The economy...

I spent the morning at a conference in Groton on Energy & The Economy, a forum hosted by the Chambers of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut and Mystic and the Connecticut Business & Industry Association.

One of the more interesting - and telling, I think, - things said came during an question and answer portion following the first half of the program between State Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, and Jeffery Blodgett, vice president of research for the Connecticut Economic Resource Center..

Blodgett had completing his presentation providing an overview of the state and regional economy, basically describing the economy as a "Goldilocks Economy, not too hot, not too cold - just right." He also suggested that many of the challenges facing the state and business leaders are problems that didn't arise overnight - and won't be solved overnight, either.

That's when Urban rose to the microphone and said, that is the problem. The state works on a two-year cycle, not a long term basis. She noted that not only does the state legislature spend most of its time putting together a two-year budget, lawmakers then embark on re-election campaigns - every two years.

If the problems we need to face have to be dealt with on the long term, operating on a two-year cycle (or way of thinking) doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.