You would think with all the activity surrounding yesterday's special session of the General Assembly, we were about to have a windfall of relief. Guess again.While it is definitely a good thing that Democrats finally came around to the notion that the scheduled increase of the gross receipts tax on gasoline to 7.5% should be halted, all that means is taxes are staying right where they are. And in case you weren't aware of it, where they are is high.
Higher, in fact, than any other state in the Continental US, and higher even than in Hawaii, where the product has to be shipped across the Pacific.
But the Democrats were certain to increase taxes a little before getting out in the wee hours of the morning. The real estate conveyance tax which was scheduled to phase out was kept in place. So, in other words, the special session raised your taxes.
Legislative Republicans tried valiantly to get their budget options discussed, but to no avail. Democrats, just as they did during the regular session, were unwilling to even debate the matter, let alone cast a vote on it.
Interestingly, when the vote was taken on the GOP amendment to open the discussion beyond the narrow construction of the call, 31 Democrats were absent from the vote. Six minutes later, when a procedural vote was taken, 22 of those Democrats reappeared. So reports Capitol Watch.
Also from Capitol Watch: "But Rep. Stephen Dargan, a veteran Democrat from West Haven, said that 18 of the 21 missing lawmakers never heard the bell when they were in the House Democratic caucus room on the second floor."
This evasion is commonly known in technical terms a "bullshit."
This is the type of gamesmanship you get from a gang of political cowards who, as supposed friends of lower-income people, have worked strenuously to protect a regressive tax system that punishes low-income citizens just as roughly as wealthy ones. Everyone gets the red ass just as good under these guys. Poor people just have less salve.
Congratulations are clearly in order.
3 comments:
They must be pretty confident of their chances in Novemeber.
All the better....
They still managed to crap away most of their time while raising our taxes too.
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=a58456ef-2d51-418f-a76e-47351ca4fba8
Rumor has it that many of those Democrats missed the vote because the volume was turned down, WAY down.
I have been on the other end of a phone conversation when the bell goes off calling the legislators in for a vote. Even then, it hurts my ears. I could only imagine how loud it must be in person.
Those Democrats, they just can't tell the truth can they.
Blocking House Republican votes, by procedure and lying about missed votes. If this is any indication about next year, heaven help the great state of Connecticut.
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