May 2015 archive

May 11, 2015

Legislative Office Building
Room 1E
300 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106

2016-2017 Connecticut State Budget Proposals

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Serge Mihaly and I am a Connecticut resident and have been all my life. Currently, I reside in Wallingford, CT.

Before I continue I want to say I love Connecticut. It is filled with great people who work hard and care about each other. I firmly believe the State of Connecticut can have a great future, but we must work together to make this happen.

I am appearing here today to submit my testimony as a citizen of this state as I am very concerned about where this State is headed and have been for quite a while now. Recently, the Governor submitted a preliminary budget for the calendar years 2016 and 2017. In it is proposed a long list of new taxes. Taxes, I and many others believe, will not only negatively impact our state, but can also cripple her. To me, these taxes are a sign that our government, if it has not already failed, is failing.

Our last budget included one of the largest Connecticut tax increases in our State’s history. Despite this our family, friends and neighbors are still suffering. This applies to all groups and all economic classes, not just the middle class. Many have moved out of the state and many others want to.

A 2015 Gallup poll showed that last year Connecticut dropped below every other state in the nation in job creation, yet this government continues on the same path. This unacceptable and must stop.

My father once told me that problems have two parts, the cause and the symptom. Address the symptom and you still have the problem. Address the cause and you will solve the problem. My father was a very wise man. The proposed taxes, Ladies and Gentlemen, are only a symptom to a much larger problem. I submit to you that our problem is not the budget. It is the size and scope of our State government. Eliminating this list of taxes will not eliminate our problem.

I have read both your line by line Budget and the ‘Road to Prosperity.’ There are many good ideas there. Many I hope will be implemented. For me, though, this is only a first step. This party and government must go further. In a day and age where computer chips get smaller, more efficient and less expensive internal combustion engines go from gas guzzling 8 cylinders to more efficient and powerful 4 and 6 cylinders, it is difficult to believe our government cannot do the same. The time for this is long overdue.

In closing, there are many good people around this country who are facing the same problems we face today. I believe we can learn a lot from them. One of these is Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. Governor Kasich was faced with an 8 Billion dollar deficit when he entered office in 2011. Today, the state of Ohio is on solid financial footing, people are going back to work, businesses are expanding, educations needs are being met and taxes, incredibly, have not been raised. I hope you take a moment to look into his administration’s efforts.

Thank you.

Serge G. Mihaly, Jr
Wallingford, CT

http://www.governor.ohio.gov/

February 8, 2015

Letters Editor
The Journal Inquirer

In light of the recent push for further firearm legislation by the Governor’s Sandy Hook Commission in Connecticut and our Governor, I would like to add a few points to the conversation.

It is very unfortunate that it is often people who have little or no knowledge of firearms beyond what they see on television or in movies are the ones who write and enact many, if not all, ‘gun control’ laws. Because of this, their understanding is not one of proper respect and practical solutions, but rather fear and ignorance. While some Police Chiefs may support such legislation, we may want to remember that many are political appointees filled by politicians with their own agendas. I prefer to look to the rank and file officers in this nation. Time and time again studies show that these brave men and women overwhelmingly have little confidence in measures like the Governor’s.

It doesn’t surprise me, though, that while various politically created ‘truth seeking commissions’ can conclude we need more firearm laws, their recommendations are not supported by our nation’s most respected law enforcement agency; the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI. Far too many of these ‘commissions’ are not created to seek truth, but instead find ‘evidence’ to justify their misguided opinions.

One aspect of Governor Malloy’s push for anti-gun legislation uses phrases like ‘assault weapon’ or ‘military type’ firearm designed to fool an unknowing public making them believe that their state government is only protecting their safety, when they are actually stealing their freedoms and individual rights. These are rights so fundamental to our society that our Founding Fathers clearly and separately wrote them into both our Federal and State Constitutions.

Despite Governor Malloy’s disingenuous English, true ‘assault rifles’ are actually machine guns, but the Governor and his supporters don’t tell us this. The firearms that he attacks here are not. They fire one round per pull of the trigger just like many hunting rifles. These ‘terrible’ firearms are also preferred as weapons of self-defense by many homeowners and personally owned by police officers as private citizens. As Billy Joel once said, ‘Honesty seems to be lonely word’ in our Capitol.

Our all-knowing Governor has also focused on large capacity magazines deciding arbitrarily to limit the number of rounds that a firearm ought to have for safety’s sake. But by what logic was this number determined? Does a single mother of two violently confronted by an intruder need 5, 10 or 15 rounds to protect herself? Just how many rounds does it take to kill a deranged or vicious criminal and do we want to limit anyone’s ability to defend him or herself? I don’t believe any ‘politically appointed and agenda driven commission’ can answer this. In essence, what we see is a political and emotional reaction to a tragedy, not a rational one.

A word to the Governor and his supporters: Repeal this law and deal with the Elephant in the room, improving the Mental Heath system. That is the answer.

Serge G. Mihaly, Jr
Wallingford, CT

April 14, 2015

Letters Editor
Meriden Record Journal

Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter in support of Mr. Jean Pierre Bolat, a member of the Wallingford Board of Education and parent of a Wallingford student. As a former Connecticut teacher, it is very difficult to understand how, in a world where our national school system no longer leads the world and where it is not uncommon to find graduating students unable to use proper grammar, spell correctly, read to their grade level, write coherent sentences and other, that somehow we are intensely focusing on the topics of date rape, homosexuality and masturbation in English class. Are these the kind of topics that need to be taught by English teachers or are more appropriate for an after school counseling session held by certified experts? It seems ridiculous that teachers who went to school to teach English literature, writing and other aspects of this beautiful language, have now suddenly become expert Social Scientists. I also have a hard time believing that students in North Korea, Germany, England, Taiwan, Spain, Italy, India, France, Sweden and a host of other countries are focusing on date rape, homosexuality and masturbation instead of reading, writing, technology, science, mathematics and other such topics.

Our schools, here in Connecticut and around the country, desperately need to get back to ‘the basics’ inculcating our children with the necessary skills to obtain good jobs and support themselves and their families, to successfully compete in a domestic and world market. There is barely enough time now to fit in all the other ‘social requirements’ imposed upon our children that real education has almost been forgotten. We need to eliminate social programming and teach our children how to read, write and think logically. Education today is far too Liberal and far too off base. I believe we are actually hurting our children, not helping them. This needs to stop.

We should applaud the character and courage Mr. Bolat has brought to Wallingford. I believe the town has chosen well.

Serge G. Mihaly, Jr
Wallingford, CT

Policies not Personalities
3/16/2015

We have a to think ‘big ideas’ not engage in petty, personal political wars. What policies will help our state and national economy, the poor and disadvantaged? It is the private sector, business and the middle class that need assistance through the intelligent application of ideas. Tax cuts, tax incentives for businesses large and small, economic enterprise zones within the inner city, making teachers, children and parents the primary focus of education not bureaucrats in Hartford or DC. We must improve our mental health network and not destroy our 2nd Amendment. We must allow the free expression of religion and stop the secular persecution of Christianity and other religions, cut government spending and promote self-reliance, eliminate ridiculous taxes and fees that burden everyone and reach out to all parties, all minorities to better understand their thinking, needs and perspectives and not be afraid to ask questions to end our stereotypical attitudes. We must have intelligent policies, not flashy personalities. If our current leadership is failing us then we need a change in both Hartford and Washington.

What are our problems in CT? What has been tried and are we trying now? Has it helped or not? Let’s change course, get back to Conservatism. Liberal ideology has been a failure.

Serge G. Mihaly, Jr
Wallingford, CT