The usual ingredients of liberalism will be on full display for the session: Create a crisis and then demonstrate to the public, their leaders are at work, solving the problem. Of course, they'll need to keep the surplus from the state's already overtaxed people to come up with a solution. But don't worry. Find a few willing media accomplices to buy into this "crisis," and the public will be sure to show their support. You couldn't pay for such publicity, during an election year.

The roots of this special session were planted a month ago, when the non-profit organization "Operation Fuel," created years ago to help people who fall through the cracks and can't pay their home heating bills, was upset its state funding wasn't increased in the second year of a two-year state budget. With expected higher oil prices, "how were they going to meet the demands of their growing clientele?" Walla. Operation Fuel's Executive Director Patricia Wrice suggested that people pay an additional $11 a year on their utility bills, so that others wouldn't freeze to death. When the governor, and certain media people, bought into the hype, the crusade was underway.

Only one problem: The public was paying attention, and even in a blue state like Connecticut, they could smell a liberal plot. For example, how could a utility company force customers to pony up more so others could pay their electric bills? Wasn't that nothing more than yet another rate hike and didn't that have to be approved by DPUC? Furthermore, didn't CL&P and United Illuminating already have a voluntary check off box for those customers wanting to donate to the downtrodden's electric bills?

An attentive public, a politician's worse nightmare. Now what to do? Well Gov. Rell came to the "rescue" and announced that a state budget, predicted to end the fiscal year in the red, had managed a $22 million surplus, thanks to her call for belt tightening by department heads. And with her media supporters - already eating crow when the public wouldn't accept that suggested utility bill increase - cheering from the sidelines, the state's "fearless leader" said the surplus - instead of going back to the people - would be part of a program to address the impending home heating oil crisis, and the best way to tackle the issue would be the aforementioned "special session."
In fact, the governor produced a laundry list of suggestions for the Aug. 22 gathering, including restrictions on the minimum amount of oil that fuel companies can deliver. But don't worry, if that was a problem for the oil companies, the government would bail them out too, just like it's bailing out those who can't pay their bills. Stalin, or for that matter, Putin, would be proud.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone by the liberal governor from the opposite party, Senate President Donald Williams, a Democrat and an avowed Barack Obama supporter, announced this week we don't have a $22 million surplus. We have an $85 million surplus and all of that should go toward this special program, "because the middle class will need help paying their bills too."

Curiously, one of the voices of reason, throughout all of this, has been state Comptroller Nancy Wyman, a Democrat, who in so many words, said the governor played tricks with the budget figures to produce the surplus. Her suggestion is that no special session is needed and that the surplus money should be placed in the state's Rainy Day Fund. If, down the road, the state legislature deems people need help with their heating bills, they could withdraw the money from the fund.

Wyman has supporters, among conservative Republicans like 17th District State Representative Kevin Witkos, Canton, running for the state Senate this year. Witkos says he's opposed to earmarking the surplus for a fuel program, saying that there are already government programs to help people pay their heating bills. "All this is going to do is create another government program that you will never get rid of. Put the money in the Rainy Day Fund. Besides, oil prices are declining, and some people are predicting that by winter, a barrel of oil will be selling for $75."
Selimi Noujaim, R-74, of Waterbury, is also opposed to another government program to address the issue, although he hasn't totally made up his mind.

Obviously, Wyman, Witkos and Noujaim are offering too pragmatic a solution for a problem that deserves pomp and circumstance. Thus, the special session will proceed, so the likes of Gov. Rell and Sen. Williams, two of the state's biggest liberals, can demonstrate no "problem" is too large for the government to solve. And with some cheerleaders in the media, they'll get their message across. Of course, in order to solve the problem, they'll need your surplus money. In reality, it's money culled from an overtaxed public that should be returned to the public so that they could afford to pay their heating bills--without the government's help. But then who would pay for the Aug. 22 "dog and pony show?"

Dan Lovallo can be heard 3-6pm every weekday afternoon on The Talk of Connecticut's WDRC-AM 1360, WMMW-AM 1470, WWCO-AM 1240 & WSNG-AM 610 danlovallo@talkofconnecticut.com