{news} CCSU- Rell still claims she wants Thornton in debate! balks at Thorntons' ideas on Guard

[Green Party-CT]

Current issue:    October 18, 2006Central Connecticut State University     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                    News                                                     
                                                                                                                                                                                          October 18, 2006                                                                               Interview with Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell
               By Mark T. Rutkowski
               Copy Editor
               
                                Governor Jodi Rell entered office in 2004 under a dark cloud of dishonesty and exploitation. Former running mate Governor John Rowland plead guilty to corruption charges and has since served 10 months in a federal prison. Despite this precarious introduction, today Rell enjoys a record 80 percent approval rating. Her opponents in the 2006 race for Governor include Democrat John DeStefano, Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton and Joe Zdonczyk of the Concerned Citizens party.  Mark Rutkowski: Governor Rell, Democratic nominee John DeStefano has balked at the idea of an open debate that would also include Cliff Thornton of the Green Party and Joe Zdonczyk of the Concerned Citizens. You, however, are agreeable to such a debate. Why? 
 Governor Jodi Rell: I believe that candidates who qualify for the ballot deserve to have a place in the debates. It is as simple as that. 
MR: In your July 2004 inauguration speech you promised that your administration would “work steadfastly to create jobs and grow [Connecticut’s] economy.” In August the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the state faces “near stagnation” in job growth. In addition, this past month a report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ranked Connecticut 45th in the nation for job growth. What is your administration doing to address the shortcomings in Connecticut’s economy? 
JR: We have added nearly 20,000 jobs since I took office. At the same time we have protected tens of thousands of existing jobs, not just the 31,500 jobs associated with the U.S. Navy submarine base in Groton but thousands more at ING, MetLife, Traveler’s and elsewhere. My economic development strategy is multidimensional. We must address not only traditional incentives for employers to grow or locate in Connecticut and we have. GlobeOp Financial Services, for example, is moving to Hartford to take advantage of two new tax credits I proposed, one for companies that create 50 or more new jobs and one for companies that hire workers laid off elsewhere. We must also address root issues such as education, tax policy, energy, transportation and so on. Am I satisfied with job creation? No. I won’t be happy until we’re number one. But with unemployment running well below the national average, our average annual incomes rising steadily and a solid plan for growth, I do know now is
 not the time to be hitting our employers with enormous new taxes and government mandates. 
MR: A July 2006 Quinnipiac University poll found that 66 percent of Connecticut voters believe going to war in Iraq was the wrong thing to do. Green Party gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton says that if elected he would not send any more Connecticut National Guard troops to Iraq. Are you willing to make the same promise? 
 JR: No governor has the authority to refuse to send National Guard troops to Iraq. When the National Guard is on active duty in the state, during a severe storm for example, then the governor is their Commander-in-Chief. But when the National Guard is called to federall service, they are subject to the orders of the Congress and the President of the United States. 
MR: Same-sex civil unions became legal in Connecticut one year ago. However, such unions are not recognized outside the state as traditional marriages are. Furthermore, the law does not grant same-sex couples divorce proceedings. Do you think Connecticut should extend the right of marriage to same-sex couples? 
JR: I was proud to sign the civil union bill passed by the legislature in 2005 because it extends civil rights to all couples, no matter their gender, and sends the unmistakable message that discrimination in any form is unacceptable in Connecticut. I believe, however, that marriage should be defined as the union of one man and one woman. 
 MR: One year after Katrina, people are still refugees and schools remain closed. What has your administration done to prevent catastrophes similar to Katrina from happening in Connecticut?  
JR: I believe very strongly that government has no higher responsibility than to safeguard its citizens, not only from terrorist attack but all threats, including natural disasters. To that end I have fought tooth and nail for Connecticut’s fair share of federal Homeland Security funding, despite shortsighted federal distribution formulas. I have also insisted that state authorities our own Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security as well as our state police, our Military Department, local police and fire departments and municipal governments have planned and prepared for all forms of disasters then tested those plans with drills and exercises. Last year Connecticut was the host state for the international terrorism exercise called TOPOFF3, which provided many valuable lessons for local and state officials on issues as diverse as incident management and coordination with federal authorities. In addition, the ample evidence of poor preparation for the
 devastating hurricanes last summer at all levels of government led me to immediately order a series of statewide drills that continue even now. Every department in state government and local governments across Connecticut have joined in making preparations to deal with a catastrophic storm, identifying places of shelter, marking and testing evacuation routes, checking on supplies and emergency equipment and so on. Most recently Connecticut’s Department of Public Health and other state agencies have prepared to deal with a possible outbreak of avian influenza. While this may seem like a remote possibility now, the lessons of 9/11 and Katrina, as well as the epidemic flu of 1918-19, remind us that we cannot take anything for granted.

                    
                                      
                                                                                                                                                       
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    Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282
   National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut)
    Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager


  Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer-   www.VoteThornton.com
   



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