Comments on: Gideon’s suggestions for reducing the budget deficit in CT

By: Dear Governor Rell: death penalty’s broke and we can’t fix it | a public defender

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:38:58 +0000

[...] it’s me, Gideon. This is my second attempt at a letter to you. The last one was somewhat trivial by comparision. I hope you take the time to [...]

By: Gideon

Gideon — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:57:14 +0000

What percentage of lay people are interested in the Law Reports? And what percentage of those lay people don’t have access to a computer? The answer, I believe, is a miniscule amount.

So 100 copies and send it to each library in the State. Done. If you don’t like computers you go to the local library to read it.

Everyone in a law office has to know how to use a computer and be comfortable with it. For them, there’s no need for paper copies.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:53:14 +0000

The public needs print reporters and statutes. There is still a significant percentage of the public who either don’t have access to or don’t feel comfortable with computers. They deserve access to the law as well.

Also, there is still no adequate authentication of online primary legal sources: http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/authenreport.asp.

Until some of these issues are appropriately addressed, abolishing print statutes, regulations, and case law makes no sense and may very well be undemocratic.

All people should have access to the law.

By: Gideon

Gideon — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:04:47 +0000

I have to agree with almost everything you’ve said. Time to tighten the belt!

By: iBlog

iBlog — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:18:34 +0000

Nice post!

A few items, off the top of my head:

1) Reduce by (at least) 95% the governor’s budget for public relations and communications. Same for all the state commissions, departments, authorities, etc. Legislative offices too. EDUCATE, don’t spin. If you’re doing a good job – we’ll know, we’ll know.

2) In a similar vein, eliminate all state-sponsored (Rell-gracing) public service announcements. We KNOW drunk driving is dangerous. We KNOW about missing children. The ads are cheesy, dumbed-down, and virtually impossible to not ignore.

3) From what I understand, the evidence that police patrols actually reduce auto accidents is extremely skimpy. If that’s true, eliminate those state trooper patrols.

4) Give up on all those embarrassing efforts to attract the film industry to Connecticut. Every other state is doing the same thing, and I seriously doubt that the “economic benefits” numbers we hear from the state have any basis in reality. Truth be told: Connecticut ain’t that special. So let’s pass the Mystic Pizza and chill. If a producer wants to film in Connecticut, he’ll know where to find Connecticut. We have signs.

5) Kill the 211 help-line program. I’ve never been able to successfully use it to learn any information about anything. I think 211 often (primarily?) serves the state as all-purpose excuse for NOT offering enough REAL services. Just make sure the 411 operators and the operators at the main state government numbers have a good list of direct lines to the various agencies.

I’m interested to see what others ideas people have.