The Town of Killingly’s application to change advanced life support (ALS) primary service responders—from American Ambulance to Killingly-based K-B Ambulance (KBA) has been rejected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s (CTDPH) as reported at WINY.

This is an affront to me as a citizen of the town of Killingly.

So if I get this right, my town of Killingly, after careful consideration of the matter, determined we can improve emergency services to our citizens and save $40,000 by contracting with KBA for services.  Some State investigator from Hartford has decided we, the Town of Killingly did not submit an acceptable plan/application, and therefore do not deserve “permission”, and therefore have no authority to make this contractual decision.  We no longer have local, town control over this public safety matter.  Somehow, we have ceded this contractual authority to the State.

Clearly, the state “officer” has determined, we, the citizens of the town of Killingly are too stupid to make this decision for ourselves (a good bet since we’ve agreed this true for school lunches, common core and other matters).  The statist view:  such decisions must be, and are better made by experts in Hartford with a regional NGO stamp of approval (in this case NECOG).

Apparently, least qualified to decide:  our local elected town officials and professional town manager.

This is nonsense, and I do not believe it, and neither should you.

As reported, the state has decided $40,000 is not substantial savings to the town of Killingly, and that insufficient data was provided regarding patient care or the impact to the local, regional, and statewide system.  Some town citizens opined it is the town’s responsibility to prove we “deserve” approval.  Imagine, we need to “deserve” to operate our town.

First, for the state to determine that $40,000 is not substantial just demonstrates the hubris of the state, and those that promote regionalization.  That’s a new truck for our town, or 15 road repairs, or recreation equipment repairs for our children, salt costs for a rough winter, the price of a newly discovered wall requiring fixing, et al.  Do all statists not understand, it’s not your money?

Second, suggesting patient care will not be maintained basically means this investigator has determined KBA is not a qualified provider.  Anecdotally, this seems an absurd conclusion.   Obviously they are qualified to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) services or the State of CT would not have certified them.  This state investigator apparently disagrees with the state ALS certification board, and has determined KBA is not qualified in a town they’ve been providing Basic Life Support (BLS) services for 75 years.

Third, suggesting there was insufficient data regarding the regional impact, for me, a taxpaying citizen of Killingly, is an affront to my town’s sovereignty.  An absurd reason for denial unless we now live by fiat under a state of forced regionalization.  I know of no law/statute/ ordnance/agreement wherein we, the town of Killingly, ceded our right to deliver public safety services in our town to a regional authority.  Maybe there is one?

Trust me, just, because some self-interested state investigator says we didn’t meet the burden of proof does not make it true.  The State unjustly denies rights to citizens and towns every day.  This is routine for them.  To think otherwise is naïve.

In any case, determining whether Killingly met our burden is likely in the end subjective with dueling experts.  My sense of the matter, no matter what data we provided, we were not getting approval.  Figuratively, the fix was in as they say.  Government administrative personnel pick and choose – crony power and crony money dictate attitudes.  Friends, this is how government works, local to state to federal.  My sense is derived from routinely doing this for a profession.

The State and the Regional oligarchy expect the Town of Killingly to go away; and do what they say.  They know we can’t afford to fight them in court.  They will use their bully pulpit and vast and coercive resources to achieve compliance.  I look forward to reading our presentation and the report; and performing my assessment of whether we met the “burden of proof”.

Friends, local control of our town continues to slowly erode from the coercive power of the state, and seemingly we do nothing, have a lack of will to even recognize.  From Town Operations and most certain in our School systems, we have less and less control and say about local operations and cost.  Worse we willing participate, allow it to occur; the cost of maintaining our town’s sovereignty, freedom from state control unaffordable.

I encourage Killingly town leaders to consider appeal and fight this, recognizing, fighting the state is not for the faint of heart.

By all accounts, we are being forced to accept arguably lower quality of care and as a state “benefit” we get to pay a higher price.  Only CTDPH – the State and American Ambulance (the incumbent service provider) believe it makes sense that citizens of Killingly pay a higher price for less responsive service. Of course they do.

What is the cost of the town of Killingly’s sovereignty?  Standby, we might find out.