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Community Corner

Hateful Tone of Politics Still Simmering

Some politicians see an improvement in civility, but others say political courtesy is lagging.

Talk about renewing civility in politics increased after the shootings in Tucson, Arizona last January gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six others.

But has political parlance become more polite?

"In my opinion the tone has gotten better in the last 10 years," said state Rep. Vincent Candeloraa Republican representing , North Branford and Wallingford in the 86th House District. "I think candidates are respectful and there is more integrity in the process. But I am concerned about anonymous postings which can be harsh and get very personal."

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One instance lawmakers highlight as being the epitome of manners was last October's special session on jobs.

"It is my hope that the civility and collaboration we experienced during the special jobs session will be the model for the 2012 legislative session," said state Rep. Laura Hoydick, a Republican representing Stratford in the 120th House District.

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"In my opinion, the debate that developed during the regular 2011 session was primarily due to proposed bills that would negatively affect the citizens of Connecticut such as captive audience, retroactively increasing the income tax, paid sick leave, and increasing the sales tax," Hoydick said. "Many legislators, Democrat and Republican, knew that these proposed bills would be detrimental to their business and residential constituents and resulted in passionate debate and opposition to their adoption."

State Sen. Bob Duff, a Democrat representing Norwalk and Darien in the 23rd Senate District, recently filed his papers for re-election and will host a pizza party fundraiser on Feb. 5 to kick-off his campaign.

"Unfortunately since last year I've not seen improvement and it may even have gotten worse," Duff said, referring to the tone on the national level.

Duff, who often visits local schools, said he does an exercise with students to teach them to separate opinions from the person.

"We've got to get away from the idea that if a person on the other side has a different view that doesn't make that other person bad," he said. "We argue the points, we don't attack the person."

Seeking a third term, state Sen. L. Scott Frantz, a Republican representing New Canaan, Greenwich and Stamford in the 36th Senate District, said he hopes the 2012 campaigns stay respectful.

"I'm a big believer in keeping everything civilized," he said. "When emotions take over everybody loses."

However, Frantz seems less sanguine regarding national politics. The state senator said he thinks President Barack Obama's strategy will be to divide and conquer and that "will bring things down."

Is Mitt the Right Fit?

On Friday, Jan. 20, Connecticut Republicans who pay $20 for a ballot can . Right now political analysts peg Mitt Romney as the likely winner, and he appears to have the support of several lawmakers. Still, while some in the GOP think Mitt's the "it" candidate, others are more guarded.

"Mitt Romney is a good fit for Connecticut, but I'm staying out of it," Candelora said. "The first campaign I worked on was Rick Santorum, we have the same alma mater. We met in 1994, he's a real stand-up individual.”

Education

Duff said he's optimistic this session will produce results when it comes to overhauling the state's schools. True, there's a yawning achievement gap and the , but Duff said both Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly are prepared to tackle the nitty gritty.

"I applaud the governor for taking on education as a major concern," state Rep. Larry Cafero, a Republican representing Norwalk in the 142nd House District, said.

That's in part because Connecticut was three times denied Race to the Top funding, he said. The state lost out twice under Rell and once under Malloy. To be competitive in the classroom, the state must get creative, he added.

"One thing I applaud President Barack Obama and Arnie Duncan for is they're looking for true reform," Cafero said. "The Federal government is saying education needs real reform. If this session is about true reform — whether tenure, linking teachers' pay to performance — we can make some history."

Bear Hunt in Sight?

According to the state Department of Environmental and Energy Protection (DEEP), reported bear sightings were 37 times more common last year than in 1995. Because of that there is discussion about having a bear hunt. It would be the first since 1840.

"It's all very preliminary, whether we'd have a controlled, organized hunt like deer hunts for bears," said State Rep. John Shaban, a Republican representing Easton, Weston, Redding in the 135th House District and who sits on the Environment Committee.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Connecticut Business Industry Association (CBIA) recently cited the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council's Small Business Survival index 2011, which ranked the state 44 out of 50 for being small business friendly. This is a drop from three places from 2010 when the state was No. 41.

The index attributed that ranking to high corporate income and corporate capital gains taxes, high property taxes, highest gas taxes in the U.S. and high state and local government spending and debt, many health insurance mandates, second highest electric utility costs in nation, and poor private property protections.

"With all due respect to CBIA, they represent mostly big business and although I agree with them, they endorsed the policies this governor put forth, including the hospital tax and the property tax credit decrease," Cafero said. "So I find it somewhat disingenuous for them to say that."

Duff said the state offers many things for small businesses, but finding those resources isn't always easy. Duff also said education and jobs are closely linked.

"In the big picture we need to graduate people who are ready for the workforce," Duff said.

Candelora said  went a long way but more is needed.

"I think it's not appreciated in the legislature how difficult it is to run a business in Connecticut. I hate to be cliché but we over regulate and over burden," he said. "I wish we could do a comprehensive review. But it's not a sexy issue and it's complicated." 

Hoydick said limitiing taxes and fees charged to do business in the state would help. She applauds the reduction of the business entity tax but said more work remains.

"Another way to improve the climate is to simplify how the state interacts with businesses," said the Stratford state rep. "Improving and expediting permitting, improving regulatory processes by defining and conforming to timelines, and making online portals available to businesses are the vein we should be continuing to not only explore but to implement."

If It Snows...

Motorists must heed An Act Concerning the Removal of Snow and Ice from Motor Vehicles, passed by the Connecticut General Assembly in June 2010. The act actually became effective Oct. 1 -- before the Halloween storm. It requires the owners of non-commercial vehicles to remove snow and ice from their vehicle before driving.

Violations will result in a $75 fine, and if dislodged snow or ice causes property damage the fine ranges from $200 to $1,000 per offense. Additionally, another section of the law requiring the removal of snow and ice from commercial vehicles goes into effect Dec. 31, 2013.

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