Amann could not help himself. He took a peek...

Fate may consider itself tempted.

Game Over: Connecticut Residents Lose

At 12:01 a.m. this morning, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz's shrill and nasal tone reverberated throughout the chamber of the State House of Representatives, in the ceremonial conclusion of the 2007 regular session of the Connecticut General Assembly as it adjourned sine die. "God save the State of Connecticut," she concluded. It was the end of one of the worst sessions in history in terms of having nothing significant accomplished, despite a Democratic supermajority that could have theoretically steamrollered the Republican minority and manipulated Governor Rell into capitulation. But that's not what happened. Perhaps God did save us.

Under the inept and aimless leadership of Democrat House Speaker James Amann and Senate President Pro Tem Donald Williams, 24 Democratic Senators and 107 Democratic House members could not hang together to deliver anything of significance to the voters who had sent them there. The most notable failure was the inability to craft a budget.

We started out with a session virtually guaranteeing a tax increase. Governor Rell proposed one, and the Democrats proposed an even bigger one. House Republicans completely changed the landscape by offering a 'No Tax Increase' budget that utilized the nearly $1 billion in surplus funds this year to keep tax rates where they were, while making important commitments to education, transportation infrastructure, and not cutting one penny from state services or programs. Governor Rell soon fell in line with House Republicans, backing a plan without tax increases.

But Democrats would have none of it. They aimed to squander the surplus, and raise taxes another $1 billion on top of it, while incredulously claiming they were "cutting taxes for 95%" of taxpayers, a claim later demonstrated as false by the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Then there was the House GOP proposal for a Gas Tax Holiday, eliminating the 25 cent per gallon state gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Amann blustered with tough talk... it was a "gimmick"... it saved only "pennies"... it "jeopardized our bond rating" for transportation projects. He refused to allow the proposal to even be debated, and then finally, incredulously suggested that lowering gas prices helped terrorists.

Amann then put the gas tax cut in a dummy tax increase proposal destined for a veto, thinking himself clever because House Republicans had to vote against it to prevent the massive tax hikes. Ultimately, Democrats were on the record three times opposing tax relief this summer for motorists.... once in the Finance Committee, and twice in the chamber.

The job remains undone, and a special session for the budget looms. Will Democrats get their way and force through a tax increase?

Then there was energy reform, promised after price locks in the 1998 deregulation bill expired causing rates to skyrocket. Amann promised "Energize Connecticut" would wow us in January. We didn't see anything until June, and what we got will do little in the long run, and nothing in the short term.

The most fascinating story of this session is House Republicans. Reduced to 44 members after the 2006 election, this group could have been demoralized, insignificant and inconsequential. Instead, the re-energized GOP dominated the debate under new leader Larry Cafero and this caucus had greater vision, dedication, drive and effectiveness than it has in a very long time. And the taxpayers of the State of Connecticut have benefited.

Democrats were unable to work together. House Democrats fought Senate Democrats, and each Democratic caucus fought among themselves. There were gross missteps in communication, no leadership and no discipline.

There's still a special session, as well as a regular session in 2008 before we have a chance to elect more Republicans. In the meantime, God save us undeed.

Honoring the Fallen - Banning the Scum

Wisely, the members of the Connecticut General Assembly voted late last night to restrict protests at military funerals. This bill had passed earlier in the session, but with the warning that the lunatics from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka planned to disrupt a military funeral in the state this coming Friday, an amendment was crafted to have the provisions take effect immediately.

Whether or not you are in support of what the United States is doing in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as Americans, we all must recognize the service of our men and women in the armed forces, who put their lives on the line, take up the post against our enemies, and many times make the ultimate sacrifice so we may enjoy the privileges of freedom and liberty.

The measure that passed prohibits protests and demonstrations an hour before and an hour after the event, and bans protesters from going near the cemetery property or house of worship, and keeps protesters at least 150 feet back from the entrance to the cemetery as a funeral procession passes.

The Westboro Baptist Church issued a nauseating press release titled "Thank God for IEDs" in which they announce their intention to protest at the Friday services and interment of Army First Lieutenant Keith Heidtman, in Norwich, CT. First Lieutenant Heidtman died a hero on May 28th, Memorial Day, while serving in Iraq.

These twisted bastards believe that American soldiers are dying in the Middle East because America tolerates homosexuals. They have protested at military funerals all over the nation, spreading their unique misery and grief to the loved ones of fallen soldiers including once previously in Connecticut. They carry signs that say "God Hates Fags", a recurrent theme on their detestable web page.

For these disgusting ass-faced animals, there are no words strong enough to convey the level of contempt they should be held in. They have the temerity to drape themselves in red white and blue, yet they haven't the most fleeting notion about what it means to be an American, unable to wrap their small brains around the notions of duty, honor and country; principles that guided the lives of the brave soldiers whose grave sites they would dare sully with their ignoble presence.

God loves America, and he loves America's soldiers. It's these pieces of filth, whose entire lives are hardly worth a rag used to spit-shine one of these fallen soldiers' boots, whom God hates. And I am with God on that.

As an American, I thank Senator Len Fasano (R-North Haven) for spearheading this effort, as well as all members of the Connecticut General Assembly, Republican and Democrat alike for unanimously voting to prevent the disruption of military funerals by protesters. And I thank the Governor for assuring a quick signature to the law.

Is Rosa DeLauro a Romulan?

I have long suspected what the evidence suggests... that unique hairstyle... those ears.. . that other-universe sense of fashion...

I want to know whose interests she is representing in Washington. Those of Connecticut, or of Romulan Command? We deserve an answer.

Caruso vs. Finch: Heavyweight Battle, Lightweight Minds

The race for mayor of Bridgeport is shaping up to be a showdown between Democratic Senator Bill Finch, and Democratic Representative Chris Caruso. Therefore, only one thing is certain: either the Senate or the House will definitely be richer due to the departure of one of these men from his respective legislative chamber. Caruso is generally despised by his colleagues. Finch is amiable enough, but he comes off as borderline retarded.

Bridgeport residents were robbed of the 'battle royal' that would have most assuredly been a Caruso vs. Fabrizi battle. Seeing a physical altercation between these to large fellows would probably resemble two dinosaurs mating. They're big boys with appetites for glory, and they could have settled the issue with a hot dog eating contest. This was not to be, as Fabrizi, a confessed coke-head, decided at the urging of party leaders to drop from the race.

Enter Senator Bill Finch. Finch, a former city council member in his fourth term in the Senate, has some fascinating initiatives. For one, he backed the "Blackout List" measure this year that banned incandescent light bulbs, and would require the DEP to keep a list of 'inefficient' light bulbs, and fine retailers for selling those on their black list. He has also been the chief advocate of an expanded bottle bill. In short, he is an eco-geek who subscribes to the Al Gore "our planet has a fever" hysteria.

According to the Connecticut Post, Finch has locked up Bridgeport Democratic party support. Caruso has shunned the support of party regulars, and has claimed they are corrupt, and merely interested in patronage jobs from city hall. Caruso has picked up the support of the Republican town chairman Rick Torres however.

So what are the benefits of the near certaintly that the legislature will lose either Finch or Caruso? Caruso is a demagogue of the worst order whose rhinoceros-like stores of energy enable him to filibuster endlessly on the House floor. He is an insufferable gas bag whose doctrinaire attitude and negative reputation have regularly poisoned the proceedings of the legislature's GAE committee, which he chairs. Certainly, his departure would leave that committee in the decidedly less capable hands of legislators like Rep. Diana Urban (D-North Stoning Haven) and that gangly seven-foot tall muppet Sen. Ed Meyer (D-Guilford). That woud be good, and amusing!

Finch's departure means a seat would open up that could be winnable for Republicans. It was previously held by Lee Scarpetti, Queen of the Cockatoos. With the right candidate, it could go Republican again.

Personally, I'd rather see fewer libs in the legislature.