Connecticut Senate Bill 298: Where Transparency Is Not Even Optional

 In the hallowed blueprint of America's founding fathers, representative government stood as the cornerstone of liberty—a deliberate system of deliberation, debate, and public scrutiny forged in the fires of revolution and tempered through the crucible of wars from 1812 to the World Wars and beyond. Yet, in the corridors of Connecticut's State Capitol this week, this sacred design is being arrogantly circumvented by Democratic majorities wielding "Emergency Certifications" as a convenient pretext, rushing through legislation without hearings or transparency, and raising profound questions about the erosion of democratic principles in the very cradle of our republic.

So, why do we see this arrogance and the trampling of the poor, beleaguered, and overburdened taxpaying citizens of the state of Connecticut? Its simple. They are legislators and you are not. They are knowledgeable, and you are stupid. What they think (or are being bribed and lobbied to think) is of paramount importance. Their ways are higher than your ways. You are not to question them. And their ways will be conducted using any means necessary, you, be damned.

Now that that is settled, please by all means get out of the Corrupted Democrat Party's way of "transparency" in non-representative in Senate Bill 298. This Bill is a prime example of what is corruption. Corruption is defined as "the abuse of entrusted power, authority, or position for private gain, and/or acting as a form of dishonesty or criminal activity. It involves misusing public office, business influence, or professional roles for personal enrichment, such as through bribery, fraud, nepotism, or extortion". In this connection I respectfully submit that Webster’s Dictionary remove the above-stated definition and insert “Senate Bill 298” in its place. Because every reader will now know what corruption really means.

To this end, I would like all my readers to please skim, read, analyze all 117 pages of this Connecticut Senate Bill 298 (https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp which_year=2026&selBillType=Bill&bill_num=298). And as you are sickened by it, please contact both your State Senator and State Representative (whether they are Democrat or Republican) and ask for a complete explanation as to why this bill was deemed  as an "emergency" and why wasn't normal legislative procedure as in "public hearings" followed.

Many of these "emergency" segments of the bill are revivals of legislation that was previously rejected or vetoed. Thus, calling bad legislation  an “emergency” allows taxpayer-paid drivel to pass unscathed completely obviating your constitutional right of redress of grievances.(Again, you don't matter in the least).

 Here are just a few examples of this "emergency": (all quoted from above Bill:)

 P.5 the sum of $330,000 of the amount appropriated in section 1 of public act 25-168 to the Department of Economic and Community Development, for Other Expenses, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, shall be made available in said fiscal year to provide a grant to Our Piece of the Pie. In 2025 Hector Rivera who is the Chief Executive Officer of this "non-profit" received a salary of $222,814 plus "other" income of $18,697. (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/60939659). This organization “employs” 800 people with a $9,000,000 budget. Five other executives are also highly compensated. For what purpose do they need another $330,000? (What exactly is their purpose, anyway?)

P.14-15 The State Board of Education shall make available curriculum materials and such other materials as may assist local and regional boards of education in developing instructional programs pursuant to this section. The State Board of Education, within available appropriations and utilizing available resource materials, shall assist and encourage local and regional boards of education to include: (1) Holocaust and genocide education and awareness; (2) the historical events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (3) African-American and black studies; (4) Puerto Rican and Latino studies; (5) Native American studies; (6) Asian American and Pacific Islander studies; (7) personal financial management, including, but not limited to, financial literacy as developed in the plan provided under section 10-16pp; (8) training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic external defibrillators; (9) labor history and law, including organized labor, the collective bargaining process, existing legal protections in the workplace, the history and economics of free market capitalism and entrepreneurialism, and the role of labor and capitalism in the development of the American and world economies; (10) climate change consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards; (11) topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or regional boards of education as part of the program of instruction offered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; [and] (12) instruction relating to the Safe Haven Act, sections 17a-57 to 17a-61, inclusive; and (13) Islamic and Arab studies. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall be available to each local and regional board of education for the development of curriculum on climate change as described in this subsection.”  Mind us all, all the above is an emergency!! If you disagree, you are a racist and you probably enjoy a glass of milk once in a while. Truly, Connecticut's education system shines as a beacon of a bloated jobs program, where the real lesson learned is how to suffocate curiosity and personal development under an avalanche of mandated mediocrity, all courtesy of our ever-expanding list of 'essentials' that no one asked for but everyone pays for.

 P.50 On and after [January 1, 2027] July 1, 2026, each provider shall assess against each subscriber a fee in an amount equal to five cents per month per access line. Each fee assessed under this subsection shall be remitted to the office of the State Treasurer for deposit into the firefighters cancer relief account established pursuant to section 7-313h, not later than the fifteenth day of each month. No part of any fee assessed under this subsection shall be subject to a refund.
(c) Not later than [November] May 1, 2026, the provider shall provide written notice to each subscriber disclosing the amount and frequency of such fee. Isn't firefighter cancer treatments paid for by medical insurance as according to the municipal/state health care plans?  Thus, why a new tax for this? Bravo to the legislature for proving once again that in the Nutmeg State the only thing more reliable than rising costs is the creative ways politicians find to commit larceny under the guise of compassion, leaving citizens to foot the bill for their endless virtue-signaling meanderings.

There is much more in this bill to hate along with the wonder who is going to pay for all of these "emergencies"? The Connecticut Republican Party needs to take this bill to court or create a disruptive and attention-getting protest in the legislative chambers. (Do you think this is harsh and uncalled for? Clearly, the Communist-Driven Connecticut Democrat Party should have been more fiercely battled years ago and what we are seeing now is the end game for what the plan was all along).

 To show everyone how bad this is, If fossilized Senator Martin Looney and House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford agree, they have the authority to designate any bill as “emergency-certified,” a step that bypasses the normal vetting of bills, which typically are viewed by committees and subjected to public hearings As reported...Looney said the Democrats were acting in the cause of “efficiency.” There was no reason to have the bill going through the committee and hearing process, not in a three-month session, he said...

 “This bill is responsive to the concerns of the people,” Looney said. “I think what opponents of the bill are saying is that the concerns about warehouse workers are not important. Concerns about some of the education changes in the bill are really not that important. All of the other provisions are, for some reason or other, not important enough to accelerate the effective date on these things and make them available for the benefit of the people of Connecticut sooner rather than later.”  Looney said the Republicans were inconsistent in their denunciation of one-party government. “Many of the complaints that have been raised by the minority party might sound a little more credible if they could have been directed equally at what’s happening in Washington, where their party is the majority,” Looney said. (https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/ct-democrats-flex-muscle-emergency-legislation)  

 Please take careful note of what fossilized Senator Martin Looney just told you: The reason why you, the poor and beleaguered Connecticut citizen cannot be heard on a matter of legislation affecting the life of you and your family is for one reason. Donald J. Trump. Therefore, if you happen to disagree with this rape of your rights and abuse of government overreach, you are the problem. No, scratch that. President Donald J. Trump is the problem, and both you, and the pitiful state of Connecticut need to be saved from him. And it’s a matter of whatever it takes. So what if it takes the same bad, omnipotent one-party dictatorship of failed non transparent state government?  So what, if it takes more wasteful spending, more laws limiting personal freedoms, more taxes, and more non representative government? So what, if you have thoughts to the contrary and your life will be indelibly affected? They all matter. You do not. 

 Senate Bill 298 is a gross overreach by a Socialist based Democrat Party that is totally out-of-control with its destruction of the state. I pray Vice-President J.D. Vance soon focuses and starves out this fraudulent farce called Connecticut government, and protects the good people of Connecticut from this morass once, and for all.

Connecticut: Its The Debt, Stupid

Over the past twenty years, I have been writing to tell readers again and again about the wretched state of Connecticut finances, and the incredible amount of debt heaped upon poor and innocent taxpayers by arrogant, ignorant, and uncaring politicians. I have also written time and time again about the stranglehold of the omnipotent and incompetent Connecticut Democrat Party, in addition to some of the weak-minded Connecticut Republicans that have made that party's job that much easier. Many times, I felt discouraged that I was not getting through. But when I finished and published last week’s article on the sickening and redundant $9,700,000,000 bipartisan approved bonding for largely special-interest and vanity projects, something happened. Multiple thousands pf people read the article over several platforms. My good friend and colleague made this a point of his February 17 Lee Elci Show segment. TONY DE ANGELO LEE ELCI- LEE ELCI SHOW 2 17 2026

 And all of this led to one point of critical mass. The Connecticut taxpayer is mad as hell at politicians and pontificators that have created a fiscal mess that will take years to shovel out of. State taxpayers, livid at the increasing amount of costs they face every day, are finally (and fully) lambasting politicians for the morass they have created for decades.

However, the only group of people not reading that memorandum and acting upon it are those very same arrogant and stiff-necked politicians that created the mess in the first place. Unfortunately the elementary concepts of (what is) the present value of a dollar, the time value of money and the opportunity cost of deficit spending are lost on almost the entire state government, who see fiscal management as throwing a sack of cash at their district and begging reelection. Nothing else matters to them, nor do they really care about the generational burdens they are heaping upon citizens. For reelection is Job No. 1. In turn, you, do not matter in the least.

As this selective arrogance and ignorance grow from elected officials, Connecticut's state government debt grows year in and year out. It has been like this since 1991. A recent Reason Foundation analysis of October 23, 2025, studied and reported on Connecticut's massive debt problem. Their report confirms what I have been stating for several years that the state has $100 to $150 billion dollars in short- and long-term debt along with unfunded liabilities. The following figures are taken from this report: (https://reason.org/transparency-project/gov-finance-2025/state/)

Total State Debt: Connecticut #7    $94.43 billion "On a per capita basis, Connecticut had the highest state debt, with $26,187 of debt per state resident at the end of 2023."  

State Government debt per capita Connecticut #1 $26,187

State Government long term debt Connecticut #7 $86.3 billion

 State Government long term debt per capita Connecticut #1 $23,934

 State Government net pension debt Connecticut #6 $40.36 billion "On a per capita basis, Illinois again had the most pension debt, with $11,355 per resident. Connecticut was (2) close behind with $11,192 per capita pension debt."

 State government other-post employment benefit debt Connecticut #7 $16.9 billion "The rest of the states with the most OPEB debt per capita at the end of 2023 were Connecticut ($4,687) ..."

State government other-post employment benefit debt per capita Connecticut #3 $4,687

Total of every state government's outstanding bonds, loans, and notes Connecticut #6 $29.17 billion "In per capita terms, the state governments of Hawaii and Connecticut rank first and second, respectively, with outstanding bonds of over $8,000 per resident."

Per capita amount of every state government's outstanding bonds, loans, and notes Connecticut #2, $8,090

If one examines the limited data one can find for Fiscal years 2024 and 2025, one will see the same excessive debt and borrowing for Connecticut. Connecticut continues to lead the nation in debt. This newer information is difficult to find as the Democrat Administration of Governor Ned Lamont does not believe in transparency whatsoever and would much rather hide these figures from the diligent Connecticut Taxpayers who are enslaved to Connecticut's drug infused spending and debt addictions.  How a state as small as Connecticut has this much debt and spends this amount yearly is incomprehensible, especially in this election year. Realistically, Connecticut politicians could give a damn about how much money they spend and how much debt the state has since it will not be their problem. The protected political elite of Connecticut, along with its cronies, sycophants, toadies, and lackeys will make sure they become vested in a perpetual state Taxpayer funded pension with unlimited lifetime benefits, in addition to lifetime health care, all paid at your expense. Why should these elitists and state-connected people settle for Medicare as the rest of working population must, when their damaging, fiscally inept policies that have driven the state to the brink of bankruptcy, entitles them to a superior lifetime health care plan for themselves and their families? “To the victors go the spoils!"  is the essence of the ruling Connecticut political elite. Connecticut is in essence broke and has been broke for years. And about every person wearing a political uniform does not give a damn about that, if they even understand the damage they are creating.

But again, who cares? 

The new Connecticut state budget, spending over $28 billion dollars for the year, follows the same yearly script. As we have been told for decades, more spending will solve all the state's problems such as food insecurity (as in the yearly salary of non-profit Connecticut Foodshare's President and CEO's Jason Jakubowski at near $400,000), homeless issues, illegal drug deaths and addictions, a crumbling transportation infrastructure,  widespread worker’s compensation fraud, excessively high taxes, a failing public education system where students cannot read nor write, voting fraud in Bridgeport and other locations, fraud and lost funds in the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development as more millions are heaped upon it,  and two incoherent, screaming United States Senators who are an insult to the voters of Connecticut.  And as the debt keeps growing, the same rhetoric is spewed with the same failed debt results. That is the reality of Connecticut's poor economy and horrific economic policies and programs.

The Republican candidates for Governor could easily win the upcoming election and all state offices by campaigning on the debt issue, expense reduction, and full transparency. If only they would challenge the failed economic policies of the Lamont Administration every step of the way and the financial enrichment that the Lamont family has nurtured through their hedge fund and their deceptive investments, victory and permanent change would be assured. Again after many years, we still do not have any answers to Ned Lamont's family hedge fund (Oak HC/FT Partners), investments in Rapyd, a global Fintech-as-a-service provider, and Unqork, both having documented common-investment ties to "Infosys", that same Infosys that received Connecticut taxpayers monies. We have no disclosures as to what happened in the Lamont-Infosys trip to India in February of 2025 completed under that secret cloak of that same-secret ADVANCE CT. Nor are any answers forthcoming from associated companies relating to the Covid-19 crisis that include "Thermo Fisher Scientific", "Sema 4", " Core Infomatics", “Centrellis”. "Ocrulus", "Urjanet", "1life Healthcare", "Galileo Health", "Castlight Health", "Paladina Health", and "VillageMD" to name several. Nor are there ever any answers to the questions concerning the Lamont-related Cayman Island partnerships, large Cayman Islands deals such as the "Horsebarn Hill Investment Fund" hiding in the UCONN Foundation,  and other funny-money deals working through “quasi-public” organizations such as the now-clearly Lamont-connected (and covert) “Connecticut Innovations”.  Again, your standard-issue Connecticut legislator never asks those questions, as getting re-elected, throwing cash, smiling in pictures, and signing on to inane and sometimes perverted causes take on a much higher priority.

Connecticut's debt and deception by the Lamont Administration continues to choke the state's economy. But again, who really cares except for Connecticut's Taxpayers who will never be heard and several non-paid citizen journalists who are condemned and vilified by the socialists who desperately glorify their own failures in society by pushing their perversions as policy parameters. 

Dear Candidates: The game, is over here: The lights need to come on. For once. For you. You need to grasp these concepts and actually, think. Connecticut and its debt are the real and true campaign issues in 2026. 

Too bad no one is listening. 

Connecticut: The Debt Creating Capital of the World

What is Connecticut best known for? Some may say pizza. Some may say the Elm Tree. Others may say the Charter Oak. But in more recent times, Connecticut has a strong history of debt, debt spending, borrowing and massive unfunded liabilities ever since the implementation of Lowell Weicker's "cure-all" state income tax in 1991. At that time, the state was running a large budget deficit and according to Weicker the only way out was to increase taxes in the middle of a recession through the implementation of a progressive state income tax. At  the time of that deadly decision, the population in Connecticut was approximately 3.29 million and the state budget was roughly $7.9 billion dollars. In 2026, the population in Connecticut is approximately 3.6 million. The state budget is going to be roughly $28 billion dollars. Therefore, in a 35-year period, Connecticut has increased state spending by over 300 percentage points with roughly the same amount of population. As time has marched on, the state income tax has increased over the years and is the mainline Heroin that elected officials use to continue to fuel their addiction to socialism type spending and never-ending debt and unfunded liabilities.

What does Connecticut have to show for this spending? Trees? Pizza? Basketball? Crime? Illegal migrants? Nothing, other than poor results, Connecticut ranks continually last and or in the bottom five of many business and economic categories. Connecticut ranks as one of the highest taxed states in the country along with having one of the highest electric rates in the country. Contrary to the spin that has been placed, Connecticut still has between $100 and $150 billion dollars in short- and long-term debt along with massive unfunded liabilities. These same unfunded liabilities are difficult to trace and account for but that is the norm for how Connecticut's state government works since the 1990s with tons and tons of obfuscation and no transparency. But who cares? As politicians decry fiscal mismanagement and the mortal sin of straying from the “fiscal guardrails” we see a new $10 billion dollar "bipartisan" bonding package (H.B. No. 7288) that just passed in the current legislative session in the spirit of unity, cooperation, and general welfare. (https://ctmirror.org/2025/06/04/ct-bond-package-local-aid-housing/) .

In attempting to understand what was passed and what it will  cost in future interest costs is exceptionally difficult to ascertain. However, from what I was able to gather from this document the result should make Connecticut taxpayers blood run cold. https://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa/Documents/year/UAB/2026UAB20260202_Bond%20Authorizations%20Available%20for%20Allocation.pdf

Here are just some of the items that are further heaping you and your loved ones into perpetual indentured servitude to the Pizza Capital of The World:

Alterations, renovations, and improvements to parking garages in Hartford (where no one wants to go)- $10 million dollars.

Grant in aid to the municipality of East Hartford for the purposes of “general economic development” activities-$30 million dollars.

Grant in aid to the municipality of East Hartford for the purposes of general economic development activities, including the development of the infrastructure and improvements to the riverfront the creation of housing units, through rehabilitation and new construction the demolition or redevelopment of vacant buildings and redevelopment (whatever that all may mean)- $20 million dollars.

Recapitalize CII programs Grant in aid to recapitalize the programs of Connecticut Innovations Inc described in chapter 581 of the general statutes- $20 million dollars.  (Translation: Connecticut Innovations, the "Venture Capital Arm" of Connecticut, and one-time investor in "Sema4, is losing its collective shirt and needs more of your taxpayer money to keep the boiler room fires burning).             

Alterations, renovations, and improvements to existing state-owned buildings for inmate housing programming and staff training space and additional inmate capacity and for support facilities and offsite improvements- $125 million dollars.

Manufacturing Assistance Act (“MAA”) Economic Development and Manufacturing Assistance Act of 1990 and the CT job training finance demonstration program- $450 million dollars.

Cannabis Establishment Loans (for us to see your tax dollars vanish in a smoky, green haze)- $50 million dollars.

Nonprofit Security, (so you can trust the State of Connecticut to protect your house of worship like it protects everything else)- $30 million dollars.

Grants in aid to provide matching funds necessary for municipalities school districts and school bus operators to submit federal grant applications in order to maximize federal funding for the purchase or lease of zero emission school buses (that cannot start in the cold and that just might stop dead on a winter’s day with your child on one) and electric vehicle charging or fueling infrastructure- $40 million dollars

Multi Family Retrofitting Projects in Environmental Justice Communities- $125 million dollars.

The list that I have quoted from is 20 pages long, with each recipient of funding being more quizzical and ridiculous than the next. Absolutely nothing is held back as Connecticut's march to economic oblivion using these bonded projects, continues. Any sane person would wonder as to why Connecticut is now spending over $28 billion dollars and is also forced to bond almost $10 billion more this fiscal year . In addition, it is a sure bet that Connecticut will show little to no economic improvement by the end of year, even with this massive amount of money being spent. But again, who cares? Just look serious, crow about “the necessity of the fiscal guardrails,” and hock out citizens blind with largely irrelevant and fatuous self-aggrandizing projects, over half of which will show nothing tangible. Yet the spending just continues unabated. There is never a mention of cutting spending and or a plan of action to start paying down an unrealistic state debt for a state as small as Connecticut. Meanwhile, additional debt is just loaded on the back on Connecticut taxpayers as the chasm between the state-connected haves, and the ordinary “have not” citizen, grows even deeper.

Connecticut Democrats have done an incredible job of burying citizens in needless debt  for close to four decades. Meanwhile, Republicans, who frankly could and should know better, have compounded the felony by confirming the error of Democrats in such a horrible bill as H.B. No. 7288 in an act of purported "bipartisanship". Nothing here is to be celebrated, and all should hang their heads in shame while the fewer and fewer remaining legitimate taxpayers of the state struggle to make the “have’s”  have more, once again.

 

 

The Fate Of The State

 It is another quintessential election year in Connecticut. In 2026 both legal and illegal voters will be voting for the same five current Socialist Democrat United States Representatives and all of the State offices from Governor down to the General Assembly. And what an election it is going to be! And Connecticut is officially up and running with no man safe as the Legislature has been gaveled into session. In listening to the corrupt Socialist Democrat Governor Ned Lamont's State of the State address, one wonders what state he lives in. It is quite clear to any rational observer that Lamont and his fellow Democrats have done an excellent job in driving Connecticut into economic oblivion, and his current budget will help cement Connecticut into a bottom five lowest ranking economic state in the country for more years to come. And his speech was the usual anti-Trump, anti-ICE rhetoric that defines the Democrat Party in 2026. But no one tied to Lamont seems to care. If you happen to disagree with this Democrat disaster looking for a place to happen you are either 1) racist, 2) white supremacist, 3) hostile, 4) insurrectionist, or 5) any combination of more than one of the items listed above. And in the eyes of the government, you should be rendered inoperative on general principles.

I highly recommend all Connecticut voters read Lamont's speech (https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/read the full text connecticut gov ned lamont gives 2026 state of the state address/?ipid=promo link block2), and draw your own conclusions. (All quotes below are from his speech)

Many will feel it is an insult to Thomas Paine who wrote the revolutionary commentary "Common Sense" back in 1776 when Lamont stated, "He was what we would call today a social influencer. His pamphlets were handed out by the hundreds of thousands. His call to revolution was debated from taverns in Windsor to coffeehouses in Fairfield. By the end of that year, 1776, his optimism was tempered by hard times. Paine concluded, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Two hundred and fifty years later, we find ourselves once again in times that try men’s souls. Masked federal agents have descended on Minneapolis, terrorizing communities, tearing families apart. Two young Americans, a mom and an ICU nurse shot dead. Some of our folks worry that another government shutdown and sudden federal cuts will mean no dinner tonight, no roof over their head, too expensive to take care of a sick child. These are times that try men’s souls." Sorry Ned, but your comparison of Thomas Paine and our American Revolution to today's Anti ICE protests protecting criminal illegal immigrants from deportation is a gross insult to our forefathers of our country.

He added: “Because we have used Connecticut common sense, we have been able to make up for some of the harsh cuts coming out of The White House. We were among the very first to backstop food support for working families. We saw the scared faces and long lines at the food pantries just a few months ago.” So Ned, why does the Head of Connecticut Foodshare Jason Jakubowski make over $400,000 a year? Couldn't that $400,000 feed the many starving people of your economically vibrant state? What about the other bulbous salaries paid to non-job executives in the redundant and covert nonprofits funded by state dollars as the “poor mouth” cries get louder? How does this form of racketeering help the poor and vulnerable? (Rest assured anyone asking the question I just asked is automatically branded to be any one or more of the pejorative epithets mentioned above).

But who are you to question results? Says Ned:  "The Connecticut economy is strong, for now. We have faster economic growth (fourth highest in the country last quarter), more new business startups, and lower unemployment than most of the nation all of which contributes to higher state income, and that allows our 2027 budget to increase investments in education, housing, and nonprofits not to mention our emergency reserve. " ... "Every year we have worked to make life a little less expensive and a little more affordable. Working families earn a little more, surely helps. Remember cheering on the essential workers during COVID? Many of them were earning the minimum wage, which today is almost $17 an hour, up from about $10 since we took office. And after receiving no increase for several years, our state employees have received a wage increase every year we’ve been in office. We appreciate your extraordinary work, and tell your friends we still need more nurses, corrections officers, and state police. We were told by the naysayers that a higher wage would crash the economy, instead a little more money in your pocket is allowing more families to get back on their feet and our economy to prosper." If the economy is so strong then why are there long lines at the food pantries? Why aren’t you crediting President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for sending short-lived Defense projects to Connecticut? What will you do when that ends? What will you do when the last five or six billionaires leave the state? Does State employee salaries, benefits and pensions account for over 20% of the state budget now? Aren't several of your state "nonprofits" currently under federal investigation for fraud? Have you taken one step towards curbing the myriad governance and out of control spending abuse to these "nonprofits" via the Department of Economic and Community Development? Of course, no steps have been undertaken on any of the above, (and by asking these questions I am sure a race-based pejorative epithet is waiting for me).

But this odd and twisted world is takes some funny turns. Lamont, now being influenced by the left-wing part of his party has turned into a Caucasian version of Huey Newton and will now give every school student a "free" breakfast and as always more money for education. Per Ned: “We tried last year, let’s try it again this year our budget provides for free school breakfasts for all of our students. Everybody starts the day right. No shame, no stigma, no empty stomachs. Connecticut has one of the best school systems in the country, but that is not true of all of our schools. In the coming days I will sign an executive order to create the Blue-Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education. A bottoms up look at education with a focus on an updated funding strategy, the foundation grant, and making sure more resources go to the classroom.” So where does the money come from to pay for these "free school breakfast" programs? Your IPO profits from SEMA 4? Some new “Ned Deal” funneled through “Connecticut Innovations?” A new "breakfast tax"? Don't most schools in the state already offer both free breakfast and lunch for needy students? Couldn't the state save money and take out feminine hygiene products out of boys’ bathrooms in state schools? (This last statement now qualifies me to be called pejorative epithets not suitable for a respectable article).

Contrary to the deluded Governor, Connecticut still has $100 to $150 billion dollars in short- and long-term debt with interest thereupon, along with massive unfunded liabilities. To help voters forget about these horrors, Ned proposes to give every taxpayer a $200 tax rebate, or a $400 rebate per family. Rough estimates are that this pseudo-feel-good maneuver will cost the state $500 million dollars. But why hasn't Connecticut still recovered from the recession of 1989? As I stated in January 2026; “The true reality is that Connecticut still suffers from many of the same problems it has faced since 1989. The economy in particular is consistently ignored and overlooked, as it has been for more than 35 years. Connecticut has never recovered economically since that recession of 1988-89. According to the September jobs report published in December, Connecticut is losing jobs. The state ranks 50th in payroll growth from 1989 to 2025 and is one of only three states that have failed to fully recover from the Great Recession”. (https://swickspeak.blogspot.com/2026/01/connecticut economy stinks so let’s make.html) 

But as ridiculous and horrible as this all is, one quote from Ned takes the prize for buying the liberal vote: "That young mother shot twice in the head in Minneapolis the White House called her a domestic terrorist; she reminded me of my daughter. " Ned does your daughter protest at anti ICE demonstrations and tries to drive into them with her SUV while they are doing their job? If so, you have a lot of problems with your family that certainly you are not letting on about.

This State of the State speech summarizes the true lies and deceptions that the Connecticut Democrat Party has been so well known for, for many years. Year in and year out, state spending and debt increases. Year in and year out Connecticut's economy ranks last and or in the bottom five in the country in economic growth, development, business friendliness, etc. Year in and year out Connecticut ranks as one of the highest taxed states in the country. Maybe this year Connecticut taxpayers will wake up to see that they are not better off than they were in any year from 1989 to 2026 with a government dominated by an omnipotent and corrupted Connecticut Democrat Party and they will finally see through the false claims, lies and prevarications leading Connecticut to be the economic and social disaster that it now is.

The One Big Political Obfuscation Of 2026

 The American economy is a unique machine. For the most part, it can turn a deaf ear to the constant stream of negativity we are forced to listen to daily on our state run media, the 24/7 talking heads babbling incoherent gibberish, and a badly damaged, corrupted, partisan, failing two party political bureaucracy that continues to be completely out of touch with the people it supposedly represents. Contrary to the cynics, we are fortunate that President Donald J. Trump is our President and we are doubly blessed for his historic attempt to dismantle a bloated, out of date, fiscally bankrupt, corrupted, and incomprehensible government.

Except for paid professional protestors, genuine Americans feel that there are many more important issues that should be on the minds for all elected officials rather than the nonstop rants about anti-Israel and pro Palestine rhetoric, criminals having more rights than victims, illegal immigrants causing crime after being set free, and other Liberal fantasies. Americans would really like answers to how our economy can move forward again, how to create jobs for legal citizens, eliminating government fraud as seen in Democrat hell hole Minnesota, how to make our country energy independent, how to pay down or eliminate our national debt of thirty nine trillion dollars, and how to eliminate identity and cyber theft. In my clear estimation, all the ingredients and polices are now in place for America to ascend to new heights hitherto unattained. But the biggest enemy to this progress are elected officials and paid-for media that continue to either ignore or trash all positive progress in the name of hatred and inferior superiority.

Perhaps the greatest vehicle to this new age of financial independence and prosperity is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) of 2025. President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is truly an economic work of art and will promote massive economic growth for our economy. However, few in our economy and fewer in our elected ranks really know or understand how this bill will impact them. Republicans (especially state Republicans like those in Connecticut) never propound the economic value of the bill leading me to believe if they have any understanding or appreciation of it at all. Since Democrats do not want any capital growth whatsoever and many Republicans seem to have no sense of aggressiveness nor appreciation towards development of the economy, I will show some of the benefits for you and your family from OBBBA, as none of these politicians seem either willing or able to do the same.

 As stated on the White House site, “The One Big Beautiful Bill delivers the largest middle- and working-class tax cut in United States history. The President’s legislation will put more than ten thousand dollars a year back in the pockets of typical hardworking families. This is the most pro growth, pro worker, pro family legislation ever crafted.”

“This bill drives a blue-collar boom with tax relief for workers, support for small businesses, and investments in American manufacturing. OBBBA delivers the largest middle- and working-class tax cut in United States history.”

“In the last ten years, CMS admitted that improper payments for Medicaid have exceeded half a trillion dollars. In just the past year, taxpayers spent fifty-six billion dollars on benefits for able bodied adults abusing the system, and over a million illegal aliens are receiving free health care on the backs of taxpayers. OBBBA removes illegal aliens, enacts work requirements for able bodied adults, and protects Medicaid for the truly vulnerable.”

“OBBBA delivers on President Trump’s Peace Through Strength agenda by funding the Golden Dome missile defense system and modernizing our military to prioritize lethality and readiness. It fully equips our war fighters with the resources they need while modernizing and revolutionizing our equipment and technology."

“This is not a partisan bill. Democrats shut themselves out by supporting higher taxes, open borders, and giveaways to illegal immigrants. OBBBA delivers on Republican promises to lower taxes, secure the border, cut spending, and put Americans first.”

(https://www.whitehouse.gov/OBBBA/)

Tax cuts, economic stimulation, and putting Americans first instead of last. What is not to like about this bill? Yet little is known about it, and while it is understood that most Democrats wish to destroy all manner of independent wealth-building and capitalism, it is becoming increasingly clear that many Republicans fail to talk about this bill daily and dilute their chances to an overwhelming reelection in the midterms this November. But as we know, there are still a great deal of weak-willed RINOs who love to show their pomposity within the Republican Party. They create discord and aloofness for the country to see while offering little in the way of solutions to the problems they have compounded during their tenures. These people are sadly of no help to anyone in driving anything positive.

But it is much worse for Democrats. The saddest thing is that there is no such thing as a sane Democrat anymore, if you happen to be one. The Democrats have been taken over by the ultra-liberal, socialist, and communist wing of their party. They offer nothing at all for the people they supposedly represent and are oblivious to the long-term damage they are creating in our country through violence and their disregard for the rule of law. (Or, this is the new Democrat objective?)

Another part of the bill that receives almost no mention is the Trump Children’s Savings Account. This account will include all American children under eighteen with a valid Social Security Number making them eligible to establish a Trump Account. Parents or legal guardians can open and manage these accounts on behalf of their children. One thousand dollars in seed money will be provided for these accounts for new births, and President Trump encourages philanthropists and businesses to participate through his Fifty State Challenge to help fund them. And a number of these people have come online, including Ray and Barbara Dalio of Connecticut and Michael Dell. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/17/ray-dalio-trump-child-savings-accounts.html .

One can imagine investing in this account from birth throughout a child’s lifetime to create a strong financial foundation and economic future. A future that represents economic growth and prosperity for young people in our country. Some have even said it will be a huge force against Communism. It will also teach parents and children financial literacy and financial education, which is sorely lacking in 2026. It is a win for children and families and a win for our economy as covered by my friend and colleague Tony De Angelo on the January 29 THIRTY WITH TONY POLITICIANS AND THE NEUTRON BOMB THIRTY WITH TONY 1 29 2026 .

There is a great deal to love about our economy and President Trump’s economic programs. Sadly, the Democrat Party, in its infinite hatred of America and all things President Trump, wishes to destroy any economic order, any rule of law, and any truth that goes against their vindictive and disgusting socialistic narrative. To exacerbate this sad situation, many weak-willed or ignorant Republicans do little to nothing to promote the exact medicine that the American economy needs and fail to provide this badly needed contrast for American citizens.

We do live in the greatest country in the world, a country that millions gave their lives to keep free since 1776. As we approach our two hundred fiftieth birthday, I am one of many Americans who are thankful for President Trump and his economic policies, plans, and future vision for our country. A country that has survived for two hundred fifty years will do so repeatedly if sound economic and personal freedom principles are adhered to. Americans have woken up, and their voices are finally being heard, contrary to what the Democrat Party, waffling Republicans, and biased state-controlled media want us to believe.

The American Dream will not die. It has woken up yet again under President Trump, and that is an absolute fact. And this will be a fact that no one will be able to run from.

The Affordability of Courage

What makes something affordable? How is that defined? And does affordability mean different things to different economic groups in our economy? And why has Connecticut become so unaffordable to those remaining legal, working, middle-class, law-abiding citizens who remain? These are all legitimate questions for the upcoming Connecticut Governor’s race, which is fast approaching.

The election is starting off as scripted. Several candidates have emerged from the minority Republican Party, each with very different ideas and political ideologies, while the Democrat Party begins its familiar, fanatical condemnation of all things President Trump. Meanwhile, Ned Lamont, the ruling/ unaccountable King/Governor has humbly announced that he is running yet again for another term. Left-wing, socialist, communist-leaning young Democrats may also enter the race, declaring that Lamont is unfit to serve any longer because he is too old and not liberal enough to govern. They will threaten him with a primary if he does not give them what they demand. This amounts to free universal health care, free rent, free public transportation, free public education from birth through graduate school, free cell phones, free food, and anything else that comes to mind over the next few months. If you are one of those humble working taxpaying citizens of Connecticut, you will be paying for this as the Federal government is on to the continual waste, fraud and abuse that is the Gold Standard of the omnipotent Connecticut Democrat Party. The spigot for all of that foolishness is about to be cut off by the Trump administration. Trump administration orders review of federal funding in more than a dozen Democratic states | CNN Politics.  

The line is being drawn in the sand for November 2026.

So how does this apply to affordability? Or does affordability have something to do with courage?

If a candidate for Governor, especially a Republican, would boldly state out loud that Connecticut is no longer affordable and present a coherent and genuine citizen-centric economic plan to reduce the economic stress and pain of living in this state, they might actually be heard and could win the election by an overwhelming margin. And if Republicans also ran a candidate for every State House and Senate district rather than leaving many uncontested and unrepresented, this would represent a radical shift in campaign strategy and indicate a seriousness heretofore not present in what has been a weak and disjointed Republican Party. With a gubernatorial candidate advancing such a genuine, citizen-centric plan, they could realistically win General Assembly seats along with statewide offices such as Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Comptroller, and more. It really can be done if someone has the courage to address it, and clearly commit to ending the irritating deference to the state workforce and the Connecticut Administrative State.

Affordability in a one-party-ruled Democrat Connecticut, can easily become the ticket to real change in state government. Contrary to the daily deranged rhetoric of Connecticut Democrats and their paid followers, toadies, and lackeys, the reality is that they have made the state totally unaffordable. Excessive local and state taxes on nearly everything especially income taxes, high and excessive business taxes, user fees, vocational taxes, license taxes, gas taxes, electric taxes, natural gas taxes, and high sales taxes have all contributed greatly to the economic destruction of this once-prosperous state. It cannot be denied that the progressive, unyielding, anti-economic- tax rates and  administrative burdens and oppression of Connecticut have damaged the state to the point of becoming a bottom-five state in the country for business and economic performance.

Excessive and unchecked state spending driven by political nepotism with no transparency and sparse resistance at best, have helped nurture these high taxes that have vandalized the economy. This entire wretched mess could be stopped with a rational citizen-centric  Republican plan to cut the bloat of an ever-expanding state government that shows negative meaningful economic results year after year, especially when Connecticut has yet to recover from the Great Recession of 1989 thirty-six years later. Think about how poor that economic record is to run on in every election. But somehow, the omnipotent and incompetent Democrats remain in power, year after year (after year). How is that even possible?

2026 is really Custer’s Last Stand for the once-great state of Connecticut. If Connecticut is to survive both socially and economically, the Republican Party must reject its RINOs and all fealty to the administrative state and its agencies, and claim policies and programs that jump-start the state through lower state spending, lower state taxes, a real adult energy policy, and true transparency in how the state operates. Freedom of Information laws and requests should not be secrets from Connecticut taxpayers. The cries for a citizen DOGE must be heeded and propounded forthwith. The $100 to $150 billion in short- and long-term debt and unfunded liabilities should be discussed and debated daily, along with these real citizen-centric solutions presented.

This election, like the elections of the past 36 years, represents a true social and economic turning point for the state. This year, the Connecticut Democrat Party is out of deceptions, lies, and smokescreens to cover up its inability and lack of desire to represent the legal voters and taxpayers of the state. The Republican Party has a perfect opportunity to flush out the corruption, crime, deception, and fraud that the Democrat Party has utilized for personal and financial gain for years.The change is there for the taking. Does anyone have the vision and the courage to get Connecticut back on track? 

That is what Connecticut voters are voting for in November. And as of the time of this writing, this type of vision and courage is what we are still waiting for.

 

 

Connecticut: The Economy Stinks. So, Let's Make Things Up.

 

“Small businesses are the heart of our communities and economy. Yesterday in Southington, I toured F&F Concrete Manufacturing, spoke with local business owners, and visited Southington High School to hear from students about their goals.”

“Showing up and listening matters.”

(Ned Lamont, Governor of Connecticut- “X” Post- January 15, 2026)

As more and more businesses leave the state or close up in the face of that irrepressible “Ned Mojo,” https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/macys-closing-cheshire-south-windsor-distribution-centers-cutting-over-1000-positions/, as small business farmers are being driven off of their farms due to tax policies that are abysmal even by Connecticut standards, https://www.wfsb.com/2026/01/13/state-leaders-push-moratorium-some-farms-see-300-increases-under-new-assessment-rates/ and as irrational energy policy is not replaced by simple and effective fixes, (Study: Nuclear, natural gas would save New England hundreds of billions over renewable mandates)  any sane person can only wonder if Governor Lamont is the least bit sane as none of his nattering represents the sad reality of the crumbling of Connecticut. 

(https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/study-nuclear-natural-gas-would-save-new-england-hundreds-of-billions-over-renewable-mandates/)

Several prominent historical figures (most recently, Presidential candidate H. Ross Perot) reminded us that if we do the same task repeatedly with the hope of achieving different results, we are insane. Mr. Perot should have moved to Connecticut, where insanity has been the Gold Standard of the ruling Connecticut Democrat Party and the Connecticut administrative state for many years. The “moderate businessman” Governor Ned Lamont in professing his continual love for Connecticut, is the equivalent of Mark David Chapman who expressed his love for The Beatles by assassinating John Lennon in 1980. There simply is no rationality or reason for the economic dealings of Connecticut where destruction and business closure is now an almost daily event. And for solutions, that is easy. There has never been a problem that the Democrat-run state government cannot “solve” by simply throwing more Connecticut taxpayers’ money at it.

The true reality is that Connecticut still suffers from many of the same problems it has faced since 1989. The economy in particular is consistently ignored and overlooked, as it has been for more than 35 years. Connecticut has never economically recovered since that recession of 1988–89. According to the September jobs report published in December, Connecticut is losing jobs. The state ranks 50th in payroll growth from 1989 to 2025 and is one of only three states that have failed to fully recover from the Great Recession.
(https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/carstensen-federal-budget-cuts-structural-gaps-put-ct-jobs-at-risk/utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Equipment%20supplier%20buys%20Southington%20building%20for%20%241%204M%20%7C%20Developer%20buys%20CT%20office%20tower&utm_campaign=HBJ%20Today%20011326)

Since 2020, the state has continued to lose jobs while state spending has grown dramatically since 1989. During this same period, Connecticut’s population depending on the year, has either declined or remained stagnant. Businesses come and go, with fewer new business formations occurring unless subsidized by taxpayer-funded incentives and goodies from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (“DECD”). But in Connecticut, facts do not matter. According to a recent U.S. News & World Report ranking on fiscal stability, Connecticut ranks 48th out of 50 states.
(https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/fiscal-stability).

Given these facts, why isn’t Connecticut’s economy the central theme of the 2026 election? Why aren’t Republicans screaming about this, daily? Why are they silent on these most critical matters? There is ample data showing that Democrat control has coincided with long-term economic decline since 1989 . Year after year, we hear the same rhetoric: more spending here, more spending there, more “SomethingCT”- type organizations need to be set up, more funding is needed for nonprofits, more cash for state employees, more cash for education, and more spending ad infinitum. And this increased spending has produced dismal results. Businesses continue to close, residents move out of state, crime persists, illegal drug abuse remains widespread, and infrastructure continues to decay.

None of Connecticut’s political class questions why the state spends roughly $27 billion annually with little to no measurable economic growth or meaningful resolution of these chronic problems. At the same time, the state ignores between $100 and $150 billion in short- and long-term debt and unfunded liabilities. How is this a successful economic policy? And how does it benefit Connecticut businesses or taxpayers?

But Connecticut is extremely good at one thing. Faking. Faking of grandiose faux economic programs. Faking of grandiose economic programs such as “QuantumCT”    https://www.quantumct.org/, where the state has committed $121 Million dollars to fund a dream concept of quantum computing that will save the state of all of its ills. A review of the website indicates no commitment in this regard of any economic worth. The resident economist of the University of Connecticut has clearly stated that this project will take years to bear any fruit, if it ever does. The usual state GOP silence on matters such as this has become deafening. (My friend and colleague Tony De Angelo did an excellent job of covering these economic farces on the January 15 THIRTY WITH TONY) THE CONFIDENCE GAME THIRTY WITH TONY JAN 15 2026 

Regardless of the continued taxpayer-supported efforts at prevarication and fakery, the reality is that Connecticut has massive economic problems. Connecticut has massive debt problems. Connecticut has massive illegal immigration problems. Connecticut has many serious challenges not aided a historically docile Republican party yet Democrat Party leaders are more concerned with exempting themselves from the laws they impose on others, while engaging in daily incoherent and irrelevant attacks on President Trump and common sense.

Pick almost any topic. Can anyone clearly explain why criminals appear to have more rights than victims in Connecticut? Or why illegal immigrants should be supported without question by Connecticut taxpayers? Or why Connecticut forbids police to arrest and detain illegal aliens? Or why Connecticut’s state government stripped citizens of their right to earn a living during the pandemic while Governor Ned Lamont’s hedge fund was able to profit?

Connecticut desperately needs change from top to bottom in its stale, entrenched Democrat-controlled state government. That government has driven the state into an economic quagmire with no clear path forward.

Perhaps Republican candidates for state office can finally have the courage to make this the central issue of the election: You are not better off under the Democrat Party regime that has governed and failed Connecticut for decades.

With lower taxes, less spending, a renewed commitment to law and order, real accountability, and transparency at all levels of government and new leadership, Connecticut can once again become a vibrant state. 

The time for that change has finally come.