Happy Thanksgiving

By DAN MALLOY

While we are all feeling the pressures of difficult economic times in Connecticut and the rest of the country, Thanksgiving is a time to reconnect with friends and family and pause to reflect on how blessed we truly are.  I am grateful that our nation has heeded the call for change and elected a president who brings hope and the promise of a new day in America.  It will take some hard work, but as long as we all continue to work together, the possibilities are endless.  I am looking forward to continuing to work with you to bring a new day to the State of Connecticut. 

Wishing you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Holiday, from my family to yours. 

 

There are Worse Things

By MICHAEL K. NORRIS

About 14 years ago, when I was a freshman at Franklin Pierce University, I pretended to be homeless in Keene, New Hampshire for about thirty hours, hoping to use the experience to write a paper for one of my sociology classes. A few hours after my roommate had dropped me off, I – dressed in what I felt was the right kind of attire -  located a soup kitchen, was given a serving of pasta, and sat down with dozens of strangers at very long tables to eat. And, like millions of Americans do every single day, I left food on my plate. I just couldn’t finish my meal because I was full.

Then I looked around, and felt a sense of guilt I never experienced before or since. Everyone had cleaned their plates. The recently laid-off construction worker and the others sitting around me didn’t have a huge lunch at a big mess hall six hours earlier. They weren’t faking hunger like I was, they were actually hungry. I felt terrible (and still do) but I know there are worse things than pretending to be hungry.

The State of Connecticut, to say nothing of the whole country, has a lot of problems that can’t be solved easily or cheaply. One of them is making sure everyone can buy affordable, nutritious food to feed their families and not think twice about how they can pay for it. Considering the rise in unemployment, foreclosures and other economic pressures, the number of people who can’t afford food is higher than it used to be.

Now, that problem isn’t as complicated when you call The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County, like I did this morning. The nice woman who answered the phone at 461 Glenbrook Road told me they were accepting turkeys and other food donations today. This is worth rephrasing: a turkey you buy today at a grocery store will be on the table of a grateful family on Thursday.

Buying some food today and bringing it across town is a simple thing to do, and I hope everyone can do it before we all sit down for a Thanksgiving meal many of us will not be able to finish.   

Our First Priority

By DAN MALLOY

Earlier this week, in a speech to the Connecticut Association of Non-Profits Annual Conference, I called on Governor Rell and the Connecticut Legislature to ensure Connecticut’s human services “safety net” is intact, properly funded and prepared to deal with the growing demand for services during these difficult economic times.  The State should refrain from making any decisions on budget cuts or tax increases until it is assured that Connecticut’s nonprofit providers and the state agencies responsible for ensuring the availability and quality of care are properly funded and able to fulfill their tasks.

Now more than ever, Connecticut’s elected officials must make strengthening and preserving our state’s human services safety net their first order of business and their highest priority as they grapple with the growing fiscal crisis.  As Connecticut’s state government confronts the projected $6 billion short-fall in its budget over the next two years, there is no priority as important as ensuring that we fulfill our fundamental obligation to those who depend on our assistance as they confront the challenges of mental illness, development and physical disabilities, addictions or other problems that threaten their quality of life.  Simply put, to fail in that task means we fail as a caring and just society.

With strong leadership we can make it through these difficult times.  Although the road ahead will not be easy, we must require every government agency, program and service to be more efficient and effective and, most importantly, we must set clear priorities.  At the top of that list is making sure that those in our community who face the most difficult health and social challenges get the essential services they need.

Face the State 11/16/08

By DAN MALLOY

Here is a video clip of my Face the State interview from this past Sunday:

Economic Meltdown

By COLIN WILSON-MURPHY

Over the last five months, as the global financial crisis has gained exponential strength, the US government has continued to take ever increasing steps into the free market arena to sooth the pain of private markets.

As Americans witness a dramatic increase in market volatility (the equity volatility index, “VIX”, is up almost 200% year to date and closed at 67 on 10.28.08), or market uncertainty, US government relief has come in the form of significant ad hoc support. For example, there is no better (or bigger) example of US ad hoc government assistance than the liquidity bail-out of AIG in September, 2008. In addition, the most recent widespread government guarantees of bank liabilities opened the door for direct government investments in US banks. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson recently said, “government owning a stake in any private US company is objectionable to most Americans — me included. Yet the alternative of leaving businesses and consumers without access to financing is totally unacceptable.”

It looks like we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. There do not seem to be any easy answers, however, I do know that with the largest government intervention in the US financial system since the Great Depression, the federal government is entering unchartered waters. Regardless of one’s personal ideological views surrounding “government intervention,” one must realize the importance of maintaining the fair and orderly functioning of the markets – and the US can not successfully complete such a mission alone.

Although there may be little to be celebrated in our current financial crisis, it gives me comfort to see the coordinated efforts by Central Banks (the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, and the Swiss National Bank) to infuse liquidity into the global marketplace. There is no question that in order to stabilize the markets, it is going to take a global effort with solid action by multinational entities such as the IMF.

Veteran’s Day Message

By DAN MALLOY

On this Veteran’s Day, we pause to honor the men and women who made enormous sacrifices for our country and to pay tribute to the brave men and women who tirelessly and selflessly serve overseas.  We pray for their well being as they give of themselves on behalf of their families and friends at home.  Today is the day we honor each of you, America’s veterans and military professionals, who served and continue to serve so honorably.  

May you have a meaningful Veterans Day and may we all look forward to greeting our sons and daughters as they each arrive home, safe and sound.

We Must Take Action as the Economic Crisis Hits Home

By DAN MALLOY

There is a lot of talk about “Main Street” these days in the context of the current financial disaster.  And while there is disagreement on what to do next, there seems to be near consensus on one point — the impact of this monumental financial crisis will settle most deeply in the cities and towns we call home.  The economic crisis we face might have started on Wall Street, but the front lines of this battle to regain our financial footing will eventually be fought in the cities and towns throughout Connecticut and the nation. 

America’s states, cities and towns are facing an expanding fiscal crisis that is a direct result of the economic problems cascading across the country.  Growing deficits at the state and local levels threaten the delivery of essential services and the quality of life for hundreds of millions of Americans.  What we could face on the Main Streets of Connecticut goes well beyond businesses being able to borrow – there is the real potential for an economic tsunami that hits the core underpinnings of supply and demand, and that means job losses, business failures and unstable markets across industries.

While reinvigorating our financial markets is key to the long term economic renewal of our economy, maintaining the most vital public services is the key to making sure that our communities are healthy and safe places for people to live, prosper and raise a family.

Our solutions have to be aggressive, inclusive and comprehensive.  We must move quickly, holistically and decisively with a clear plan to help municipalities throughout Connecticut and the rest of the nation cope with this historic financial crisis.  Call it the Main Street Initiative, and give it real tools to help fend off an impending economic disaster that could fundamentally damage our communities. 

We must shore up our local economies by supporting small businesses, we have to create jobs by investing in local infrastructure, and we must take aggressive budget action at the state level with help from the federal government to protect local education funding and other aid to municipalities so that property taxes don’t once again go up and vital services go down.

There is talk in Washington, D.C. right now of a new rescue package focused on helping states suffering from significant budget shortfalls, and that has to include Connecticut.  The Main Street Initiative could easily be funded in part by the existing federal bailout package, and this new rescue package targeted toward states.  A comprehensive Main Street initiative should include nine core ideas:

Convene the Municipal Leaders Forum:  Every Main Street has a mayor, and as a mayor who talks with leaders of cities and towns throughout Connecticut on a daily basis, I know that they are struggling to navigate their way through this crisis.  I believe there is strength in numbers and in the different ideas we could bring to one table.  I am calling for the Governor and Legislative leaders to convene such a conference on an urgent basis with the goal of producing a Main Street Initiative Playbook that municipal leaders can use at their discretion back home.  It is my hope that such a forum would include labor, business groups, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, various municipal leaders, and others. 

Make Small Business Direct Loans:  At least part of the current federal bailout package (1% or $7 billion) should be designated as economic disaster loans in the form of 100% bank guarantees and direct loans through the Small Business Administration.

Channel Bank Loan Flow to Small Business:  Federal bailout provisions should be adapted so that at least 10% of funds advanced to banks flows directly to the 23 million Main Street small business owners.

Fund Development Centers: High unemployment means a lot of people will soon become self-employed. Let’s help them succeed. Increase funding for the federal Small Business Development Centers and the micro-loan program, which has been zeroed out over the past eight years.

Pursue Small Business Green Initiatives:  Small companies should be getting more help and incentives to adopt energy-efficient equipment, vehicles, and utilities, which should be driven by the state in partnership with federal agencies and funded by a portion of the federal rescue packages.

Invest in Local Infrastructure:  Use a portion of the federal rescue package to invest in local infrastructure projects where small business contractors can build the support that our communities will need to flourish in the future, and create jobs in the process.  Use the state’s convening powers to coordinate and target projects. 

Seek Federal Assistance for State Budget Crisis:  Connecticut State government simply can’t balance its budget on the backs of our local communities by cutting education and other municipal aid, and thus forcing property tax increases — the Governor has to get aggressive about seeking federal assistance to stop our current budget hemorrhaging.  Another federal package is in play, other states have already started, and we can’t afford to wait. 

Protect Families: Senator Chris Dodd has been a steady leader of historic proportions throughout this crisis, and most recently proposed a package to protect individuals and families that makes a lot of sense, including in part:  a home foreclosure moratorium to facilitate the restructuring of loans; legislation to stop the kind of aggressive predatory lending practices that in part got us into this mess in the first place; average American homeowners should be able to seek the protection of bankruptcy court to save their homes.

Develop the Connecticut Main Street Strategy for the 21^st Century:  The Governor recently generated press coverage for focusing state resources on supporting small businesses, some of which has been criticized as dressing up existing resources to score a few sound-bites during a crisis.  Regardless of the motivation, we absolutely should be touting what is already available to small businesses, and we should have been doing it long before this crisis hit us.  That speaks to vision, strategy and leadership.  This is yet another example of leadership by press release.  Instead, the State of Connecticut needs a thoughtful, comprehensive Main Street Strategy for the 21^st Century that bolsters existing industries while aggressively developing new ones, is focused on generating long-term jobs, and identifies and pursues existing and new resources at all levels of government to achieve those objectives.  The best way to weather a crisis is by planning for it, not reacting to it.

If we had leadership here at home that sees a larger picture, can work with and marshal the resources of federal, state and local governments, and define and implement a clear pathway forward, together we would be able to navigate this historic economic crisis, and emerge much stronger for our efforts.

Read my Op-Ed on this topic here.

Some Thoughts on the Election

By MICHAEL K. NORRIS

I got to stand in a crowded room last night and watch Dan Malloy announce that Chris Shays had just conceded to Jim Himes. That felt good. Jim will make a great Congressman. 

I also watched an overwhelming majority of voters defeat the divisive question on the ballot and shout “NO!” to a Constitutional convention. I watched our state representatives get reelected, and Democrats win the school board. I even watched former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen win a Senate seat (a seat I saw her lose six years ago when I lived up there).     

It was a great election, and not just for the obvious reasons. In the race for the presidency, we had a Democrat who talked about the value of tax cuts running against a Republican who talked about the value of combating global warming. Considering who is occupying the Oval Office as I write this, the mind reels.

Today, I de-decorated my car, and will go out later to buy a plastic tub so I can store some campaign signs for use in the next election (there are red and green tubs for storing Christmas decorations, there ought to be red, white, and blue ones to store election season stuff). It seemed like just yesterday I put these signs up; I can’t believe how fast everything moved:

On Monday, Republicans were the opposition.  Yesterday they were the margin of victory (a shout-out to my conservative uncle in Ohio!  Today, as with every tomorrow, they are our neighbors. And they have voices every bit as helpful and important as ours as we all address a list of challenges that is not getting any shorter.

Thank you for voting.

A Historic Moment

By DAN MALLOY

History is at our doorstep at a defining and difficult time in our nation’s history.  The question is how we answer the call on Election Day.

I’m confident that we can get through these trying times by acting with courage and conviction, supporting the vision and leadership to navigate through these problems.  If we do, we will emerge stronger and better for our efforts.  I believe that a Barack Obama presidency, with Joe Biden at his side, working with a like-minded Congress, will provide the opportunity for fundamental change and substantive improvement in the lives of all Americans.


The urgency of the issues we face as a state and as a nation is one of the many reasons that I am also so committed to helping Jim Himes in his bid to unseat his opponent in the Fourth Congressional District, in what has developed into one of the most closely watched races in the country.  If you have not already done so, I urge you to go towww.himesforcongress.com and lend your support to Jim in the final hours of this epic fight to change the direction of our country.

There’s one more fight we need to wage together on Election Day, and that’s voting NO on ballot question #1, which asks whether Connecticut should hold a constitutional convention.  The evangelical right wing is pouring significant resources into convincing us to vote yes.  Why?  Because opening up the state constitution to changes would give the right wing the chance to limit a woman’s right to choose and impose bans that discriminate against same sex families.  It’s past time to just say NO to that old agenda of hate. 

Historical crossroads.  Transformative leadership.  We are in it right now.  As Barack Obama says, this is our time and our moment.  I urge you to join me in doing anything you can to ensure victories for Barack Obama and Jim Himes on Tuesday, and shooting down the divisive Question #1.  Please sign up to volunteer at your local headquarters, make calls this weekend and get out the vote on Election Day.  Let’s get to work to make it happen and get our nation back on track again.