State Senator Dennis Bradley who chairs the Public Safety Committee that’s weighing casino expansion and sports betting, shares his take on the legislative session with Steve Krauchick, host of Doing It Local.
Bradley is among the Democrats pushing back on Governor Ned Lamont’s flagging trucks-only toll legislation. He has a rosy outlook for a casino for Bridgeport run by Connecticut’s two tribal nations. Immunization, a controversial topic this session, is something parents should decide and not forced by government, he says.
The legislature faces an ambitious schedule to get things done in an election year the next 10 weeks.
Bradley has no announced opposition yet. City Councilman Ernie Newton and social justice advocate Kate Rivera are weighing primary challenges.
it’s fine to say let parents decide immunizations. BUT…..
has anyone googled the complications of measles? encephalitis is one
complications of mumps? male sterility is one.
rubella/German measles? death to an unborn fetus is one.
google the complications of meningitis. when my daughter lived in one of the UConn dorms, I got a phone call that there was a case of meningitis in her dorm. I knew that she was up to date on her meningitis vaccine. when I see what the complications of meningitis (including death!), I am most thankful that she had a meningitis vaccine BEFORE she went to UConn.
I don’t know that I want my grandchildren exposed to an unvaccinated child in their schools
I truly feel that a casino would not survive in Bridgeport at all. The casino market is getting saturated. Why don’t they focus more on performing arts???? The Cabaret, comedy club, the Ampitheater, the arena, rebuild the Majestic for shows to compete with Shubert. Why not stay focus on becoming an entertainment\ Artsy community? How about forgetting the downtown ice ring (A JOKE) AND BUILDING a performing arts school? just random thoughts here
There must be money in the anti-vaccine lobby. That’s the only reason I see Bradley being against this.
Bradley is one of the idiot State Senators who is against tolls on heavy duty trucks!
There is something in play here and it’s not good government.
Does Dennis Bradley actually think he can leverage his vote on tolls for passage of a casino bill???
He’s playing with the big boys now. It’s not Maria P and the BOE.
Or maybe he thinks he can leverage his toll vote against his on going legal problems.
Good luck with THAT!
There are more than a few readers (as well as non-readers of OIB) who drive in CT without facing tolls, while when they cross the border are faced with tolls for the privilege of driving on roads that are in place, but require regular maintenance for safety and quality of life issues while driving. So tolls for trucks, or for cars, or for both is not the real issue. It is a use tax. I cannot debate the sales tax on my lunch, nor can I argue any taxes of that type. I can avoid the tax by not using something that is taxed. That is it. How does Senator Dennis propose paying for the necessary road maintenance, or the broader transportation costs? The Governor is now talking about bonding. Isn’t that a good idea they may say, but to the extent that money borrowed must be repaid over 20 years usually, it is a new and larger budget item for FUTURE budgets PLUS the cost of interest attached.
Which of us looks to the State audit or local Bridgeport budgets to see whether bond schedules are shrinking or increasing years into the future?? Babies not yet born in 2020 will be paying income taxes (and other levies) to repay funds spent 15-20 years previously, and if it is for road maintenance, likely more maintenance will be required than once in 20 years and more borrowing, right? I do not get a separate bill from the State or the City for my share of bond principal and interest, so I remain poorly informed as to what is happening when legislators decide to kick things down the road, rather than to open the debate, share the info behind the difficult choices they face, and listen to the larger public. Where can we discover the courage, belief in democracy and integrity of those who make financial decisions for all? Time will tell.
JML, it’s a new revenue stream. That’s being levied and will have more of an impact on the life of middle and working poor families than those more will-off. The Question is not about being able to avoid a use tax. But how are the taxes being used? During the governor’s primary debate it was said Connecticut pays twice as much for a mile of road than the nation average. Don’t you think that comes into play, be it tolls or bonding, on the state budget? I don’t know what that 300 million train station on the East Side entailed, but the casino Foxwoods was proposing cost 350 million. To me a train station is a platform with maybe a building with some amenities and a parking lot, and that a nicer one. The one in F airfield cost a 20 or 30 million, I believe. So that had to be a far more ambitious project than just a train station. I hope.
At any rate, if it was just the need to find revenue for road maintains without bonding they would have just increased the gas tax, bonding won, this round, but tolls are inevitable. when? Time will tell. But my guess is when electric car come more common on CT roads, and that gas tax that was put in place for road maintenance diminishes to a level tolls are needed. Because when you say I will lower the tax that was imposed on you for road maintenance (gas tax) to implement a new tax on you for road maintenance, well the need for revenue for road maintenance is not the main objective for the tolls JS
Besides isn’t it better to generate revenue from taxes that are generally something you can avoid than something you can’t, like drive to work, school, or to visit someone? It would make being taxed more tolerably if the tax was your choice, in a sense. That’s what sin taxes are, regardless what (Marvin) of OIB says. Instead of forcing taxes let them be more of an volunteer means like bullets. Bullets are a sin tax. You want a gun that shoots 50 rounds in 5 seconds? it going to cost you.
#ESLproofreadandnogrammarly 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGrZwP-f4tM&feature=emb_logo
P.S. Speaking of Senators. Are any of Moore’s supporters going to ask, demand, or even encourage her to fix the ABs abuse that has plagued Bridgeport politics far longer than the issue of a Port casino has been going on? That has rigged election after election by what OIB posters say is why the Port goes nowhere, lead by Mario and his DTC machine. Considering Moore herself was a victim of a rigged election that was stolen by Mario and his AB operatives Even a court judge said it needs legislation to fix.
Is not Moore a Bridgeport legislator who cares about the Port? She ran for its betterment of it. Is not trying to fix the AB system that has stolen election after election, including hers sound like the Port isn’t much of a concern? Would her Trumbull or Monroe constituents ask, demand, or courage her to do something that has plagued their towns? Is she not more than just the average victim of a rigged and stolen election by Mario’s? Just askin.
There were many outspoken OIB posters speaking about the need to fix ABs abuse and wanting someone to stop these rigged elections. Moore herself had concerns of AB abuse in her election, asking the state to monitor see it. Just wondering if something is going to come out of Hartford to change how the Port administers ABs and its elections? Or I’m just going to hear the same BS at the next election cycle about Mario and ABs abuse because nothing has come out of Hartford to address this problem that has plagued the Port for decades?
People here on OIB said Bridgeport deserves more, well you got Moore, but can she deliver and free the Port of Mario and his reign of AB abuse that has stolen election after election?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZPKoNG3c-g&feature=emb_logo
Let’s dig deeper into the way that Senator Dennis thinks on the subject of tolls. I believe he says that he wants the wealthy to pay their share of taxes because of their wealth, meaning they should pay more. So I took that idea to a logical extent: in other words, the driver of the new Maserati gets hit with the largest toll at a given location = $50.00, the driver of the $75,000 Porsche = $30.00, the driver of any car with value below $35,000 is charged a toll of $10.00 But if you are driving a vehicle older than 20 years , often in “beater” status, gets sent $5.00 for their emeritus status for having paid full tolls for so long. This is a new opportunity for those concerned with STATUS to display the pride they take in operating an expensive vehicle and paying their way as Senator Dennis may see it. In the meantime, absent another idea offered by Bradley, he is allowing road deterioration to continue and no one paying for it. What type of stewardship is that? Time will tell.
How did we go from vaccinations to tolls to absentee ballots?
If that Ab comment was in reference to my comment, I thought that the Port’s state legislators need to take it up in Hartford. But if you see Bridgeport AB’s as not a problem, I’m sorry. However, in the last few years because of AB corruption. We had many court cases that overturned elections including a case in the last mayoral election that when to the SC to try to have it overturn because of AB’s abuse. Did you miss it?
There are many outspoken critics on OIB complaining about how AB corruption has determined the outcome of the Port’s elections, sorry for going there. Just thought people wanted to fix the problems in the Port, I guess they (political insiders) just want to play the game and point their finger when the time comes if their AB game is on the losing side. I look forward to all the comments about Mario and AB Corruption in the next election cycle. Again, sorry for the inconvenient post.
http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/moore-demands-investigation-but-shows-no-evidence-of-fraud-in-primary-results/