Governor M. Jodi Rell took to the airwaves last night to speak directly to Connecticut residents about her soon-to-be-unveiled 2009 budget.  In the brief address, Gov. Rell prepped the political battlefield for what lays ahead – perhaps the toughest budget fight since Gov. Lowell Weicker and the implementation of the income tax.

Speaking for just five minutes, the Governor indicated that “painful” budget cuts are ahead, and that her budget proposals will seek to dramatically reform state government, making it more efficient, smaller, and less expensive.  She called out the groups already organizing to resist the spending reductions and warned against raising taxes in a lousy economy.

Immediately after the Governor was done, an array of Democrats – Sen. Martin Looney, Sen. Don Williams, and others – took to the airwaves to counter Gov. Rell’s message.  Both men expressed grave concern about reduced spending, though they acknowledged that there would have to be some cuts.

In the back and forth of the debate, the two sides fleshed out what has become the greatest division between them.  While Governor Rell and the Republicans see the budget fiasco as an opportunity to fundamentally reform state government, Democrats see it as a chance to finance all of the pet projects of the future. 

It is a brazen man that will declare state government to be free from waste – like purchasing things that aren’t needed, continuing to employ people who serve little purpose, and corruption.  Most of the time, this waste occurs not through malice or wrong-doing,but rather because inefficiencies aren’t exposed and eliminated by the natural forces of the market.  The Governor and her allies in the Legislature clearly see the budget crisis as a case where common sense and practicality demand efficiency, effectiveness, and streamlining.

The Democrats, on the other hand, have already put their cards on the table.  They seek a massive tax hike now – when times are tough – so that when things turn around again, the trough will be full for a whole new round of spending.  There continues to be no discussion about how to sustain these taxation levels when economic growth is stagnant and 18-35 year olds leave Connecticut at the fastest rate in the nation.

Tomorrow all eyes will be on the Governor as she lays out her budget plan for a joint session of the Legislature.