Political Capitol

Yesterday Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s office announced her proposal to divvy up $4 million in winter heating assistance lawmakers set aside for senior citizens during a special session this past summer.

In her press release, Rell stated “in addition to the $4 million in funding for direct aid” the state would provide $500,000 to help fund outreach programs to advertise the initiative.

But the proposal I recieved from her budget office, which still requires legislative approval, specified the $500,000 comes out of the $4 million. So technically there is only $3.5 million available for direct aid.

Jeffrey Beckham, spokesman for Rell’s budget office, today confirmed the latter scenario is the case and was actually specified in the legislation approving the $4 million.

Back in June, when gas prices were rising with no end in sight, the legislature passed a bill prohibiting dealers from nixing cash discounts as part of their station contracts.

The idea was that, rather than spreading the transaction fees imposed by credit card companies on all drivers, the stations could now cut the costs for customers paying with cash and raise them for those using credit cards.

Not sure how many stations took advantage. I knew of at least one in tony downtown Fairfield, which also, oddly enough, typically has some of the cheapest prices in the area (it’s like the ‘eye of the storm’ or something).

But when I pulled into the station on Sunday, I found the price-per-gallon for cash and credit was the same and the discount was not being offered that day.

It got me thinking that, perhaps with prices at the pump dipping below $3, some stations might decide it is no longer worth the hassle.

Michael Fox, executive director of Stamford-based Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers of America, disagrees.

“Don’t see it as any big trend,” Fox told me today. “You may see the discount amount shrink … but I don’t see the program itself going away.”

Fox said he has even read in trade magazines about cash-only stations opening in other states.

It does not appear to make sense for a station to end the discount if it’s luring customers.

But perhaps drivers will start to care less about whether they get a break using cash, thinking they’re saving money just by virtue of pumping anything that costs less than $3.

It’s funny how that works. A few years ago we were all screaming about the absurdity of paying anything close to $3 for gas. Now it’s cause for celebration.

The Norwalk attraction today announced that, to promote its upcoming Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular from Oct. 23 through Nov. 2, it commissioned a pumpkin carved with the likeness of Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

According to the aquarium, the pumpkin was drawn and carved by Kim Reckner, daughter of the event’s founder, John Reckner, from a photo provided by the governor’s office.

Rell was so pleased with the likeness, she commissioned a truck load of pumpkins to be displayed in Stamford mayor and potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dannel Malloy’s neighborhood…

This time from Time Magazine.

Every once in a while I get an opportunity to take a break from policy and politics and interview a celebrity.

Today it was actor Robert Vaughn, who I first watched as a kid on The A-Team television show and in this semi-obscure sci-fi flick, Battle Beyond the Stars, that my dad and I saw in the theater back in 1980.

Now as an adult I’ve come to know Vaughn as the last surviving member of the Magnificent Seven, one of my favorite classic westerns (which was in fact the basis for Battle Beyond the Stars). He was also in Bullitt, a pretty cool cop movie from the late 1960s with Steve McQueen known for a classic car chase.

And, as the title of this post suggests, Vaughn also played a super-spy in the mid-1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Vaughn, who lives in Ridgefield,  just wrote his autobiography and has a local book signing scheduled. We were contacted about the signing and my editor, knowing my love for old movies, asked me to do a pre-signing interview with Vaughn to run later this week.

One of the things I was most curious about was Vaughn’s take on the 2008 presidential race because he attended a primary rally for Republican John McCain at Fairfield University in February.

That struck me as interesting since Vaughn’s book spends several pages on his public opposition to the Vietnam War and his efforts to convince Democrat Bobby Kennedy to run for president. He also famously debated late conservative icon and Stamford resident William F. Buckley.

Vaughn would not discuss which candidate he is supporting this year. He said he also attended an event for Democrat Barack Obama.

Following the McCain event Vaughn told Salon.com: “The key for me is how the next president handles Islamic jihad.”

Vaughn does make a reference to the Iraq invasion in his book when discussing Vietnam.

“The core of U.S. foreign policy then and now is the conviction that our interests are quite consonant with those of the rest of humanity,” Vaughn writes. “Sometimes it’s even true. But when the rest of humanity doesn’t agree – as with the Vietnam War in the 1960s and ’70s and with the war in Iraq today – the results can be devastating for the United States and its people.”

I found the following post about the national ACORN hubbub by Hartford Courant columnist, blogger and radio personality Colin McEnroe interesting in part because he tends to be pretty liberal.

I’ve interviewed Colin in the past. His afternoon program is on WTIC 1080, the same station that broadcasts Norwalk resident Diane Smith’s morning talk show.

Here’s the concluding paragraph from the majority opinion, issued a little while ago:

“Our conventional understanding of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection. Intepreting our state constitutional provisoins in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualifed same sex partner of their choice. To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principle to gay persons and another to all others. The guarantee of equal protection under the law, and our obligation to uphold that command, forbids us from doing so. In accordance with these state constitutional requirements, same sex couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry.”

Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell issued the following statement:

“I disagree with today’s State Supreme Court ruling but as governor, I will uphold it. I continue to believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman.”

“I also believe that the historic civil union law that I proudly signed in 2005 is equitable and just. We were the first state to enact such a law through legislative action and not a court mandate.”

“The Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision – either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution – will not meet with success. I will therefore abide by the ruling.”

And Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the legislature’s judiciary committee, responds. McDonald is also gay and has been pushing for lawmakers to legalize gay marriage:

“Today’s decision is an affirmation of Connecticut’s legacy of leadership in civil rights issues. It’s a bright day for Connecticut, and all her citizens.”

“The legislature must now take steps to clarify state law to comport with this decision. The Supreme Court has admirably done its job, and now we are required to do ours. And I predict that we will do it in a bipartisan fashion.”

Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield:

“While I believe these decisions are better left to elected representatives, it is ultimately the province of the State Supreme Court to interpret our constitution. The Court carried-out that responsibility today and ruled that the institution of marriage in Connecticut must include same-sex couples. Whether people agree or disagree, we all need to respect the Court’s decision and abide by the ruling.”

Had the opportunity to talk by phone today with Christopher Healy, chairman of the Connecticut Republicans.

Most of the conversation was about a story I’m writing regarding alleged voter fraud in Stamford. But we also chatted a little bit about the legislative races.

The GOP minority, lead by Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield, and Rep. Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, hopes to gain significant seats despite Connecticut’s reputation as a “blue state” where Barack Obama leads.

Even when Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell handily won re-election in 2006 her popularity did not boost her party.

But Healy believes the new voting system challenges voters to think harder about the under ticket, as opposed to voting down the party line. So an Obama lead doesn’t mean local Republican candidates will lose, Healy said.

“I would say this even if McCain were up by five points. The way we vote now, with the bubble sheets, it’s a whole different dynamic psychologically than … going to a machine and hitting the levers,” Healy said. “If our candidates are doing what they do and connecting with the voters, they should be okay. If a candidate has established a reasonable message and has met and touched that voter four or five, six or seven times, that voter has a good chance of sticking with them … I think we’re going to be very competitive.”

And what is that message?

“We know the voters need a break from … the taxation that will most assuredly come their way if the Democrats come back and control the legislature,” Healy said. “We have to paint that picture very clearly. Democrats under Christopher Donovan (the Meriden Democrat who is expected to be House Speaker if re-elected) are going to raise taxes as sure as the sun will set tonight at 6 o’clock.”

The state is facing $1 billion dollar deficits in the coming fiscal years.

Last month Sen. Majority Leader Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said no one so far is discussing tax increases. But he added “as a matter of policy we Democrats have always been in favor of having a more progressive state income tax with higher marginal tax rates . . . if indeed it became necessary to raise added revenues.”

In 2007 the Democrat-majority sought to boost income taxes on the wealthiest residents, many of whom live in lower Fairfield County, while promising to cut them for everyone else. They were thwarted in part by Stamford Democrats and Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, who said the region already gets too little in return from Hartford (and who undoubtedly feared they would turn-off some wealthier constituents and lose votes.)

A few weeks ago one of the local Democrats who did back the 2007 tax hike – Rep. Christopher Perone, D-Norwalk – told me he did not see the wisdom of increasing taxes on high-earners because they have been most impacted by the Wall Street crisis and layoffs within the financial services industry.