a fix for the state budget
must start with reforms
Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield
Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in
every difficulty.”
This year I hope the Legislature will act optimistically, treating our budget challenge as an opportunity to
reset state government and guide it toward long-term
sustainability.
In order to craft a viable spending plan that will last,
it’s important to remember where we’ve been. From 2005
to 2008, when times were good, the Legislature increased
spending by a full 33 percent. Spending was growing twoand-a-half times faster than revenue. Three-plus years
later, despite federal money infusions and the largest package of tax increases in state history, the struggle to close the
gap between revenue and government’s spending desires
continues. This, despite an anticipated revenue growth of
around 7 percent for this budget cycle — an increase most
employers would be more than satisfied to see.
The most broadly-discussed options for closing the gap
are familiar: reduce spending, increase revenue or some
combination of both. But there is another option — one
that must come first. If there is to be bipartisan support for
solving our budget problem, reforms will need to be front
and center. That’s consistent, because the reforms reflected
in the budget created in 2011 — for instance, more choice
for injured workers, a refocusing of the Basic Health Plan
and disability lifeline, and clamping down on fraud and
abuse involving food and cash assistance — had much to
do with the bipartisan backing it received.
A good place to look for reform opportunities is among
the long-term obligations that are major cost drivers, such
as state-worker pensions, health-care services, paying off
the state’s debt and bringing our K-12 education system
into compliance with court rulings.
I agree with the governor when she says that everything
must be on the table for discussion, including reforms
that would affect services for non-citizens, lawsuit abuse
reform, non-Indian gaming, state workplace efficiencies
such as competitive contracting and defined-contribution
Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield
Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield
pensions, and how the state subsidizes low-income child
care. Some of those were identified as reform opportunities on our side of the aisle last year, but were sidelined
for lack of support. It’s time to look at them again. I’m also
open to reforming tax incentives that aren’t creating jobs
as intended.
The governor’s proposal to ask voters for a sales tax
increase has gained traction in some circles in recent weeks.
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