Connecticut: The Most Beautifully Doomed State

Growing up I was taught two very important rules. First, do not live beyond your means. And, second, to find your niche, work hard, and build a life to be proud of. While these have both done well for me over the years, they are also the very reasons why Connecticut, and its residents, are doomed.

Early last week, proposals to our state’s budget were released which involved drastic cuts to town funding as well as raising taxes. And, as one would expect, the residents of our state were outraged. From people claiming our state is “taxed enough,” or voicing their fear of their town collapsing without certain funding, a large populous is clearly against these changes. And, sadly, although these changes are necessary for our little state to survive, they will not pass. The ignorant and emotional shall triumph once again and our little state will fall a bit further.

Problem #1: Ridiculous Number of Towns

Although Connecticut is divided into eight fairly-equally sized counties, Connecticut is a “home rule” state, which means each of our 169 cities, towns, and boroughs maintains their own government and fiscal structure. In other words, each of the 169 entities decides who will run their town and who will be taxed. At first glance the thought of keeping your hard-earned money within your own community may sound advantageous. However, what most fail to consider is how every town in our state — including those on the wealthy “Gold Coast” — rely on state-issued funding to survive. This means, each year, there are 169 different voices — consisting mainly of locally-elected inadequately educated pseudo-officials — sitting at the proverbial table demanding their piece of the pie. With this many separate entities to consider, the act of passing one all-encompassing budget seems more like a fairy tail than an achievable goal.

Problem #2: Mismanaged Towns Living Above Their Means

One of the topics creating outrage within our residents is the elimination of education funding for 85 of our towns. Countless residents have voiced their uneducated and emotional opinions, voicing their fear of children suffering in school. However, I submit this fear itself is proof of these towns clearly not being financially sustainable. Any town requiring $20M, $50M, or $200M in funding from the state to survive is clearly not capable of maintaining their current means of living. Either their self-elected local governments have wasted funds or they simply have not taken in enough funds (aka “taxes”) from their residents.

Problem #3: Inadequate & Inappropriate Taxes

Yes, I understand Connecticut is the 6th highest taxed state in the country. However, as a whole, our current tax structure is inadequate. Emotions aside, our projected $5B deficit (that’s “billion,” folks) proves this fact itself. We are clearly spending more than we are taking in. So, while we all pay taxes, none of us are not contributing enough to the running of our state. Feel free to blame your local government for not raising property taxes. Feel free to blame the state for wasting money. In the end, our state needs more money to function as it is currently structured.

So, is Connecticut really doomed?

Think a state failing is impossible? Think again. Several are already synonymous with failure and poverty. When is the last time you heard of someone flourishing in Louisiana or West Virginia? If our state were a company, with a $5B deficit, our doors would already be closed. Continuing to operate as we are today will seal our fate. Businesses will leave (which is already happening) and our people will flee. However, while we are still here, we do have a chance of surviving… if we change our mindsets.

Solution #1: State Funding for All Towns Stopped

Any town wanting to maintain their own government and resources must be able to do so without any dependency on the state or parent county. The quality of life demanded by each town’s citizens must be determined by their willingness and ability to contribute to the fiscal needs of the town.

Solution #2: Burden of Individual Assistance Moved to Town

This is really part of #1, but I’m adding it here to stress the significance of the separation of the state’s responsibilities. Incorporating a town is an elective decision by its people demanding to remain separate from the state. Much like a teenage child wanting their independence from mom and dad, should a town want to remain separate, with its own government, taxation, and resources, then it must be able to take care of its people completely. This includes assistance programs, like Welfare, SNAP, and WIC. Of course, for purposes of efficiency and regulating standards, the state will still administer these programs, however funding for these programs will be the sole responsibility of the town. By moving this burden to the town we force each local government to increase their awareness of those people needing assistance. The overall goal is to decrease the burden on the other 168 towns and encourage each local government to take steps which will directly improve the livelihood of its own residents.

Solution #3: New “Home Rule Tax” for Counties

Each county will collect a “Home Rule Tax” from their towns and pass a portion of the proceeds to the State. Most likely this tax will be based on the property values of the land, homes, and businesses within each town. This will help establish a chain of funding for both the county and state, in the event the city cannot maintain itself independently, while allowing the towns to maintain their independence.

Solution #4: New “Luxury Tax” for Individuals

From dining out at McDonald’s, to the purchase of bubble gum a the corner store, as well as all recreational events, all goods and services considered “non-essential” to the survival of a person shall be taxed (probably at a rate of 1%). The taxing of non-essential items, or recreational activities, ensures the taxation is more appropriately assessed based on what the individual is able to afford… or, should I say, what the individual is willing to waste using funds they have already determined to be “disposable.”

Solution #5: Dissolution of Municipal Corporations

The State shall immediately dissolve the municipal charter of any town unable to survive without the assistance of neighboring towns, the parent county, or the state. At this point the area will either become part of a neighboring town, and will therefore adopt the government and taxation of that town, or simply remain the responsibility of the county. In this scenario, the local government and offices within the town will also be dissolved. This will eventually weed out those towns whose people are unable to properly govern the area.

Our cost of living will and should increase!

So will you be able to afford living in Connecticut after these changes? Will I? Possibly. Possibly not. If we genuinely care about the survival of our state then either answer should be acceptable. What is important here are the benefits these changes provide. As a whole, they allow each town to maintain a quality of life its residents are satisfied with and can afford. Everything from education, to public services, and the individual wellbeing of its residents all become both visible to, and controllable by, the individual towns while removing the burden of managing 169 individual towns from the state. These changes allow our state leaders to focus on state-centric responsibilities rather than ensuring the desires of individual towns are met. In short, by balancing the load across the towns, we are balancing the overall operation of our state.

Connecticut is steeped with tradition, culture, and history. Our forefathers moved west, from Europe, to the northeastern United States in hope of a better life. Many remained in Connecticut, and the surrounding area, however many also continued moving. Those who continued moving believed Connecticut was not adequate for them. You or I might have to move along if the majority of people residing here want to build a state that we cannot afford to live in. Then again, we might just love the state enough to roll up our sleeves and work a bit harder to ensure we can afford it. Either way, none of us can expect to enjoy this state without adapting to its needs.