By State Senator
Dan Debicella
With the snow falling and Christmas trees glowing,
everyone is in the holiday spirit. So while I normally
write about state policy issues, I wanted to take an
opportunity to talk a little about the meaning of Christmas
and all the holidays of this time of year.
Now I don’t mean Christmas in a religious sense.
For us Christians, there is a deep and profound meaning
of Christmas as Christ bringing hope and joy to the
world. But there is also a secular side to Christmas
that all Americans share regardless of faith—a
spirit of giving and camaraderie that all of us share
together.
Christmas is obviously about family and friends—spending
time with loved ones, watching the joy on kids faces
opening presents, and relaxing and reminiscing about
the year that was. For most of us, it is a time to be
thankful for not only our families but for having a
roof over our heads and enough to provide for our family.
Because even in these tough economic times, most of
us have plenty to be thankful for.
However, there are a good number of us who are in real
need this Christmas, and indeed throughout the year.
Whether it is the homeless or those stuck in poverty,
America has families who need financial help just to
get by—never mind enjoy the Christmas most of
us do.
Fortunately, the Christmas spirit that all Americans
share includes giving, especially to those in need.
Connecticut residents especially are generous with their
time, talent, and money not only at Christmas but throughout
the year.
Consider that:
• According to the Generosity Index
compiled by the Catalogue for Philanthropy, the average
Connecticut taxpayer donates just over $4,000 a year
in itemized charitable donations.
• According to Forbes, Connecticut is
the fourth most generous state in the nation when factoring
in the number of households and the mean charitable
contribution per household in their ranking, as well
as the tax burden and the cost of living in each state
using 2002 dollars.
• According to Giving and Volunteering in
the United States, 83.9 million, 44%, of American
adults volunteer, representing the equivalent of over
nine million full-time employees at a value of $239
billion. On average, Connecticut’s 830,000 volunteers
dedicated 110 million hours each year between 2005 and
2007. The economic contribution of these volunteers
was estimated to be $2.1 billion a year.
We can all be proud to live in a state whose citizens
are generous with their time and money throughout the
year. Even when times are tough, people in Connecticut
are willing to help those in need.
The secular spirit of Christmas is all about giving—not
just to our families, but to those in need. This is
one of those years when times are tough for a lot of
families to give as much as they have in the past. But
even now, I have heard so many stories of people volunteers
or giving donations to organizations to help the poor
or destitute. People are still giving—and that
is something we can all feel good about.
Government also has a responsibility to its neediest
citizens, even when times are as tough as they are now.
My hope is that we do not react to the state government’s
ongoing budget crisis by cutting funding for services
to our neediest citizens. Instead, I believe we would
all be best served by looking at how we can better deliver
necessary services while lessening the burden on taxpayers.
During the upcoming legislative session, I will propose
legislation to follow the example of states that have
a single system for providing social services. Most
states have either a government-run social services
program, or one run by not-for-profit community providers.
Connecticut has both – and could save a great
deal of money by contracting all social services currently
provided by state government to community providers.
Not only will this save the taxpayers hundreds of millions
of dollars, but will maintain current services to the
poor and needy.
OK—I couldn’t resist putting at least a
little policy in my column. The spirit of Christmas—of
helping those less fortunate than us—applies to
government as well as to us as individuals. I am proud
that Connecticut’s citizens are so generous at
Christmas and throughout the year, and will be working
to ensure that state government continues to help the
less fortunate while providing services in a taxpayer-friendly
efficient manner.
I hope that you and your family have a Merry Christmas
and joyous new year.
Dan Debicella is the State Senator representing
Stratford, Shelton, Monroe, and Seymour. If you have
feedback for him or want to talk about the issues, he
can be reached toll-free at (800) 842-1421 or by e-mail
at dan.debicella@cga.ct.gov.
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