I ran out of time to blog at the end of this week, but there are certainly a variety of topics to talk about, and I wanted to take a moment to initiate discussion!
I'd love to hear your thoughts about Meriden Sen. Tom Gaffey. He's being investigated by the Elections Enforcement Commission for issues concerning his political action committee. Here's the story I wrote:
http://www.zwire.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=20242481&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592709&rfi=6
Also, any opinions about Speaker of the House Chris Donovan hiring former Speaker Jim Amann as his senior adviser? Amann starts Tuesday and will make $120,000.
And finally, what do you think about the deficit plan passed by the General Assembly this week? They made a dent in the deficit, but didn't get rid of all of it, and it is expected to grow. Did they do the right thing? Should they have added in the additional spending for health care for the janitors at the Capitol? Republicans certainly don't think so.
This week was packed with politics. Next up: Barack Obama's inauguration.
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7 comments:
It looks like Meriden wants to give Waterbury a run for its money... So far, Meriden definitely gets the 2009 Crown of Corruption.
Well, what do you do when you get caught? You say this is so nit-picky it's rediculous. It just keeps happening to the same person and that tells you something about their value system and ethical venue they perceive things from.
If I had a company as big as the state, I would know how to solve my problem or at least what steps to pursue, before I went bankrupt!
Amanda: I have read your Gaffney article. It is missing an important viewpoint, which underscores why many folks in your readership pool believe that the Record-Journal fails to provide unbiased political reporting. Although you accurately report on the facts, your illumination and analysis of those facts are unfortunately limited to the Senator’s paid mouthpiece, who provides nothing more than the standard mea culpa that we have grown accustom to from our elected leaders. This is not enough. The article needs the political professor, the former SEEC lawyer, or even a Republican operative, who can critically analyze the charges and the evident weakness of the Senator’s responses. The Senator may have knowingly and intentionally submitted duplicate expense reports for the same trips, and utilized PAC money for personal reasons. His excuses are weak and the article fails to challenge them.
You have asked that we think about the deficit plan passed by the General Assembly this week. Is there any way you can check whether new "pork" was inserted by the majority's leadership into this deficit reduction bill. If so, whose constituency was rewarded.
Hmm...where to begin. Let's start with the Gaffey article. One of the people commenting makes a valid point. For that story, most of the article relies on the senator and his lawyer. To the criticism, which I appreciate, I will say first that the case is pending in Elections Enforcement. As a result, they weren't talking. I will also add that I will continue to follow the matter, looking for potential follow up stories and in those stories, I hope you find the reporting you crave.
As for the deficit plan passed by the General Assembly, the only additional appropriation made in that bill was for the health care for Capitol custodians. I, however, can check things out further, and I will be continuing to keep a close eye on what is happening in Hartford. If you are interested in checking out the deficit bill passed last week yourself, visit www.cga.ct.gov/. The bill number is 5095.
I agree Amanda, you and your editors are all very kind to the democrats, especially Gaffey. This is the THIRD ethical "lapse" in three years. The common theme is he apologizes after he gets caught. I wish you were as tough on him as you are with others. Tom gives a black eye to a great city. Time for him to leave.
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