Lawmakers do a disservice to least among us

On Wednesday, my brother, Ralph, a disabled adult with autism and mental retardation who attends a day program at the West Haven Community House called Community Connections, was forced to take a furlough day. Fortunately, my elderly parents are both retired and can care for Ralph on a weekday when he cannot attend his day program. But what about the disabled clients whose parents still work? What happened to them? Perhaps their parents took unpaid days off to care for their adult children? But they won’t be the only ones who will not get paid. You see, the grossly underpaid workers who are beyond dedicated to helping Ralph prosper, will also be forced to take an unpaid furlough day off from work, to the detriment of their own families.

Why is this happening? I will tell you. It is actually quite simple. The elected representatives who are sent to Hartford do not want to do their jobs. They do not want to work together to ensure that the least among us are cared for and that the state of Connecticut has a budget. And, let me say that I, like many others, am sick to death of partisan ideology wreaking havoc on our government. Learn to compromise. Find some solutions to the budget problems in Connecticut. Most of all, show me that you actually care about Ralph, my parents, and the workers at Community Connections.

On Wednesday, my brother will sacrifice. My parents will sacrifice. The workers at Community Connections will sacrifice. I will be waiting to see when Connecticut’s elected officials will join the disabled, their families, and their caregivers in sacrificing. I do not plan to hold my breath. — Stefanie Hennes Silver Spring, Maryland