If you”™re looking at the best states in which to do business, don”™t include Connecticut.
That”™s what Forbes concluded in its yearly poll, dropping the state from 33rd to 35th in its rankings.
The top 10 were Virginia, Washington, Utah, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, North Dakota, Texas, Nebraska and Oregon. Making one of the biggest moves up the ladder was Montana, which rose from last year”™s 24th spot to 13 this year. Also moving up 11 rungs was Illinois, from 35 to 24. Taking a hard fall was Arizona, from 18 to 36. Finishing in last place was Rhode Island.
When it comes to business costs, Connecticut was near the bottom at 45. However, it scored best in quality of life at number 3, following Virginia and Massachusetts.
So how do you fix a state that”™s a nice place to live, but not easy to do business in?
First off, don”™t rely on a poll as the end-all, be-all.
This poll is consistently a lightning rod for criticism concerning the completeness and timeliness of its data.
Yes, this state has its problems, from transportation to electric costs to taxes to lack of affordable housing.
But there are thousands of hardworking, full-time small businesses that call it home and who have built up a loyal customer base. Loyalty is not something you take for granted when you”™re a business owner.
But loyalty has been taken for granted by many members of the General Assembly. Why else would they year in and year out add laws and fees that punish business?
Turning the state around is akin to pushing a barge with a rowboat.
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But as gargantuan a task it might be, there has to be an attempt made.
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One way to turn the state around is to turn the General Assembly around. Partisan politics will have to be tossed out the window. The economy of this state should be the sole focus of the executive and legislative branches.
A moratorium on member items should be invoked.
Those who have consistently had their empty, outstretched hands filled with funds doled out by politicians should tighten their belts. Learn to get by with less.
Lawmakers would have to earn their photo-ops through hard work instead of handing out some oversize check to a favorite hometown group.
Another way to fix the state is certainly by not adding more fees, such as the 30 pages of new or increased fees that took effect last week. They won”™t amount to much in the grand scheme of things.
And taxes? We have to agree with Kail Padgitt, a Tax Foundation researcher: “When policymakers are considering tax changes in their states, they should remember two rules: taxes matter to business, and states do not enact tax changes ”“ increases or cuts ”“ in a vacuum.”
Attention, full- and part-time denizens of the capitol building in Hartford: The state needs to become competitive again. Reaching that point is going to take some hard work.
Roll up your sleeves, lawmakers, it”™s time for some sweat equity to rebuild this state.
