Happy New Year!  Everyone wants to put 2008 behind us. But it appears new Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, and President Pro Tempore Don Williams, D-Brooklyn, want to skip 2009 entirely and hope Gov. Rell does all their work for them.

On the last day of the year, the Democratic Congressional delegation gathered with Gov. Rell to announce they would work as a team to garner any available funding from Washington via public works programs and additional Medicaid funding.

Yes, there will be debates on how this $775 billion program will be funded and to what end the projects will be assigned, but Gov. Rell showed why people respect the job she is doing. She asked for their support, invited the Democratic Senators and Congressmen to the Governor’s Residence and held a press conference.  Rell continued to put out the word that any and all public works projects need to be submitted to her office for submission to the new Obama Administration. Both Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman and the five Congressmen gathered to offer support in a spirit of the times.

But Donovan and Williams? Missing in action as usual and obsficating when they are not doing anything. Democrats did agree to have a budget mitigation vote on January 14th to cut the $350 million 2008 deficit. But on January 15th, new tax revenue numbers will directly affect the bottom line. Now are these two just being too cute by one day? Of course they know the numbers come out on January 15th. But again, in the Democrat world, anytime you can gain leverage against the Governor, take it.

If the numbers are worse, and any deficit votes come up short, then the Legislature will have to address it again. That means more negotiations and games and deals.

Let us hope the new year brings a fresh awareness of what dangers face this state and why it is imperative to cut out the games and get to work.