Fixing Connecticut's Budget Gap

The state of Connecticut is facing an estimated $150 million budget gap for 2009. A combination of stupidity, lack of revenue from oil prices, and other miscellaneous factors are contributing to this shortfall. It is one of 44 states facing this problem. I suppose debt and lack of money management skills is now the American dream.

Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell, a female, has setup a website where Connecticut residents can submit ideas to leverage the budget gap.

The website can be found by clicking here.

Submit your ideas if you have any. Below are mine in which I am submitting. Many of them you will see take after the state of California, who also has a great budget shortfall, but has the Terminator on its side working feverishly to balance the books.

My solutions:

1. Give all government workers an extra 2 days off EVERY month with no pay. They get to choose whatever two days they like.

2. Decriminalize marijuana. Too much time and too many resources are being put toward petty offenders. Too many people are in jail for low-level drug crimes. I would suggest Connecticut allows marijuana for medicinal purposes and collects tax on this.

3. Tax marijuana. Okay - so we know that the state won't completely decriminalize the drug, but they can offer "tax stamps." People can buy tax stamps online or at government buildings. These stamps are to be places on all bags of marijuana. If someone gets caught with a bag of pot that does not have a tax stamp on it, the fine/punishment will be more harsh than with the stamp.

4. Sell the corporate jet. I'm not really sure that they have one, and they probably don't - but it's just an idea.

5. Prisoner payback program. Released prisoners NEED to pay for their time in prison. There is no excuse why the tax-payers are footing the bill for all of these prisoners. They need to pay for their crime, and their time. This can be done through garnishing wages.

6. Better enforce online sales tax. So many websites do not add state sales tax - it's the law and it is hardly enforced.

7. Increase tax credits for incoming businesses. This is one of the number one ways to attract new commercial industries to the state, which will in turn increase tax revenue.

8. Increase tax credits for the movie industry. Connecticut has some great locations for shooting films, and more would shoot here with lower taxes.

9. Obesity tax. If your Body Mass Index is greater than 30, you need to pay a famine tax bi-yearly. This will also encourage people to lose weight and get in better shape.

10. Switch to a 4-day work week. The city of Danbury, CT did this and saves a few hundred thousand dollars on electrical expenses.

Please comment with your thoughts and ideas!