Wishing for the fairy-tale ending

Gov. Rell is not a happy camper.

Democratic leaders are opting not to take up her deficit mitigation plan during Friday's special session, and she feels that time is of the essence.

Instead, Democrats plan to address the state's $365.3 million deficit Jan. 14 -- after the General Assembly's new members take their oaths of office. Some Republicans, like House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, are happy that a specific date has been set for the deficit discussion, but Rell is frowning.

"If legislative leaders are determined not to act right away, they should at least wait until revenue estimates from the Jan. 15 tax collections are in," she said in a prepared statement. "My fear is that if the legislature acts on Jan. 14, they will be a day early and potentially millions of dollars short.”

But Jan. 2 -- only two weeks earlier -- is a fine time to deal with the deficit?

Let's say Democrats had decided to act Jan. 2, and they eliminated the deficit -- all of it. My guess is that they would be addressing another deficit of maybe a smaller amount before the end of the fiscal year.

Rell is likely right. Numbers do change and the most recent projections will help lawmakers make better decisions. However, does two weeks make a huge difference when we still have six more months left this fiscal year?

Should lawmakers wait until after the tax collections are in to act, or should they make decisions Jan. 14? Do you think they were wrong in deciding that they would not deal with the deficit Friday?

Just a little something to think about in these finals hours of 2008. Maybe if Connecticut residents wish really hard, when the clock strikes midnight, the deficit will be erased and the drama that comes with budget cuts can be avoided.

Happy New Year!