Busting the spending cap

This WRA editorial is a must-read for anyone who believes the proposed state budget is a good one. It's a nice reminder of what has happened in CT over the past 15 years since the spending cap was supported by 81% of Nutmeggers. Some excerpts from the editorial:

The Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at UConn came into existence in 1992, coincidentally the year taxpayers got fed up with runaway bust-and-boom budget cycles and overwhelmingly approved a constitutional spending cap.

This coincidence is noteworthy because Fred Carstensen, the center's director, is hot for blowing up the cap to accommodate billions in new spending proposed by his boss, "Republican" Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Writing recently for a Connecticut newspaper without acknowledging his dog in the fight, he said he believes the cap is too tight and was never intended to stay in place this long, the expressed wishes of voters notwithstanding. More stunning than those assertions was his claim that "Connecticut has been enormously disciplined in its spending for the past 15 years."

If the goal was to break the bank, tax to the max and thwart the will of voters, then the state has been enormously disciplined in achieving those goals. What state does Mr. Carstensen live in? Euphoria?

The editorial is scathing... and rightfully so. With $36billion in underfunded postretirement benefits (among other ills), how can anyone in their right mind make such an assertion?

Tim White
Town Council, 4th District