Take note Connecticut; these are your leaders in action. Wonder how many other legislative bodies would exhibit the same behavior were cameras in the right places.
House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, far right, speaks while colleagues play solitaire on their computers as the House convenes to vote on a new budget for the fiscal year in the Capitol on Monday [AP Photo/Jessica Hill]
The Associated Press picture has appeared in any number of venues, and it shows two lawmakers sitting in the back row of the historic Hall of the House in Hartford during the lengthy debate over the two-year, $37 billion state budget.–On the left is Rep. Barbara Lambert, a freshman Democrat from Milford who won her first legislative election in November 2008. She replaced longtime Milford Democrat James Amann, who ended his legislative career as the House Speaker and is now running for governor against Republican M. Jodi Rell.–Lambert is playing spider solitaire in the photo, while Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, a Bridgeport Democrat who has served in Hartford since 2005, is playing regular solitaire. They both voted in favor of the Democratic-written budget, while Cafero voted against it.–During the long debates at the state Capitol, legislators often work on their laptop computers – as seen in the photograph. Sometimes they are answering e-mails from constituents, while other times they are researching important information on pending bills. Other times, they are playing solitaire.–When asked Tuesday about the photo by Capitol Watch, Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell laughed and said, “I think if they’d spend less time playing computer games and more time looking for spending cuts, then we would have been out of here a lot sooner.”–Republican Tom Foley, who is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Christopher J. Dodd, said, “I was disheartened to see a Hartford Courant front page photo showing members of our Democratically-controlled legislature playing solitaire on their computers while debate was occurring on a new state budget that raises taxes and contains no net reduction in spending. This is not a time for the Democrats who control our legislature to be playing games with Connecticut’s future. Our elected officials need to put away their computer toys and help working people by lowering taxes and keeping government spending down.”–From Capitol Watch
Many people say our government has become a laughing stock. Is that true? Or is it even more ominous?
Hey, this is a perfect spot to show you this delightful video.
Shirley Buxton 