House Republican Press Release

 

 

 

December 11, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

 

Returning Home for the Holidays, Nothing changes!

 

By State Representative John J. Ryan

           

Somehow we are rapidly running out of 2007, and my annual Thanksgiving+ vacation came and went much too quickly, and as usual there are far too many “Hartford topics” to cover, so hang on, here goes:

 

- Yet another Gubernatorial funeral occurred recently with the passing of former Gov. Bill O’Neill (note Governor Rell’s pithy comment of him as “one of the titans of Connecticut politics”), and I had not even had a chance to note the previous recent passing of former Governor Tom Meskill. Governor Rell’s comment about O’Neill aptly fits both men: no description of either would be complete without the words “decency” and “fairness”. While of different parties ( although I suspect Bill O’Neill would be more likely to be a Republican these days ), both were significantly underestimated in their time : O’Neill was derided as a mere “former saloon keeper” who fell into politics when he succeeded the larger-than-life Ella Grasso on her passing; Meskill was widely thought a lightweight when Pres. Nixon sought to appoint him to the esteemed 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals; both were much admired at the end of each of those successful tenures. If only we had more Meskills and O’Neills on the political horizon……

 

- Yet another Special Session? Once the rare exception, now the common practice, this latest Special Session focuses on criminal statute revisions following the horrific Cheshire home invasion murders. Will any comprehensive reform get done and approved in the next few weeks?

 

- Yet more “ethics issues”, and if you have a yen for the “dirt” in Connecticut politics, you have only to go to the Hartford Courant ( the publication that former Speaker R.E. Van Nostrand dismissed as “not being too important since one couldn’t readily buy it in metro NYC” – meaning fiscally important lower Fairfield County ) at courant.com and note this week’s stories on a grand jury starting an investigation of (freshly re-elected) Mayor E. Perez of Hartford, or the 12.2 and 12.9 op-eds of Kevin Rennie on the budget foibles involving the State university system. Some one opined that the reason Connecticut’s daily papers are so mediocre at investigative reporting is that stories keep falling out of the sky on them and they don’t have to work at it!

 

- Yet another surplus update; it is only a few months into this fiscal year and the latest surplus estimate is $150 million ( and climbing )…as we have pointed out often in the past, do you think the steady surplus reports will prevent calls for yet more and more tax increases ? And have you gotten your list to Santa yet?

 

Finally, I have a confession to make – while sitting and contemplating the peaceful vistas from White Bay, or Cinnamon Bay, not a single “Hartford thought” entered my head. But on flight 412 back, I perused the most recent “American Way” and was intrigued by an article (see www.americanwaymag.com ) entitled “Dirty Business” (no, it’s not about politics!) concerning “worm poop” as an entrepreneurial venture– we kid you not, take a look. I was reminded of the recent story in this publication on the young Darienites of Bear Naked, and their transaction with Kellogg’s, and the thought actually occurred: “INNOVATION – imagine if this [not “bureaucracy”) was a governmental virtue!”

 

I’m sorry, but I was on my way back from vacation – I’ll try not to let it happen again. And best wishes to you and your family for all the holidays.

      

As always please feel free to contact me with your concerns and issues. As your state representative, it is my job, and my priority to represent you and to make sure that your needs and concerns are addressed at the capitol.  You can write to me at Room 4200, Legislative Office Building, and Hartford, CT 06106-1591, send me e-mail at John.Ryan@housegop.ct.gov or call my office toll-free at 1-800-842-1423.