Commission on fiscal stability and economic growth

Republicans in the House and Senate put forward an amendment that could test where moderate Democrats stand on rolling back union power in Connecticut.

Leaders of Connecticut’s public sector unions took a decidedly harsh tone in their critique of the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth’s findings and recommendations, calling the panel of business executives “arrogant college freshmen who come home after a semester and think they have all the answers to the world's problems.”

Connecticut’s two largest pension funds for teachers and state employees received 16 percent returns over the course of one year thanks to a surging stock market, giving the state a much needed boost.

The Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth — composed of Connecticut CEOs and business owners — released their much-anticipated recommendations today at the Capitol, which included a combination of tax increases, tax cuts, tolls and a $15 minimum wage.

Last week Pelletier decided to lash out against the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth with an op-ed in the Hartford Business Journal and some quotes in a CT Mirror story. According to her, the commission “attacks working people” because it is daring to discuss Connecticut’s financial problems and — gasp! — look at charts and graphs.

Only sixty-five cents of every tax dollar actually goes toward funding Connecticut’s state government, the rest goes toward supporting the “legacy costs” of massive debt, pension and healthcare costs. That fact was pointed out by former Webster Bank CEO and co-chair of the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Growth, Jim Smith, during an extensive hearing on the various difficulties — both fiscal and economic — facing Connecticut.