The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) today responded to Governor M. Jodi Rell's second budget attempt, saying it falls far short of what Connecticut needs to get back on the path to economic recovery.

"Slashing services that people need more than ever is not the answer," said Dan Livingston, SEBAC's chief negotiator. "Taking more money out of the economy is not the answer. If the Governor truly wants to use this crisis to make lasting change, she should address Connecticut's revenue system that protects the wealthy and big corporations and penalizes middle-class families and our state's most vulnerable citizens."

According to Nobel Prize winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz, "tax increases on higher-income families are the least damaging mechanism for closing state fiscal deficits in the short run. Reductions in government spending on goods and services, or reductions in transfer payments to lower-income families, are likely to be more damaging to the economy in the short run than tax increases focused on higher-income families.”

And Governor Rell herself points out that in neighboring states the income tax rate on the wealthiest is nearly double Connecticut's. It is time to ask those most able to pay to step up and be part of the solution, just as state public service workers have done.

"After contributing more than $700 million to help our state get through this fiscal crisis, our workers know this is now about the broader economy and about doing everything that we can not to endanger more jobs," said Livingston. "President Obama understands the connection between public spending and private jobs, and is clear that government must not take more money out of the economy in a time of crisis. Connecticut needs to follow his lead."

SEBAC community allies also responded to the Governor’s latest budget plan.

"People inherently understand that if we cut services now, when people are in desperate need of assistance, we will undermine our chances for economic recovery – and ruin people's lives in the process," said Jane McNichol from the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut. "Our legal aid organizations are on the front line every day, helping people meet their basic needs and working to build stronger communities for the future. Connecticut needs a tax structure that doesn’t place the burden of the economic crisis on the backs of those who are already struggling. And we can no longer afford tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthy at the expense of desperately needed services."

To learn more about the coalition's campaign for a fair budget and a livable state with great public services visit www.InThisTogetherCT.org.