Offended By Budget Comments

To the Editor,

After reading the article on Friday, April 28, regarding the budget’s defeat, I felt a little offended and annoyed by the comments made by the Legislative Council, and feel it is important that I share my thoughts with you and possibly other readers, for what they are worth.

 As one of the people who voted against the budget, it is uncomfortable to hear council members refer to the budget’s defeat as “statistically insignificant” to justify any budget cuts whatsoever. And, that the proposal of resubmitting the exact same budget again for the next vote is actually being considered is really arrogant, in my opinion.

 I am all for students getting a good education. However, do the members of this Legislative Council have any idea of what the costs are to live in this community, for those of us on a modest income? Have they forgotten that our energy costs have increased dramatically (20 percent for electricity, and that gas prices are rising almost daily)? Do they understand that many of us are lucky these days to receive a three percent salary increase, and therefore find it more and more difficult to live in this town, with these huge budgets being proposed each year?

 The attitude that I read between the lines says those of us with modest incomes will just have to deal with the increase in taxes year after year. We must be the “statistically insignificant” portion of Newtown’s population.

 If I cannot afford to live within the means of my household budget, I cannot ask someone to give me more money each year to keep up with the rising costs of everything. Yet, every year that I have lived in Newtown, we play this game. The town wants to spend more money than it has available, and just assumes that every year the taxpayers can afford an increase. I just want to voice my opinion that not everyone who lives in this town can afford these increases, and we do matter. We are not statistically insignificant. If the budget was voted down, then the Legislative Council needs to do its job, to bring the budget in line to keep the costs reasonable. We all have to give somewhere.

 This town is becoming the home of the exclusive — those that have the money to move here do and those who cannot afford to stay will leave. Does anyone on the Legislative Council realize what is happening, and more importantly, do they really care about everyone in this town? Thank you.

Sincerely,

Debbie Perlini-Waite

46 Taunton Hill Road, Newtown                                       May 3, 2006