Hard, painful decisions will have to be made if we're to creep out from under an 8-billion dollar deficit the state is facing over the next two years. That's what Governor Rell has been saying for months.
As part of her budget proposals, Rell is calling for the elimination of the $1.4 million subsidy the state gives Hartford Hospital to run the Life Star program, just one of many difficult decisions that have to be made, she says.
Democrats have taken very little time to criticize the governor's Life Star decision. In Norwich Tuesday, Democratic legislative leaders said they agree budget cuts will have to be made. But they say those cuts cannot be reckless ones that could jeopardize citizens' health and safety.
In Bristol today, Rell said she's the only one making the hard choices and that Democrats have refused to face the reality of the state's budget crisis. She said she's calling on legislative leaders to get back to the table with her budget advisers and agree on a two-year budget by June 30th. If agreement is not reached by that date, she says, drastic measures, including the reduction or elimination of state services and programs, will have to be taken.
