Majority Democrats in Hartford: No Budget, No Jobs, No Hope

Quinnipiac University released a new poll today and the results shouldn’t surprise anyone other than Democrats here at the Capitol. Jobs, or the lack thereof, was the top issue among respondents who told pollsters the ailing economy is the most critical issue Connecticut faces. So what, exactly, have legislative Democrats done over the last year or so to create, or even save, jobs in the state? Easy answer: nothing. In fact, they’ve killed jobs through cumbersome policies that give fits to people who run businesses.

Consider the current budget impasse in Hartford. Why are we at this point? It’s simple: Most Democrats, men and women who have no idea about the challenges of managing a payroll or providing health care benefits for employees, pushed spending and tax plans so distasteful to companies — small and big – that many have threatened to leave the state. But is that reaction a bluff?

Nope, it’s reality. For years Connecticut’s business community has seen Democrats put the squeeze on mom-and-pop shops and big businesses alike, ramming policies through the legislature that increase costs and, ultimately, hurt the ability of companies to grow and provide the jobs that keep the state’s economic engine chugging along.

Why are legislators working in Hartford this summer? Over the last six months, Democrats who control the Capitol ignorantly worked on everything but Connecticut’s budget, a core ingredient in the state’s economic stew, as businesses in the communities they represent shuttered their doors. Instead of talking about jobs, Democrats talked about the death penalty. Instead of talking about jobs, Democrats talked about Catholicism. And instead of talking about jobs, Democrats talked about frog dissection. Meanwhile, the state’s job numbers continued to slide.

This week the Secretary of the State’s office told us Connecticut saw a record number of business closures over the first half of the year, taking even more jobs with them.

According to the Quinnipiac poll, a majority of respondents place blame on Democrats for the malaise surrounding the budget. They aren’t alone, either. Check out this recent editorial from the Norwich Bulletin.