Military Honors

The expense for the “Constitution” State to bestow military honors at the funeral of a Veteran who put their life on line to defend the Constitution costs the states estimated 1.5 millions taxpayers a paltry $0.31 each. To deny this honor to Veterans over $0.31 you would have to be a scrooge, anti- Constitution and/or anti-veteran. You can decide which label fits Gov. Malloy since it is his proposal. Keep in mind since the pre-election “surplus” CT has developed a budget deficit so he now needs to cut costs. How about cutting out the so called State Grants instead? There is no such thing as a State Grant since the state only has the money it takes from taxpayers these are actually Taxpayer Grants and should be called such. From June 1 2013 to June 30 2014 Taxpayer grants to the the following four cities, Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury and Bridgeport totaled $1,174,730,957.50 costing the CT taxpayers $783.00 each. Why? Well what is a grant? To my mind it is a slush fund used by elected public officials to reward voters in areas for their support by using taxpayer money to pay for things that would not be approved by the majority of the states voters. This needs to stop. It is a warning sign of the end of a great civilization when it's citizens vote themselves the earnings of other citizens. If something is not brought before the voters to approve, they should not be taxed on it. The government should not be allowed to tax citizens just to have money to reward voters. By doing away with the Taxpayer grants to these 4 cities we could potentially have a balanced budget in 2 years and possibly a true reduction in taxes.

Brain dead elected public servants

Our elected public servants now want to hold law biding citizens who are the victim of a crime responsible for what is done with their stolen property. Specifically firearms. However based on that if money is stolen from you and used to buy drugs you are responsible. If your vehicle is stolen because you didn't secure it in a locked garage you are responsible for any accidents or crimes committed with it. Failure to secure your prescription drugs you are responsible for any deaths or crimes because your kid took them. You didn't lock up your knives forks and spoons you are responsible for anything someone does with them. You don't secure your computer someone watches porn and sexually assaults someone you are responsible. Have these elected public servants ever heard the phrase "personal responsibility?" You have committed a crime breaking into a home or business and stealing someones property why should the owner be responsible? What happens to the actual criminal. Oh I know they get accelarated rehab or short or suspended sentence so they can continue voting democratic/socialist early and often.

Part time public servants

I have a question. Why does the legislature state and federal have to meet every year? Don't we have enough laws? How many more new crimes appear every year? Or are they just slowly doing away with our Freedom?

I think being an elected public servant state or federal should be a part time job with no benefits for 5 months every 2 years. I also feel that half that time should be spent removing laws that serve no purpose except to reduce the freedom of Americans.

We have a president and governors along with more bureaucracy then we need and they can handle the 19 months without the legislature.

What it appears to me is that elected public servants are nothing more then egos in clothing and they are addicted to the power of making laws. They also addicted to be in the spotlight continually. Hence meeting yearly to feed both these addictions. We the public through our apathy and blind belief these egos in clothing have our best interests at heart and are not just taking care of themselves their families friends and most important their business partners have created a monster and the only thing we can do is vote it out. We must vote out every incumbent put in term limits remove all benefits and have them meet only for 5 months every 2 years.

No tolls in CT

The elected public servants are again talking about tolls and one article on WTNH they say CT is approved for a federal pilot program on an electronic toll system. I say No!

It is expensive to drive a vehicle, you have to pay for a license, registration, insurance is required by the state and taxed. You pay tax when you purchase the vehicle and a yearly tax on top of that not to mention one of the highest gas taxes in the country and a federal gas tax and on top of that sales tax. Don't forget emissions testing and all the repairs and parts we are taxed on. If they took all that money generated by those taxes and fees and used it strictly for the roads the roads could be heated in the winter no salt or sand needed, but no the elected public servants dump all that money into the general fund and say they have no money for road care. Yet they have money for a busway to nowhere. Well how about this idea, lets stop subsidizing mass transportation. Why should vehicle owners not only have to pay all those outrageous taxes and fees and then have higher income taxes and sales tax to subsidize mass transit? The people using it should pay for it 100%.

Vote as Veterans

U.S. Veterans have been defending the Constitution since it was written, we have successfully defended it on countless battlefields across the globe. While we have been successful against foreign enemies we are close to losing to domestic adversaries. They trained us in the weapons of war but neglected to train us in the most important weapon to protect the Constitution and that is the voting booth. Politicains have no qualms about putting veterans at risk. They have quite a few qualms in giving Veterans the medical benefits they have earned. Elected Public servants (politicians) make sure they have they best benefits in the world from an “temporary” position. Illegals and welfare recipients can go to any hospital. Veterans can't. Both parties are more interested in maintaining the status quo and their cushy jobs so one hand washes the other and they both stay dirty. It's time for us to learn that “new weapon” the Voting booth. There are 21.8 million veterans if we all cover each others back as we learned to do in Basic and each get one other person to vote with us, we vote as a block for Veteran candidates/supporters we can take back America. We will equal both parties. It's time we start voting not as Black, White, Hispanic, Republican or Democrat but as Veterans. Pay attention to who is running, are they a Vet, are they honest, if they are incumbents do they support Vets and the Constitution? The only reason we have lost benefits and have to beg for help is we have forgotten to stand together as Veterans and vote as such with friends and family members who support us. We need to defend the Constitution in the voting booth the same way generations of us have on the battlefield.

No Tax increase

Local and state elected public servants are gathering in various caucuses and groups to discuss how high taxes should be raised and how to get the increase past the taxpayers. My question is WHY should they be raised? Many private sector employees didn't get raises last year or small ones if that even if they received a decent raise, why should the government reduce the standard of living for taxpayers? Taxpayers have had to cut their spending just to survive, why should the government not have to do the same. Let's look at this idea to cut spending, if the expenditure does not benefit or is not used by 25% of the taxpayers in the town, city or state where it is being spent the other 75% should not be taxed to pay for it. Grants should also be done away with. There is no such thing as a Government Grant, the government does not make money it takes it from taxpayers therefore these are Taxpayer Grants. I would like to know how many billions of taxpayer dollars are given away in CT annually and then figure out how much more money we taxpayers would keep in our pockets without grants. What are they used for really? To influence voters. Also all negotiations for all contracts with the state whether union, schools, universities,hiring of outside contractors, purchasing of supplies and equipment must be open to the public and media. No closed doors we the taxpayers are having the money taken out of our pockets and we need to insure we are getting our monies worth.

Help for Vets

Being a Nam era Vet who was fortunate not to have been in combat I couldn't help but notice the number of charities out there to assist veterans physically wounded or scarred mentally from what they've been through. On one hand this is a good thing these men and women need assistance to get on with their lives the best they can. On the other hand it is disgusting that charities are needed to support these brave veterans who have paid a price beyond what should be asked of any human. The US Government should be taking care of this! When we give billions perhaps trillions to illegals in our country, when we double or triple that amount in foreign aid to countries that spit on our flag yet we make our Veterans beg for help something is very wrong in our government. When the federal elected public servants from the president down to senators and congressmen their appointees and staff receive the best medical care in the world on the taxpayers dollar and the veterans who have given so much to fulfill the Oath they took to defend the U.S. Constitution have to beg for medical care or be assisted by charities it is time things change. One change should be, any wounded veteran should not have to worry about paperwork or ever paying for treatment of their injuries physical or mental. Another is that Walter Reed be closed to elected public servants. For medical service they must go to the VA medical center in their home state in their electoral district. If they don't want this they can pay for private medical care out of their own pocket. It is time those that fulfilled their oath to defend the U.S. Constitution be treated as the heroes they are.