The Constitution State: <br>Is Malloy Preparing <br>To Break His Tax Pledge?

With its revenue expected to fall more than a billion dollars short of likely spending in the next budget year, state government’s most urgent objective would seem to be simply to make things balance. But on Wednesday in his “state of the state” address to the new session of the General Assembly, Governor Malloy seemed intent to change the subject if not to deny reality entirely.State government, Mr. Malloy said, had made the “tough decisions” in his first term — that is, had raised taxes by a record amount. But raising taxes is always the easy decision. The tough decision is to prioritize spending and choose against politically influential special interests, like those that dominate the governor’s party.That never happens, and taxes are always raised in the name of solving problems that are never solved. But implying not only that problems have been solved but also that state government’s finances will take care of themselves, Mr. Malloy devoted most of his legislative address to improving Connecticut’s transportation system.While Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway through Fairfield County are too crowded and the commuter railroad system from New Haven to New York is terribly antiquated, on Wednesday the governor seemed eager to avoid the most urgent issue, the budget.Or was he cleverly preparing the path for his escape from the pledge of his recent re-election campaign not to raise taxes again? For on Wednesday he told the legislature that he would not countenance new taxes for transportation purposes — and presumably not countenance highway tolls as well — unless their receipts were guaranteed to be used only for transportation purposes, unless the receipts could be put in a “lockbox.”Indeed, in the old shell game of state budgeting, transportation tax revenue often has been diverted to other purposes. But could a transportation “lockbox” somehow become still another shell facilitating another tax increase and the release of other transportation-related revenue to general purposes, thereby helping to cover the impending deficit? Of course improving transportation would be nice but nothing can happen before state government’s ordinary accounts are put in balance, and that won’t be done painlessly. Just what does the governor intend about that?In her interminable invocation for Wednesday’s inaugural ceremony, an invocation that seemed to run longer than the governor’s own inaugural remarks, Rabbi Debbie Cantor remarked, “All of us have secrets, don’t we?” Well-kept as it was during his re-election campaign, the governor’s billion-dollar secret about closing the deficit will come out in a month when he must submit his next budget proposal, and no traffic jam on I-95 will provide excuses.* * *Connecticut’s new victim advocate, Natasha Pierre, has joined the ranks of those who want mere accusations of domestic violence to be treated as convictions. The idea is to have courts issuing temporary restraining orders in domestic violence cases also require the accused to surrender any weapons, a punishment before trial or hearing. At present weapons confiscation is authorized only after a hearing has been held and a permanent restraining order issued.Yes, women are most in danger from deranged husbands and boyfriends immediately upon their separation. But building weapons confiscation into temporary restraining orders will do little to increase anyone’s safety. For a husband or boyfriend who is deranged enough to kill will have little trouble hiding his guns and no more trouble obtaining another one than the typical drug dealer has.The only serious protections the government can give abused women that are consistent with due process of law are police surveillance and speedy prosecution and imprisonment of abusers. But that would cost money. So Connecticut is to sacrifice due process, a mere constitutional right, and righteously pretend that abused women are safer.Mr. Powell is managing editor of the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Connecticut.

The Constitution State: <br>Is Malloy Preparing <br>To Break His Tax Pledge?

The Constitution State: <br>Is Malloy Preparing <br>To Break His Tax Pledge?

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