Public Defense

Ask and ye shall receive; or: don?t invite suggestions

By Gideon

Last month, the Governor of the fair state of CT asked taxpayers what they thought the state should do to cut expenditures and close the budget gap. There’s a website where you can go and submit your suggestion. The Gov’s office publishes the suggestions.

I mean, she had to expect this:

• Stop paying police overtime to babysit construction jobs and watch traffic lights at events such as basketball games at Gampel.
• Too many ?commissions
• Reduce mowing along the highways
• Too many DOT workers watching work and too many trucks watching someone mow the grass.
• Look into why state agencies have so many high-end SUVs
• Reduce the number of troopers enforcing speed limits ? stop purchasing speed detection equipment.
• Reduce the number of supervisors at the Dutcher Building on the CT Valley Hospital Complex. (Someone’s not happy)
• Change garbage bag liners in trash containers less often in state offices.
• Cut out all advertising to attract businesses to CT ? CT is not a business-friendly state.
• Why the need for a horse guard?

The most popular ones seem to be bringing back tolls and cutting down on personal use of state vehicles and getting state employees back to 35 hour work-weeks.

One that makes a lot of sense and that I argued for yesterday:

• Get rid of the death penalty. Lock the murders up and throw away the key.  Killing these people is expensive and it prolongs the ordeal for the victim?s family

And my personal favorite:

• Have the legislature stay home this year

Full post as published by A Public Defender on November 15, 2008 (boomark / email).