It’s a disheartening new day in Connecticut.

July 1st has come and our taxes have gone up. The state sales tax has risen to 6.35 percent and many items we used to pay zero tax on have had their exemptions taken away -- clothing and shoes that cost less than $50 and non-prescription medications to name a few. But, as harmful as these tax hikes are, the recent power grab granted to Governor Malloy by the legislature’s majority is far worse.

Late at night on June 30th -- the deadline for a balanced state budget -- the majority Democratic Party voted to give almost unlimited power to the Governor to make revisions to an under-funded and unbalanced budget that passed without a single Republican vote. That failed budget hinged on state workers giving back $1.6 billion in concessions which weren't obtained.

I said at the time that the legislature needed a backup plan, and to prepare a comprehensive budget that all parties could agree to.  Instead, July 1st came with the highest tax increase in state history and the promise of even more pain as the Governor now decides which state offices and programs stay open and which employees keep their job.

The elected members of the state legislature are responsible for finalizing and approving a state budget.  By ceding this authority to the Governor this legislature has abdicated their authority -- and with it the will of the people who elected us -- and its ability to make the proper decisions to move our state out of the massive hole we find ourselves in and towards fiscal prosperity. Our government was firmly established with three co-equal branches to make sure no single group or individual had more power or influence over the people. We must avoid making the mistakes our Founding Fathers warned us about.

Instead of taking the easy way out and allowing the Governor to pick “winners and losers,” the state legislature needs to go back to doing their jobs, return to session and work out the problems we were elected to fix. If we have to sit down and go through the budget, line-by-line, then we should do just that.

Months ago, an alternative budget was presented by the Republican minority that balanced the budget, didn’t increase taxes and preserved essential state and town services. Instead of using those ideas -- or even using them as a springboard for discussion -- the Governor and the Democrat majority party went on their own and passed an impossible budget that relied on empty promises and failed concessions.

The question we need to answer going forward is how to get back to fiscal responsibility?
I believe we must cut out-of-control spending, eliminate overlapping state agencies, reduce overhead, become more business-friendly, sell off unused or underutilized state assets and reduce redundancies in the state workforce. We all must work together for the common good of Connecticut, regardless of personal party or politics. Good ideas matter more than Democrat or Republican ideas.

As always, my door is open and I’m here for you if you have questions or concerns, need help tracking particular legislation or want to share your opinion.  If I can be of service please do not hesitate to contact me at 1-800-842-1423 or dave.yaccarino@housegop.ct.gov

Republican State Representative David Yaccarino represents the 87th district covering North Haven.