Governor Jodi Rell spent the weekend in our nation’s capital for the centennial National Governor’s Association (NGA) Winter Meeting.  The conference gives Governors from across the nation the opportunity to meet each other, discuss key issues that transcend state lines, and get to go visit the White House.

Among the topics of discussion at the conference were transportation, long-term care, education, and green energy.  The “energy” topic seems to have generated a bit of buzz, as it may well happen that smiley faced Wal-Mart employees may be coming to investigate the “green” nature of the state capitol complex:

Under the “Greening the Capitols” partnership Wal-Mart will send experts to as many as 20 state capitol complexes throughout 2008 and 2009 with the goal of identifying energy efficiency improvements that will provide a return on investment within five years. In addition, the Wal-Mart team will demonstrate the anticipated cost savings and carbon dioxide reductions each state could experience by implementing the recommended improvements. The NGA Center for Best Practices will help identify states for participation and catalog the successes each state experiences.

Look for potential recommendations to include an obstreperous new sign in front of the LOB and cart racks in the parking garage.

Our Governor also got a little time with an ever-older looking ‘43′.  After a State Dinner Sunday night for the assembled Governors, they gathered again on Monday for some remarks from POTUS followed by a little Q & A.  One of the items for discussion was the recently released report, “The Quiet Revolution: The President’s Faith Based and Commuity Initiative: A Seven Year Progress Report”.  As Gov. Rell thumbs through to the Connecticut section, she probably won’t be surprised to learn that more than $234 million in federal grants have come to the Nutmeg State via the President’s Faith-based efforts, with more than $218 million going to secular nonprofits and $16.7 million going to faith-based organizations.  The report also indicates that “In 2006, 840,000 Connecticut volunteers dedicated 113.6 million hours of service, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service Volunteering in America 2007 report”.

The meeting ended yesterday, so look for the Governor to be back in CT today.

If you haven’t seen this yet, you should.  South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District is represented in Washington by Republican Bob Inglis.  And like most Congressmen, he has to spend time raising money for his re-election efforts - for the most part, it seems, without the whining of Connecticut Congressman Chris Murphy.  

Instead, Rep. Inglis seems to be having a grand time.  Go visit the Inglis for Congress website and take a look at this priceless gem of an advertisement.  Maybe if Chris Murphy showed a bit more spunk like this, he’d like his job better. 

Enjoy.

Democrats are already backing away from Gov. Rell and Republican attempts to end the oppressive corporate entity tax which soaks small businesses each year.

State Rep. Cameron Staples, D-New Haven, the co-chairman of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, ruminated today in the Hartford Courant that maybe some companies should continue pay the $250 nuisance tax which hits 118,000 businesses across the state each year and generates $35 million for the public coffers.

The tax hits the little businesses extremely hard - self employed plumbers, electricians, small LLC’s or literally anyone trying to make a living in the most over-taxed state in the nation. What is also absurd is the same assessment is made on big companies - like Aetna, United Technologies and Pjzier. It is an equal opportunity shake down of working people and those companies that keep most of us employed.

The history behind the tax is a classic tale of how the Democrats have been nickel and diming Connecticut into economic oblivion. It was set up as a “one-time” revenue stop gap with the pledge to sunset the law after a year - much like the equally oppressive real estate conveyance tax which still whacks home sellers at closing.

Democrats just can’t help themselves when it comes to revenue, even $35 million which should be left in the hands of small business owners. Soon, we will see more comments by liberals that there should be “fairness” and a “reevaluation” of who should pay and  maybe ”adjustments” so larger companies pay more simply for the right to do business.

What makes the tax different from say, professional licensing fees, is the corporate business tax provides no value to those who pay it. Professional licensing fees for lawyers, accountants and physicians, it can be argued, provides revenue to adminstering these professions by the various oversight boards.

The corporate business tax only serves to collect money for the bloated coffers of the state. The bill comes yearly from the Department of Revenue Services and a business doesn’t even get a certificate suitable for framing - denoting the shakedown.

The continued existence of the corporate business tax is a poster child for what the Democrats stand for - taxation simply for spite.

If you are reading this, it most likely means you aren’t driving.  Keep it that way.

If/when the weather clears up, folks in Eastern Connecticut should make your way to the Holiday Inn in Norwich for the Norwich Republican Town Committee’s Lincoln Day Dinner, in honor of Ed Seder and John Paul Mereen.  State Business Advocate and former 2nd CD Congressman Rob Simmons is the featured speaker.

As a matter of fact, it’s been a busy week for Rob Simmons.  He played a prominent role at the Manchester Economic Summit on Wednesday, which was covered by the Journal-Inquirer.

Remember when Governor Rell vetoed the bill to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants last June?  The bill is back.  Meet its sponsor, State Rep. Felipe Reinoso, a Democrat from Bridgeport.

More news from the files of “Things You Won’t read in the New York Times Today”, are some of the reports from President George W. Bush’s trip to Africa.  The ONE Campaign blog has a great article about some of the good news:

Some of it reflects the progress made partly because of things the president has done during his two terms. President Bush focused more attention on Africa than most expected when he took office and more than any other president in recent memory. His initiatives on HIV/AIDS, malaria and the creation of the Millennium Challenge Account will have a lasting impact on the continent, on the lives of individual Africans. One particular story focused on the progress made against malaria and what an amazing difference bed nets were making in reducing the incidence of the debilitating and sometimes deadly disease. Essentially the story showed that additional resources, targeted properly can transform lives.